Foods highest in sulfur? (Online source for ranking foods)

[Burgess]

SPECIFIC QUESTION: I am looking for an online source that will tell me which foods are highest in concentrations of sulfur. In other words, if I want to avoid most sulfur, which foods would I drop from my diet? (I realize that the body needs some.)

GENERAL QUESTION: Where can one go to find a ranking of foods for any particular nutrient? The same source might serve others who are interested in other nutrients such as iron or Vitamin C, for example.

BACKGROUND: My reason for asking about sulfur is that I suspect it is involved in causing my inflammation problems, which are described here
http://www.drmcdougall.com/stars/burgess_laughlin.html (leaky-gut syndrome) and here
http://www.anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/ (to be read in reverse order, if at all).

Through several years of experimenting with foods, using the Elimination Diet, I found that two broad classes of foods trigger my inflammation problems. (My skin is my litmus test, so to speak.) Those two classes are:
1. All animal products.
2. All "seeds" such as grains, legumes, and nuts.

I have wondered what these two groups have in common. I am a layman. Through bits and pieces of information, which I hope is reliable, I have come to suspect two amino acids: cysteine and methionine. In one source I read, but could not evaluate, these two amino acids are noted for being high in sulfur, at least in some form. I may very well have misinterpreted what I read.

I have solved almost all of my inflammation problems by avoiding the two classes of foods above. Relatively minor skin problems persist. They vary in intensity, but I can't correlate the changes with changes in my diet.

It occurs to me that if sulfur is a culprit, I might be able to predict a food's effect on me by knowing its concentration of sulfur. In other words, there might be some foods (onions?) I am eating in small quantities that are not "seeds" of any kind but still cause problems though at a low level. (I eat no animal products whatsover, and I follow my food list without exception.)

I also wonder what connection, if any, there is between sulfur in foods and those foods' Potential Renal Acid Load listing, which I have found to be a reliable predictor, at least for the few foods included on the standard PRAL list, shown here about half way down the page: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/bases.htm

I know this is a lot of questions and information. I am not in a rush. I greatly appreciate any leads you can offer on any point, either now or later.

[TominTN]

Hi, Burgess. Interesting questions. I can't really offer any answers. I'm a layman, too. However, I did drop "food sulfur content" into google and wanted to tell you about one of the hits I got. My fourth hit said this:

Artist's Hints and Tips: Drawing and Painting Landscapes - Google Books Result
by Albany Wiseman - 2004 - Art - 96 pages
The sulfur content per calorie is much greater in fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, but these food groups are not important sources of protein in the ...
books.google.com/books?isbn=1843400812...

I thought "sulfur content per calorie" was a strange thing for a book of artist's hints and tips to be talking about, so I clicked on it to investigate further. It's a book excerpted in Google Books. The sidebar information is about "Artist's Hints and Tips", but the pages shown in the reader pane are from the book "Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease" by Shils, Shike, Ross, Caballero, and Cousins. I think Jeff Novick recently recommended this book to someone who was asking about pursuing an education in nutrition.

So I read a little and saw this:

".... The source of sulfuric acid is protein, but the sulfate content varies greatly with the types of protein that are ingested. In general, when sulfur content is expressed as mEq/100 g of proteins, proteins of animal sources (meat, fish, milk, and egg) contain higher amounts of sulfate for a given amount of protein than proteins of plan origin (cereal, beans, and nuts). The sulfur content per calorie is much greater in fruits, vegetables, and potatoes, but these food groups are not important sources of protein in the amounts usually eaten (Fig. 8.17). The total amount of acid or alkali content depends ont (sic) only on the sulfur content but also on the alkali content of food, which is present mainly as salts of organic acids. When both factors are considered, milk has a net alkali value, whereas meat and fish have a net acid value. As a whole, fruits and vegetables contain a large amount of net alkali because they contain large amounts of organic anions (Fig. 8.18 )...."

Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/2t6l3a

Reading this gives me the impression that the important thing may not be the absolute sulfur content of the food, but the balance of sulfur (and other acidic substances) versus the alkaline substances. Of course, I may be completely misinterpreting it, and obviously I've taken it out of context.

Sorry I didn't manage to help you find a source for ranking foods by sulfur content.

Well.... poking around a little more, I found this:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869

Not an answer your question, exactly, but at least of source of foods ranked by *some* nutrients (just not the one you're interested in).

Good luck with the quest. If you find something, I hope you'll post information about it here. I'm interested as well.

[JeffN]

Burgess,

First, congratulations on your incredible story. Your efforts and dedication are to be commended. You are a shining example of what can be done if someone can, and is willing to invest the time and energy. Of course, the big payoff, is your improved health. It is difficult to navigate the misinformation and information and out there and you have done an excellent job of it. Not an easy task.

