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If a food is not listed on the 'salicylate in food lists' can I assume it is safe to eat?
Why do you not give the salicylate content of all foods/herbs? Can you tell me if a particular food or herb is high in salicylate? Does cooking destroy salicylate? Does freezing destroy salicylate? Do Chinese Herbs contain salicylate? I suffer from urticaria, hyperactivity, depression, joint pain etc... can you tell me if I am salicylate sensitive? I have been taking a multi vitamin supplement and am convinced that it must have some form of salicylate in it but the manufacturer says it doesn't. What is causing the problem? Can you recommend safe shampoos, cosmetics, soap, washing powder, hair sprays, cough mixtures, ointments etc... If a food is not listed on the 'salicylate in food lists' can I assume it is safe to eat? NO. Please do not make this assumption. The food lists contain information on the foods that were tested. If a food does not appear in the lists it simply means that it was not tested and must be treated as suspect. Why do you not give the salicylate content of all foods/herbs? How I wish I could provide this sort of information but testing has only taken place on a limited range of foods. Having said that I do find that the Swain study, on which the lists are based, is pretty comprehensive on basic foodstuffs and certainly provides us with an excellent starting point - without this study many of us would be truly struggling. Can you tell me if a particular food or herb is high in salicylate? I can only tell you about those mentioned in the lists and in the handbook. Information is not, currently available, for many foods, herbs and plants. If in doubt treat the food as suspect. Does cooking destroy salicylate? As far as I know, it does not. I have, however, found that cooking fruits and vegetables seems to be safer for me than eating them raw but whether this is because the salicylate is reduced or altered in some way I don't know. Does freezing destroy salicylate? I don't think it does but some people have reported that they are able to eat larger portions of frozen vegetables than freshly prepared ones. Perhaps the salicylate level is lower because the vegetables are picked before the salicylate content has become too high. Do Chinese Herbs contain salicylate? As far as I know, most of these herbs have not been analysed to establish their salicylate content. As most the herbs tested in the Swain study turned out to be high in salicylate all herbs need to be treated as suspect. If you feel you must use a particular herb or herbs the I suggest that you test them by introducing them (one at a time) and monitoring your reactions over a two week period - essential because of the build up effect of salicylate. I suffer from urticaria, hyperactivity, depression, joint pain etc... can you tell me if I am salicylate sensitive? I am sorry but it would be totally irresponsible of me to attempt to diagnose the cause of your health problems. If you suspect salicylate may be the culprit, please read the a articles on this site and the Salicylate Handbook, keep a food diary and see your doctor. I have been taking a multi vitamin supplement and am convinced that it must have some form of salicylate in it but the manufacturer says it doesn't. What is causing the problem? Manufacturers often assume that you mean 'added' salicylate rather than naturally occurring salicylate so you may need to check the ingredients list again - if any of the vitamins come from natural sources (such as vitamin C from rose hips) then that could be the problem. It could also be that it is a salicylate mimic that is causing the problems. For example: BHA or BHT could have been used as a preservative for any one of the individual vitamins. Also check for any added colours or flavourings. Can you recommend safe shampoos, cosmetics, soap, washing powder, hair sprays, cough mixtures, ointments etc... At one time I tried to keep this information but it is virtually impossible to keep up to date especially as ingredients do vary from country to country and the manufacturers also change the ingredients on an alarmingly regular basis. So sorry but I am unable to provide this type of information. |