Northern European Food Curse – Salicylate Sensitivity

"Kitchen Scene" by van Rijck (17th century)

There is a well-known trope about British people having the runs after a night eating curry. One of the reasons for this, at least for some, is salicylate sensitivity – a heritable food intolerance that many people know nothing about, though it is estimated to affect perhaps around 2.5% of Europeans. An allergy specialist I saw years ago described the phenomenon as “edge of the world syndrome”, she told me that on some days every person in her waiting room with food sensitivities was red-haired, and explained that many people with northern European ancestry are today eating a diet that is utterly alien to that of their ancestors. Basically, northern Europeans adapted to eating a diet that was, for the most part, naturally low in salicylates. In so doing some of them lost the ability to efficiently metabolise the higher amounts of salicylates naturally found in the skin of most fruit, herbs and spices (as well as many vegetables) found further south on the globe – foods that are becoming increasingly common in modern Western diets. Today, many people put up with the symptoms of salicylate sensitivity because the symptoms are either mild enough to ignore or because they don’t understand the root cause of troubling health issues. 

There seems to be a cultural reluctance to point out that there are some significant genetic differences between ethnic groups. If east Asian people live longer then surely their diet is healthier for all humans? Not necessarily – because ethnic groups evolved for tens of thousands of years apart from each other and in so doing their ancestors who flourished did well on food native to their homelands. Northern Europeans prospered on a diet based on animal products, supplemented by small amounts of highly seasonal and localised nuts, fruit and vegetables. Within the last few thousand years grains and legumes (which are mostly low salicylate) were added to the mix. The overwhelming majority of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices and long-life foods commonly eaten today were totally unavailable. Even the much praised Mediterranean diet is too exotic for people with salicylate sensitivity. By comparison, traditional northern European food tends to be naturally much lower in salicylates, eg, oatmeal with sugar and milk, yoghourt, bread and cheese, bacon and eggs, pancakes, custard, baked pear and cream, fish and chips with mushy peas, fish pie, roast lamb with carrots and parsnips, steak with mashed potato and brussel sprouts, baked potato with sour cream and chives, kasha, ham and pea soup, beef and carrot stew, etc.

The main symptoms associated with salicylate sensitivity are hives and gastrointestinal upset (eg, abdominal pain and bowel irritation). Other symptoms linked to salicylate intolerance include headaches, nasal congestion, fatigue, moodiness, irritability and ADHD. Hives are an obvious sign of a problem that needs addressing but, just as many east Asians consume dairy and just put up with the symptoms of lactose intolerance (gastrointestinal upset), many people with northern European ancestry are tolerating uncomfortable symptoms caused by a high salicylate diet.

Put simply salicylates are:

“… a family of natural plant chemicals found in many fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices … as well as most honeys, jams, yeast extracts, teas, juices … and wines … Salicylates are also present in flavourings (for example, peppermint), perfumes, scented toiletries, eucalyptus oils and some medications (aspirin is a member of the salicylate family) [Swain, Soutter and Loblay, Friendly Food].”

If you want to try a low to moderately low salicylate diet you can basically eat as much as the following as you like (caveat: nothing in this post is medical advice as I am not a health professional):

• Any fresh meat
• Bacon and ham (these are high in amines though)
• Any seafood
• Eggs
• Any whole dairy (eg, butter, cheese, plain yoghourt, etc)
• Any grain except corn / maize
• Any legume except broad beans and peanuts
• Any soy product (including soy sauce, miso, etc)
• Cashews (replace peanut butter with cashew spread)
• Poppy seeds
• Saffron
• Salt

The tricky thing is to eat these foods without high salicylate additives, which includes most herbs, spices and sauces.

Fruit and vegetables are also tricky – many need to be avoided. Generally they should be peeled if possible, and fresh and plain is usually better.

The best fruit to choose are pears and bananas. Most other fruit should be avoided.

Occasionally you might want to break out by eating fruit that is only moderately high (as opposed to high) in salicylates, so the following are the best choices on those occasions, but they must be fresh:

• Apples (peeled is better)
• Apricot
• Coconut
• Figs
• Lychee
• Mango
• Papaya / pawpaw
• Rhubarb
• Rockmelon
• Tamarillo
• Tomato (without skin)
• Watermelon

These vegetables and greens are low or moderately low in salicylates:

• Asparagus
• Beans and bean shoots
• Beetroot
• Brussel sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrot
• Celery
• Chives
• Cucumber (if peeled)
• French green beans
• Garlic (small amounts)
• Leeks
• Lentils
• Lettuce (iceberg is best, others are ok)
• Parsnip
• Peas (dried or green)
• Potato (white and peeled is the best, others are ok)
• Pumpkin (if butternut or squash)
• Shallots
• Swede / rutabaga
• Sweet potato
• Turnip

Low salicylate sweets:

• Carob
• Caramel (unless it has preservatives)
• Chocolate (this is high in amines though)
• Maple syrup
• Marshmallows (white ones only)
• Meringue
• Pear jam
• Sugar (except raw, molasses and treacle)
• Toffee
• Vanilla ice cream or yoghourt

Low salicylate beverages:

• Gin (and tonic)
• Lemonade, if preservative free and clear, eg, Schweppes 
• Milk
• Soy milk
• Tonic water
• Vodka
• Water (plain or sparkling)
• Whisky (and soda)

Not as guilty pleasures:

• Coffee is lower in salicylates than tea
• Chamomile is the best herbal tea to choose if you must
• Elderflower is the best cordial to choose if you must

Common foods to strongly avoid:

• Dried fruit
• Strawberries
• Capsicum
• Honey
• Mint and peppermint

Note that it may take as long as 6 weeks for a low salicylate diet to yield any benefits. After that point, when high salicylate foods are eaten (by someone sensitive to salicylates) a reaction may be experienced within several hours, which may last for up to a few days, or it may be the case that no adverse reactions will occur until a certain number of higher salicylate foods are eaten over a period of days or even weeks, as it takes time for the level of salicylates in the body to reach a threshold before symptoms appear. Reactions to food that are more or less immediate are more likely to be an allergy, as opposed to food intolerance / sensitivity. If a low salicylate diet results in no benefit, consider the possibility that food sensitivities, if present at all, may instead relate to amines, glutamates, food additives (colours, preservatives and flavour enhancers), fructose, gluten intolerance or lactose intolerance.

Sources:

• Baenkler, Salicylate Intolerance: Pathophysiology, Clinical Spectrum, Diagnosis and Treatment, Dtsch Arztebl Int, 2008
• Swain, Soutter and Loblay, Friendly Food: The Essential Guide to Avoiding Allergies, Additives and Problem Chemicals, Murdoch Books, 2005
• Swain, Soutter and Loblay, RPAH Elimination Diet Handbook, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, 2011

Written by M' Sentia Figula (aka Freki), find me at neo polytheist and romanpagan.wordpress.com