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MyFitnessPal Community

Nickel allergy diet

staraly

I've just been diagnosed with a nickel allergy through patch testing. I already thought I was allergic to nickel because I react to metal items but I never realised that many foods are high in it. I now have to follow a low nickel diet and it looks pretty daunting, particularly on the vege side of things. Is anyone else dealing with this issue while loosing weight? I keep seeing contradicting info so am also looking for good, reliable sources of info. It appears I may actually have Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome going by my symptoms, but I need to see the docs some more before they officially call it that.

Replies

louisepaul16

I am intrigued. What foods have nickel in them? I am also quite sure I would have that as jewellery used to make me itch and give me hives, much better since the EU banned it in jewellery but my boyfriend bought me a necklace outside the EU last year and I can’t wear it.... so I’m guessing it’s nickel. Never even thought of nickel being in food.....

staraly

I just found this website which seems to be useful and has food lists. I'm going to have a good look at it now.

staraly

http://www.whatallergy.com/2013/06/good-and-bad-food-for-a-nickel-allergy/

Oops

staraly

I've found some really good resources for nickel free diet for anyone with the same dietary restrictions. There's a facebook group called Low Nickel Diet - Eating Well with Nickel Allergy/SNAS. To join, you have to answer the 3 questions. Through that I got an app to track daily Nickel content of food called Nickel Navigator. These tools are only for those who actually need it and their caregivers. It's of no earthly use for people who don't have a problem with nickel due to it's very restrictive nature. I'm going to continue using MFP for weight loss and for nutritional tracking as it's going to be difficult to eat in a balanced way.

concordancia

As someone with a nickel allergy (thank goodness for cell phones making watches obsolete!) I found this interesting. In addition to metal melting my skin (that's what it feels like!), I have had the hand dermatitis dyshydrosis most of my life. We just call it the creepy crawly crud in my family.

I had never even heard of dealing with this with diet. For myself, it is usually the water system that causes my problems. I cannot handle softened water and we recently tried adding phosphates to protect our water heater. BIG mistake. Just something to consider as you seek resolution.

Faced with the listed restrictions, I think I would take an elimination diet approach. Eliminate everything on the list until your symptoms clear up, then try one one food for a week or two. If you react, that goes on your never list; if not you may be able to include that food in your diet going forward.

staraly

Yes, water is a big problem. I already have a water filter for all the house water but I need to check it's specs to make sure it's removing nickel. The really big problem with a low nickel diet is that the nickel content of many foods varies depending where it's from and how it's grown. That means something that was safe at one time might not be another time and we have no idea what we're buying. Also it depends what it's cooked in.

lemurcat12

I have a nickel allergy and am really sensitive to it when it comes to things on my skin, but it's never crossed my mind it might affect food choices. Interesting.

lemurcat12

Hmm, well having looked I don't react poorly to things like cashews, green leafy veg, and kidney beans, so will not worry about it.

shaumom

I found this study helpful - it had a bit more information on nickel in foods that I found helpful - like how the levels can differ depending on the season the food is grown in.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667300/

Thanks for mentioning the face book page - I hadn't found that before!

staraly

Good info shaumom. There are so many variables to take into consideration. I'm looking into getting a little hydroponic system and trying to control nickel content that way. Certain leafy veges take up more nickel from the soil than other veges so maybe that could help.

Lemurcat12, most people associate nickel allergy with contact dermatitis but there is a subset of us who develop a systemic condition similar to Celiac Disease. I've been tested and cleared at that.

lemurcat12

Interesting.