Food intolerance guide
The low salicylate diet
Salicylates are natural chemicals in many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, where they act as preservatives to delay rotting. They are also the active part of aspirin. If you are sensitive to them, they can trigger allergy-like symptoms even when standard allergy tests come back clear.
What are salicylates?
Salicylates are the salts of salicylic acid, a chemical taken as medicine to relieve pain, inflammation, and fever, and used as a blood thinner. They occur naturally in many plant foods as a built-in preservative. Raw foods, dried foods, and juices contain higher levels than the same food cooked. Sensitivity tends to be more common in people with asthma and increases with age.
Symptoms you might experience
Skin
Itching, rash, hives, mouth ulcers, a raw hot red rash around the mouth, swelling of the hands and feet.
Breathing and brain
Asthma, persistent cough, hyperactivity, poor concentration or memory.
Gut and bladder
Stomach upsets or aches, urgency to urinate, or bedwetting in children.
How to approach the diet
Restrict high-salicylate foods and keep a food diary, recording what you eat and any reaction. After a few weeks off a particular food, reintroduce it slowly and see whether you react. Amounts matter: a small serve of a higher-salicylate food may be fine, while a large serve of a low one is not.
Salicylates also hide in artificial colours (tartrazine, sunset yellow, amaranth) and preservatives (benzoates, sulphites, gallates), and in supplements, toothpastes, and chewing gums, so check labels, medications, and toiletries too.
Foods grouped by salicylate level
Grouped by amount rather than a simple eat or avoid, since tolerance varies. None or low Moderate High, avoid
| Level | Foods |
|---|---|
| None None | Meat, fish, fresh banana and pear, canned bamboo shoots, fresh cabbage, celery, lettuce, turnip, dried peas, peeled potato, grains (except corn), dry poppyseeds, most dairy, malt vinegar, gin, vodka, whisky. |
| Low, under 0.5mg/100g Low | Fruit: yellow apple, banana, pawpaw, pears. Veg: bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, raw chives, garbanzo beans, leeks, lentils, lettuce, lima and mung beans, peas, unpeeled potato, shallots, soybeans, spinach, watercress. Nuts: cashew, poppy seeds. Drinks: vodka, chamomile tea, decaf, Milo, Ovaltine. |
| Moderate, 0.5 to 1.5mg/100g Moderate | Fruit: red and canned apple, lemon, loquat, figs, lychees, canned apricots, avocado, cherries, grape juice, grapefruit, mango, plums, pineapple, watermelon. Veg: asparagus, canned beetroot, carrots, corn, peeled cucumber, eggplant, green beans, black olives, onion, parsnip, pumpkin, rhubarb, spinach, baby squash, turnip. Nuts: macadamia, pistachio, brazil, coconut, hazelnut, peanut butter, pecan, sesame, sunflower, walnut. Drinks: sherry, brandy, rum, white and rose wine. |
| High, over 1.5mg/100g Avoid | Fruit: apricots, berries (blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry, boysenberry, cranberry, loganberry, raspberry, redcurrant, strawberry), cherries, all dates and dried grapes, guava, mandarins, mulberries, nectarines, peaches, oranges, prunes, rockmelon, kiwifruit, orange and pineapple juice, passionfruit, raisins, tangelo. Veg: alfalfa, broccoli, chilli, endive, gherkins, broad beans, tomatoes (and paste and sauce), capsicum, chicory, canned mushrooms, okra, radishes, watercress, zucchini. Other: tea, honey, licorice, peppermints, water chestnuts, peanuts, almonds, pine nuts, worcestershire sauce, vanilla flavouring, yeast spreads, fennel powder, blue cheese, vinegars, and pies or cakes with dried fruit. |
Very high: herbs and spices
These are especially concentrated and best avoided while you lower your load: allspice, aniseed, bay leaves, canella powder, cardamom, cayenne, celery powder, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, curry, dill, horseradish, mace, mustard powder, oregano, hot paprika, rosemary, sage, tarragon, turmeric, thyme, and worcestershire sauce. Also avoid artificially coloured or preserved foods and check medications, toothpastes, and chewing gums.
Adapted for Elemental Health and Nutrition from a low-salicylate diet sheet compiled by Patrice Connelly (B. Nat Ther., Adv. Dip. Naturopathy), Saraband Health.
Frequently asked questions
What are salicylates and what is a low salicylate diet?
Salicylates are salts of salicylic acid, natural plant compounds that act as the plant's own preservatives, found across many fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. Some people are sensitive to them and react with allergy-like symptoms even when standard allergy tests are negative. A low salicylate diet lowers the overall salicylate load, then carefully reintroduces foods while watching for symptoms, since the amount eaten matters as much as the food itself.
What are the symptoms of salicylate sensitivity?
Salicylate sensitivity can cause a range of allergy-like symptoms despite negative allergy tests. These can include skin reactions such as itching, rash, hives, mouth ulcers and swelling, breathing and brain effects like asthma, cough, poor concentration and, in children, hyperactivity, and gut or bladder symptoms including stomach upsets, urinary urgency and bedwetting in children. Keeping a food diary helps connect symptoms to intake, since reactions depend on the total amount consumed.
Which foods are high and low in salicylates?
Lower-salicylate foods include meat, fish, dairy, fresh banana and pear, cabbage, celery, lettuce, peeled potato and most grains except corn. Higher-salicylate foods to limit include berries, dried fruit, oranges, broccoli, tomato products, capsicum, mushrooms and most herbs and spices, which are very high. Cooked foods tend to be lower than raw, dried or juiced versions. Hidden sources include some artificial colours, preservatives, medications and toiletries, so labels and a food diary help.
Reviewed by Rohan Smith, BHSc Nutritional Medicine · Elemental Health & Nutrition, Adelaide. Last reviewed 13 June 2026.
Important: This summary is general information, not personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or a treatment protocol. Speak with a qualified practitioner about your individual situation. Book a consultation →