Salicylates And Lectins Too....?

[scotty]

i was just wondering what the folks on here who i am more and more coming across that they avoid salicylates and lectins as well as everything else that seems to generally attach itself to problems with gluten. i was just wondering what they are eating then. i have done research and there is almost enough information to rule out everything!!! one website says potatoes are ok another says they are bad and that is not the example i want to use persay but the first one i thought of....just out of curiosity here. i can't find a website yet that has a true diet to follow; can only find the negatives and they are overlapping

[Ursa Major]

Sorry I didn't answer your questions yet. I got glutened in a restaurant in Mexico last Thursday night, and then in the airport on Sunday, and I am still feeling rather crappy.

The problem with nightshades (which includes potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant) is, that they are high in both lectins and salicylates, plus they have something else (don't remember what it is called) that makes them a real whammy.

I eat potatoes once in a while, though, maybe once or twice a month, and never a lot. Make sure they are white, peeled potatoes. The peel is always the worst part, because it contains a lot of salicylates.

I eat mostly just meat and fish, some vegetables, peeled pears, the occasional peeled golden delicious apple (the only acceptable kind of apple), salad, about once a week cream of buckwheat for breakfast (I don't handle any starches very well). The only sweetener I use is 100% maple syrup. The only safe fats are cold pressed sunflower oil and lard. Hazelnuts are fairly safe in small quantities, as are sunflower seeds. Bananas are supposed to be safe, but I've had a problem with them for years and can only eat about one a week. The juice of about one lime a day is safe (lemons and oranges have a much higher salicylate content than limes and are not safe).

The only vegetables I can eat any amount of are green/white cabbage, rutabaga, celery and iceberg lettuce (none of which has ever been a favourite food of mine ). I eat in limited amounts brussel sprouts, carrots, asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, peas, kohlrabi.

The only safe herbs are parsley and dill in limited amounts. No spices are safe, and neither is table salt. I use only sea salt.

Chamomile tea is the only safe tea. Juices are out, and so is coffee. I only drink water and chamomile tea (with maple syrup).

Here are two links that will help you a great deal, they were my best resources when starting out.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

If you are serious about trying to eat without salicylates, I advise you to order the C D from the salicylate site, it has been invaluable to me.

[scotty]

Ursa,

well bless your heart for answering then.

i can't believe your the only one to answer though. maybe these diets are not as clear cut as they seem. thanks for the websites too--the one i had come across, but one is also new. just curious what everyone is following. looking for the majic mixture. seems like most of the stuff i can't eat anyway are on these lists. i'm going to create my own diet which like everyone else's will be very restricted and will have a list of safe foods (or what works for me); that seems to be the idea. maybe though i can make some $$$$$$$$$$ off it.

thanks again and hope your better,

scotty

[Ursa Major]

Scotty, you're right, you will have to experiment. As Krispin in the Lectin site says, you may be able to eat some lectins after a year off them. You need to test that. I find I can tolerate limited amounts of rice now. But everything else is still no good.

The same goes for the salicylates. You can be sure that Aspirin is a no-no. Oranges are bad, but the occasional Clementine is fine for me now (less salicylate content). Spices are terrible (instant heartburn and headache, and aching the next day), as are most herbs (even though not as bad).

Everybody who is intolerant to salicylates has a different tolerance level, you have to figure out yourself how much you can handle each day. Just make sure you know which foods have the highest levels, and stay away from those all the time.

I always know when I've gone over the line when my skin and muscles are aching badly the next day, and I have to take my codeine pills again for a couple of days to manage (I used to take those 24 hours a day before going off gluten and other lectins and salicylates).

[Lizz7711]

Scotty, you're right, you will have to experiment. As Krispin in the Lectin site says, you may be able to eat some lectins after a year off them. You need to test that. I find I can tolerate limited amounts of rice now. But everything else is still no good.

The same goes for the salicylates. You can be sure that Aspirin is a no-no. Oranges are bad, but the occasional Clementine is fine for me now (less salicylate content). Spices are terrible (instant heartburn and headache, and aching the next day), as are most herbs (even though not as bad).

Everybody who is intolerant to salicylates has a different tolerance level, you have to figure out yourself how much you can handle each day. Just make sure you know which foods have the highest levels, and stay away from those all the time.

I always know when I've gone over the line when my skin and muscles are aching badly the next day, and I have to take my codeine pills again for a couple of days to manage (I used to take those 24 hours a day before going off gluten and other lectins and salicylates).

Do some people react only to some salicylates and not others? I noticed that after making this delicious soup made with just chicken broth, leeks, carrots, chinese cabbage, and lentils, with CURRY powder, that I had a headache and tight stomach for two days. I'm thinking it's either the lentils or the curry since the curry powder is high salicylate. I also seem to react to red grapes with irritability. But no problem with apples or some other foods listed as having salicylates. From some research I did, it doesn't seem like the listing of salicylate content of foods is very reliable/accurate--they don't really know for sure the content levels, and the few studies i've found contradict each other on many items.

