The Carnivore Diet and Urinary pH in Salicylate Intolerance
If you are salicylate intolerant, you may feel relief on the carnivore diet as many of the foods you react to are plant based.
When you have a salicylate intolerance, it can be particularly difficult to identify which foods are causing your symptoms and which foods may be safe for you to consume. This may be due to the delay in response between consuming the foods and having the reaction or having an inconsistent reaction.
You may recall that when your bucket of salicylates is full, you will react faster and have a lower tolerance to foods containing salicylates.
People who have chronic salicylate intolerance may have tried the carnivore diet.
Benefits of the carnivore diet
The benefits of the carnivore diet in salicylate intolerance include:
The carnivore diet can promote the production of stomach acid that is commonly insufficient in many people today
The diet is high in protein that breaks down into amino acids needed for neurotransmitters, energy and detoxification (no wonder you may feel better short term)
Muscle meats (found in the carnivore diet) are high in methionine. Methionine is thought to increase methylation and decrease blood histamine levels (histamine is commonly high along with salicylates).
Challenges with the carnivore diet
The carnivore diet may seem like a simple solution to your salicylate intolerance, however, there are a few issues with going down this path including:
The lack of vitamins and minerals in the carnivore diet that are found in plant-based foods
Meat is generally more difficult to digest placing more pressure on your digestive system
Insufficient phytochemicals (in the diet) that are known to protect against cancer and chronic disease
High meat and animal fat diets are particularly damaging to the diversity of your microbiome (consider your long-term health)
A diet high in meat promotes acidity in the body
There are further implications with acidifying the urine for people who are salicylate intolerant.
Salicylate toxicity
Chronic salicylate toxicity has been shown to damage the kidneys and promote metabolic acidosis. Metabolic acidosis is the buildup of acidity in the body that can lead to symptoms such as rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting.
Why does our body become acidic when we have high levels of salicylates? In an acidic environment, salicylic acid (salicylates) become ionised or ion trapped making them more difficult to pass membranes including the ‘blood brain barrier’.
Metabolic acidosis is a defence mechanism of the body to protect our major organs.
Salicylate intolerance and urinary pH
The body tightly controls the pH of the blood (between 7.35 to 7.45). Urinary pH is also regulated, however, not as tightly. The average urinary pH is around 6 with women generally having a higher pH than men.
The excretion of salicylates increases when the pH of the urine is high.
Factors that impact urinary pH and are within your control include your dietary choices and the supplements you take.
Food and urinary pH
Foods that are particularly acidic include:
animal protein (meat and fish)
cereal
hard cheese
Foods that are alkalising include:
Fruit and vegetables (including lemon/lime juice)
Just to note, the consumption of protein (especially animal protein) is essential for your health and is particularly important for detoxification purposes (frequently impaired in people with salicylate intolerance). Therefore, the advice is not to reduce/exclude animal protein from your diet. However, it is advisable to balance these foods out with alkalising foods where possible.
Testing
Cheap urinary pH tests can be purchased and testing should be done in the morning, preferably your second urination of the day. Multiple tests should be done to get an average reading.
When you are salicylate intolerant, understanding your individual average urinary pH can give you an indication of whether your current salicylate load it too high or your diet is impeding your salicylate excretion capabilities.
As a generalisation, you want your urine pH to be between 6.5 to 7. Your individual risk for kidney stones should also be assessed when you are considering altering your urinary pH to increase your excretion of salicylates.
Supplements that may impact the pH of your urine
Supplements that have an alkalising effect include:
Citrate supplements
Potassium citrate/bicarbonate
Sodium bicarbonate
Whole plant-based supplements (including broccoli sprouts)
Digestive enzymes should be considered for people reacting to salicylates and plant-based foods.
Diets high in animal meat are associated with increased excretion of calcium and magnesium. For those people who are unable to consume adequate plant-based foods, testing for calcium and magnesium is recommended via an HTMA.
Summary
A salicylate reaction can increase acidity in the body. This in turn leads to a reduction in the excretion of salicylates creating an unhealthy cycle. It is particularly important to minimise reactions to salicylates when overcoming a salicylate intolerance.
Finding the right food choices when you are salicylate intolerant is a careful balancing act. Where possible, we want to consume a balanced diet including individualised low/moderate salicylate fruit and vegetables depending on your tolerability level.
In addition to salicylates, consider your tolerability to oxalates and histamine foods as well.
Consuming a carnivore diet long term can adversely impact your health by impairing the diversity in your microbiome and increasing your urinary pH. This may decrease your excretion of salicylates and increase your risk of chronic disease.
If you need help with your food choices and you want to treat the underlying cause of your salicylate intolerance, then book in with me on the “book now” link below. I offer worldwide (except the US and Canada) online naturopathic consultations.
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