Naturally Low-Salicylate Foods
Everyday foods that tend to sit low on the salicylate scale, for people testing a salicylate link to their skin. A starting list, the higher-salicylate foods a trial reduces, and a clear caution about doing it properly.
Read this first
Salicylates occur naturally across a huge range of plant foods, so a low-salicylate diet is genuinely restrictive and easy to get wrong. This list is a starting point for a short, supervised trial if you suspect salicylate sensitivity, not a diet to adopt long-term on your own. Published salicylate values vary between sources, so treat any list, including this one, as approximate, and let a dietitian guide the process rather than working from a single chart.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Because salicylates are found in so many nutritious foods, cutting them out without support risks an unbalanced diet, so professional guidance genuinely matters here.
Foods that tend to be lower in salicylates
As a starting list for a supervised trial, these everyday foods usually sit lower:
- Peeled pears, often cited as one of the lowest fruits
- Banana
- Plain fresh meat, poultry and fish, without spiced marinades or sauces
- Eggs
- Plain dairy, for those who tolerate it
- Certain vegetables, such as peeled potato, cabbage and leek
- Plain grains like rice, and some breads and cereals without added fruit or spice
Peeling matters more than people expect, because salicylates concentrate in and just under the skin of many fruits and vegetables, so a peeled potato or pear is lower than an unpeeled one.
Foods that tend to be higher in salicylates
These are the foods a low-salicylate trial usually reduces:
- Most berries, dried fruits and citrus
- Tomatoes and tomato-based sauces
- Many herbs and spices, such as curry powder, paprika and mint
- Tea, and honey
- Highly flavoured or spiced processed foods
Spices and herbs can be surprisingly concentrated sources, which is why plainly cooked, unspiced food is a theme of the lower-salicylate list.
Why food is only part of the picture
Salicylates are not only in food. They are also in aspirin and some other medicines, in mint flavours such as toothpaste and chewing gum, and in certain skincare ingredients. So if you are testing a salicylate link, it makes sense to look at those sources too, not just your plate. Someone eating carefully but using a strongly minted toothpaste or a salicylate-containing skincare product may not get a clear result from food changes alone. Reviewing the whole picture with a professional avoids that confusion.
How to do a trial properly
The sensible approach is a short, structured trial rather than open-ended avoidance. Lower your salicylate intake for a limited period with a dietitian’s guidance, keep a food and skin diary, and then reintroduce foods gradually to find your own threshold. Most people who are sensitive still tolerate some salicylate and only react past a certain load, so the aim is to find that line, not to eliminate salicylates forever. Long-term blanket avoidance is rarely necessary and strips out a lot of otherwise healthy food.
A note on getting it right
Because salicylates are so widespread and published values are only approximate, this is one of the harder eating patterns to get right alone. Do a low-salicylate phase briefly and with professional support, check non-food sources like medicines, mint flavours and skincare, and reintroduce rather than restricting indefinitely. If you are considering this because of a skin problem, see your GP or a dietitian first, so the trial is safe, balanced and actually answers the question.
Check products against your list
A free database like Open Food Facts lets you look up a product’s ingredients, and Fig is genuinely good for running a defined eating pattern such as a low-salicylate trial. These give broad information rather than a check against your own skin. To check a product against the specific things that make your skin react, a personal-list app like ClearaScan lets you save your triggers once and scan any product, food, medication or cosmetic, against your ingredient guard list, flagging only yours. Its Reaction Journal lets you tie a flare back to the product that caused it, a shared Care Circle lets family scan for you, and a Trusted Products list keeps what you have cleared. It is currently in early access. (Disclosure: our editor co-founded ClearaScan, and we are not paid to mention the others.)
The Sensitive Skin Ingredient Decoder
A free one-page guide to reading a skincare label fast: the irritants to watch, the fragrance loopholes, and what "fragrance-free" and "hypoallergenic" really mean.
Common questions
What are salicylates and where are they found?
Salicylates are natural compounds found across a very wide range of plant foods, and also in aspirin, some medicines, mint flavours and certain skincare. Because they occur in so many fruits, vegetables and spices, a low-salicylate diet is genuinely restrictive.
Which foods tend to be lower in salicylates?
Peeled pears are often cited as one of the lowest fruits, along with banana. Plain fresh meat, poultry and fish without spiced marinades, eggs, plain dairy, and certain vegetables such as peeled potato, cabbage and leek also tend to sit lower, as do plain grains like rice.
Which foods are higher in salicylates?
Most berries, dried fruits and citrus, tomatoes and tomato-based sauces, many herbs and spices such as curry powder, paprika and mint, plus tea and honey, tend to be higher. Highly flavoured or spiced processed foods are usually higher too.
Are published salicylate values reliable?
Only roughly. Published salicylate values vary between sources, so any list should be treated as approximate. That is one reason a low-salicylate trial should be guided by a dietitian rather than run from a single chart.
Should I follow a low-salicylate diet long-term?
No. Because it cuts so many healthy plant foods, a low-salicylate diet should be a short, supervised trial to test a link, followed by careful reintroduction to find your own threshold. Avoiding salicylates indefinitely is rarely necessary and can be nutritionally limiting, so involve your GP or a dietitian.