kaffir lime leaves
Herbs & Spices
Is kaffir lime leaves high in nickel?
Is kaffir lime leaves 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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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 kaffir lime leaves contains
FODMAPs
Histamine & Amines
Plant compounds
Irritants
Additives
Allergens
Diet fit
Where kaffir lime leaves fits
Therapeutic diets
Lifestyle diets
Religious diets
What to know about kaffir lime leaves
These are the glossy double-lobed leaves of Citrus hystrix, the aromatic backbone of tom yum, tom kha and Thai curries. You will increasingly see them sold as makrut lime leaves: "kaffir" is a serious racial slur in South African usage, and chefs, writers and retailers (Waitrose changed its packaging in 2021) have moved to makrut or Thai lime. Same leaf, better name. On triggers they are gentle: low in histamine, clean on gluten, lactose, FODMAPs, nickel, sulfites, tyramine and nightshades, with a mild histamine-liberating tendency and a moderate salicylate grade. The other thing that keeps exposure low is how they are used. Torn leaves go into the pot to perfume the broth and are usually left behind in the bowl.
Watch for
- How the leaf is prepared changes your actual dose more than the grade does.Torn or bruised leaves dropped into a soup or curry are aromatics you eat around, like a bay leaf. Finely shredded raw into a salad, a fish cake or a stir-fry, they are swallowed whole and the exposure is real
- Moderate salicylate is the highest grade on the card.Strongly aromatic citrus leaves are salicylate-bearing, and dried or powdered leaf concentrates more per gram than a fresh one
- Mild histamine liberator only.This is notably lower than lemon and lime fruit, which are both graded strong liberators here, so the leaf is not simply a stand-in for the fruit on that front
- In the dishes these leaves define, they are rarely the trigger worth chasing.Fish sauce, shrimp paste and concentrated stock carry far more free glutamate and histamine than the leaf contributes, and curry pastes bring shallot and garlic with them
- Trigger data for citrus leaves specifically is thin.They are not individually listed in the main FODMAP or histamine reference tables, so treat the grades as reasonable inference from the plant family rather than tested values
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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:
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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 kaffir lime leaves high in Nickel?
Nickel: low signal for most people.
Can I still eat kaffir lime leaves if I'm sensitive to Nickel?
Usually fine in normal portions.
What else should I check?
Check Salicylates, Low Salicylate, and Histamine Liberators next for a fuller picture.