eel
Seafood
Is eel high in nickel?
Is eel high or low in nickel? See its exact rating, how much counts as a portion, and its FODMAP, salicylate, oxalate and diet compatibility in one place.
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Compare eel across criteria
Sensitivity notes
Why nickel food checker matters
Nickel is a metal found in many foods including chocolate, nuts, and leafy greens. People with nickel allergy (often showing as contact dermatitis) may also react to dietary nickel, causing skin and digestive symptoms.
- Avoid cooking acidic foods in stainless steel cookware
- Canned foods often have higher nickel content
- Chocolate, nuts, and legumes are common high-nickel foods
- First-draw water from taps may be higher in nickel - let it run
- Vitamin C may help reduce nickel absorption
Sensitivities
What eel contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where eel fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about eel
Eel is a fatty, gelatinous fish that carries moderate histamine and moderate tyramine, which puts it on the caution list for histamine intolerance and for anyone on a MAOI tyramine-restricted diet. But for most people the trigger is not the fish at all: unagi and kabayaki are glazed in a soy-and-mirin sauce, and standard soy sauce is a wheat food, a soy food, and a fermented one carrying its own histamine and tyramine load. The eel grades clean on gluten. The dish as served almost never does.
Watch for
- Unagi sauce is brewed soy sauce plus mirin and sugar.Unless it is a tamari version, that is wheat, and it stacks fermentation-derived histamine and tyramine on top of the fish
- Moderate tyramine, so eel appears on tyramine-restriction lists given with MAOI antidepressants.Smoked and jellied eel, both traditional preparations, sit higher again
- Escolar is not eel.It gets muddled with eel and butterfish on menus and in sushi cases, and its wax esters cause an oily, orange, urgent diarrhoea (keriorrhoea) that has nothing to do with any eel trigger
- Eel is never served raw.Fresh eel blood contains a heat-sensitive toxin, which is why every traditional preparation grills, steams or smokes it first
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Nickel Guide
Everything you need to know about nickel sensitivity and smart food choices.
Nickel is a metal found in many foods including chocolate, nuts, and leafy greens. People with nickel allergy (often showing as contact dermatitis) may also react to dietary nickel, causing skin and digestive symptoms.
Sensitivity varies widely. What triggers one person may be fine for another. Track your reactions to find your personal threshold.
These foods are generally well-tolerated for Nickel sensitivity:
View all safe options
These foods are high in nickel and may trigger symptoms:
View full list
If you're sensitive to Nickel, consider these strategies:
- 1Avoid cooking acidic foods in stainless steel cookware
- 2Canned foods often have higher nickel content
- 3Chocolate, nuts, and legumes are common high-nickel foods
- 4First-draw water from taps may be higher in nickel - let it run
- 5Vitamin C may help reduce nickel absorption
Pro tip: Keep a food diary to track your reactions. The Triggerbites app makes this easy with automatic pattern detection.
Want personalized tracking?
Download Triggerbites to log meals, track symptoms, and discover your unique triggers.
Get the AppFAQ
Is eel high in Nickel?
Nickel: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat eel if I'm sensitive to Nickel?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Fish, Vegan, and Vegetarian next for a fuller picture.