A Balsam of Peru Avoidance Diet can be tricky… especially if you’re also cooking for a family. I have four children and a husband who show up everyday in my kitchen to eat! LOL! It’s a daunting task. Some days are easier than others. Come along as I show you recipes we can all eat together! And some special ones specifically just for us!
Those allergic to Balsam of Peru by patch testing may find that their skin condition improves with an avoidance diet.
A diet excluding Balsam of Peru containing foods is a great tool to use in living a reaction-free lifestyle. An avoidance diet includes excluding foods containing BofP constituents like cinnamates, vanillin, benzoic acid, and eugenol. These are found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, spices, condiments, sweets, and liquor.
Some allergic to Balsam of Peru by patch testing may find that eliminating topical allergens is not enough to be reaction free. By following an avoidance diet, they find that their skin condition improves when they eliminate (or greatly reduce) their intake of these foods. Many find by eliminating as many of these foods as possible for 8-10 weeks, a reset in tolerance happens. By the end of that time, you should be able to tell if following the diet has helped your skin. It can take up to 6 weeks to see a clearance of skin, although some find in as little as 10 days they are feeling much better.
While the list of foods to avoid can seem quite daunting, many find it is only a few food items actually causing all the trouble. After 8-10 weeks of clearance, adding one food back each week will allow you to see what foods you can consume without a reaction. Not everyone will have a skin reaction when they eat all of these foods, but since individual food testing is not always reliable, we recommend avoidance of all and then reintroduction of individual foods one at a time.
It’s important to remember that Balsam of Peru is not a histamine mediated allergy. This is not a typical food allergy that will cause anaphylactic shock. This allergy is a Type IV Delayed Hypersensitivity allergy mediated by your body’s T-Cells.
The following food items should be avoided:
▪Products that contain citrus fruits: oranges, lemons, and grapefruits, as well as juices, marmalades, and baked goods
▪Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, allspice, anise, ginger, turmeric
▪Foods that may contain cinnamon and vanilla flavorings, such as ice cream, baked goods, candy, and chewing gum
▪All “Flavorings” – these may be found in toothpaste, chewing gum, mints, cough drops, and mouthwash
▪Tomatoes and tomato-containing products
▪Red sauces and tomato-based foods, including salsa, pizza, chili, and Italian food
▪Spicy condiments: ketchup, chili sauce, barbecue sauce, and chutney
▪Chocolate
▪Cola (Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper)
▪Other (for some people): some wine, beer, gin, vermouth, perfumed or flavored tea and tobacco, pickles and pickled vegetables
For a more detailed understanding, please the breakdown of medical journal article by American Contact Dermatitis Society: Balsam of Peru – Past and Present.