Liz

[Ursa Major]

Do some people react only to some salicylates and not others? I noticed that after making this delicious soup made with just chicken broth, leeks, carrots, chinese cabbage, and lentils, with CURRY powder, that I had a headache and tight stomach for two days. I'm thinking it's either the lentils or the curry since the curry powder is high salicylate. I also seem to react to red grapes with irritability. But no problem with apples or some other foods listed as having salicylates. From some research I did, it doesn't seem like the listing of salicylate content of foods is very reliable/accurate--they don't really know for sure the content levels, and the few studies i've found contradict each other on many items.

Liz

I imagine it would be the curry powder. Lentils are fine on a salicylate light diet. Everybody who has a salicylate intolerance has a different threshold on how much they can tolerate.

Red grapes are a definite no-no. The other ingredients of your soup are okay, unless you eat a lot of it.

Where a food is grown influences the levels, too. That is why they can't really give you accurate readings. Organic vegetables have a salicylate content that is about 60 times as high as non-organic vegetables. Which is good news for most people (salicylates are anti-oxidants), but not for people like me.

In the end, you need to know which foods are high in salicylates, which ones have negligible amounts, and which have fairly low to moderate amounts. Always avoid the high ones, eat lots of the very low ones, and eat moderate amounts (once in a while) of the ones in between. And if you feel bad, you know you have overdone it, or can't tolerate a food at all.

There really is a lot of trial and error and takes time to figure out. I've been working on it for two years now, and pretty much know what I can eat, and what amount would be too much.

[Lizz7711]

Ok, thanks for the advice! I'll have to test the curry powder...I'm not entirely sure I have a salicylate issue so I guess I really need to do some controlled experimentation. That's crazy about organic vegetables, makes sense though...so do you buy non-organic because of that? Or just cut the outside skins? Is there any hope of reversal of salicylate sensitivity?

Liz

I imagine it would be the curry powder. Lentils are fine on a salicylate light diet. Everybody who has a salicylate intolerance has a different threshold on how much they can tolerate.

Red grapes are a definite no-no. The other ingredients of your soup are okay, unless you eat a lot of it.

Where a food is grown influences the levels, too. That is why they can't really give you accurate readings. Organic vegetables have a salicylate content that is about 60 times as high as non-organic vegetables. Which is good news for most people (salicylates are anti-oxidants), but not for people like me.

In the end, you need to know which foods are high in salicylates, which ones have negligible amounts, and which have fairly low to moderate amounts. Always avoid the high ones, eat lots of the very low ones, and eat moderate amounts (once in a while) of the ones in between. And if you feel bad, you know you have overdone it, or can't tolerate a food at all.

There really is a lot of trial and error and takes time to figure out. I've been working on it for two years now, and pretty much know what I can eat, and what amount would be too much.

[Ursa Major]

I was tested to have very low aldosterone levels (a hormone made by the adrenal glands) a year ago (the 'normal' range is supposedly 60 to 780, and mine was 73). I have been on Fludrocortisone since last July, when a doctor in Germany agreed that not only was a level of 73 not normal, but dangerously low (my blood pressure had gone down to 85 over 55 by then as a result). The optimal range is around 500 to 600. But my doctor here in Canada declared 73 'perfectly normal, nothing needs to be done'.

Low Aldosterone will (amongst many other symptoms) cause allergies and intolerances. I've found that even though I still have to be careful, that my tolerance level for salicylates isn't as low as it was (I still won't normally eat foods high in salicylates, though).

Yes, I avoid organic vegetables and fruit, even though I would normally prefer them.

[Lizz7711]

I was tested to have very low aldosterone levels (a hormone made by the adrenal glands) a year ago (the 'normal' range is supposedly 60 to 780, and mine was 73). I have been on Fludrocortisone since last July, when a doctor in Germany agreed that not only was a level of 73 not normal, but dangerously low (my blood pressure had gone down to 85 over 55 by then as a result). The optimal range is around 500 to 600. But my doctor here in Canada declared 73 'perfectly normal, nothing needs to be done'.

Low Aldosterone will (amongst many other symptoms) cause allergies and intolerances. I've found that even though I still have to be careful, that my tolerance level for salicylates isn't as low as it was (I still won't normally eat foods high in salicylates, though).

Yes, I avoid organic vegetables and fruit, even though I would normally prefer them.

That's interesting. I have low adrenal function as well as hypothyroid. Haven't tested aldosterone. Could it be though that the food sensitivities are what causes the hormone/adrenal problems? That's my guess due to the stress the foods are putting on those systems.

LIz