SPECIFIC QUESTION: I am looking for an online source that will tell me which foods are highest in concentrations of sulfur. In other words, if I want to avoid most sulfur, which foods would I drop from my diet? (I realize that the body needs some.)

I can help you search foods for that are the highest in Methionine and Cystine, which will help.

Go to www.nutritiondata.com and register, which is free.

Once registered, go to the "nutrient search tool" under the "tools" toward the right of the home page. .

Then, under food categories, pick the category you want to search under, such as vegetables, or beans. I do not recommend searching them all at once as the results will be too long.

Then, set the drop down bar "and highest in " to "protein" and then the second drop down bar under "and highest in to "methionine", and the third drop down bar right below it to "cystine".

Then, set the "and lowest in" drop down bar to "calories" and set the "based on levels per" drop down bar to "200 calorie serving" and then hit search.

You will get a full list of foods that are the highest in the sulfur containing amino acids per calorie. You can then click on any food to find out more about it.

GENERAL QUESTION: Where can one go to find a ranking of foods for any particular nutrient? The same source might serve others who are interested in other nutrients such as iron or Vitamin C, for example.

Same as above.

After picking the food group you want to search, always set the top section "and highest in" to the nutrient you are looking for such as "Vitamin C" and the bottom section "and lowest in" to "calories" and then set the "based on levels per" to the "200 calorie serving" setting. This will always give you the foods that are either highest per calorie, which is the best way to search. You will get a full list of foods that are the highest in the selected nutrient per calorie.

Those two classes are:
1. All animal products.
2. All "seeds" such as grains, legumes, and nuts.

I have wondered what these two groups have in common.

One commonality is that they are both very high in (or concentrated sources of) protein.

I also wonder what connection, if any, there is between sulfur in foods and those foods' Potential Renal Acid Load listing, which I have found to be a reliable predictor, at least for the few foods included on the standard PRAL list, shown here about half way down the page: http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/bases.htm

There is a relationship between the amount (and concentration) of protein in a food and the PRAL, as protein is digested into amino "acids" which can increase the PRAL.

I know this is a lot of questions and information. I am not in a rush. I greatly appreciate any leads you can offer on any point, either now or later.

My pleasure. I hope it is of some benefit to you. If you need more help with the nutrient search tool, let me know

In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

[Donna R]

I don't have any information, and you've received some! but here's a little coincident, something I noticed today--I had bought some Now foods dried papaya and on the label it reads--

>>This product contains no added sulfur, however, naturally occurring sulfites may be present.>>

so I was thinking some people are concerned about sulfur in food. and now you say you are!

[susie]

Donna R I avoid sulphites as they are said to make asthma worse. Sulphites are found in things like vinegars, wines and dried fruits. I try not to eat to much of any of these foods. While I can eat a little, a lot can cause migraines, wheezing and other symptoms.

Jeff thanks for that info. Burgess thanks for asking.

[Donna R]

Susie, very interesting. so I wondered if my "sinus problem" could be made worse by sulphites and on the net I've read it can. here's a site I found (it may be an ad for a service but no matter, there's free info here.)
http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C488839.html
I notice raisins are on the list but at the Sunmaid site it says their natural raisins aren't made with sulfur dioxide but the golden raisins are.
http://www.sunmaid.com/en/healthyliving ... tions.html

Burgress, there are links to the need for molybdenum and the food sources for it, some are things you can't eat. maybe you get enough from leafy greens.

>>Source
Molybdenum is a trace mineral. Found sparingly in the earth's crust, it is concentrated in milk and milk products, dried legumes, organ meats (liver, kidney) and some cereals. The amount of molybdenum in plant foods varies significantly and is dependent upon the mineral content of the soil. The best sources of this mineral are beans, dark green leafy vegetables, and grains. Hard tap water can also supply molybdenum to the diet. Molybdeum is also available as a supplement.


>>Molybdenum is an essential trace mineral. It is needed for the proper function of certain enzyme-dependent processes, including the metabolism of iron.

Although molybdenum is an essential mineral, no known deficiencies have been reported in humans at the time of writing. However, molybdenum cofactor deficiency has been identified in a large number of patients. A diet low in sulfur amino acids can be therapeutic. Molybdenum cofactor deficiency results in the loss of 2 molybdenum-dependent enzymes, namely sulfate oxidase and xanthine dehydrogenase.

[susie]

Donna I try to look at a food as a whole and not break it down into it's sub-parts. If i find a food that does not agree with me, I avoid it. However I don't look for the same nutrients in another food.

I have noticed that there are some foods I prefer and I eat those. For some reason I get along fine with lentils and nonsoaking beans, but have difficulty with the larger beans that need soaking. i stay right away from red kidney beans, but love mung beans.

I grew up with a British food mentality as my mother was born in England. Later in the 1950 we had an intake of migrants from war torn Europe. It was during this era that I first ate pasta, beans and oils. No wonder that these foods are not among my favourites now.

My all time favourite food is fruit. It is the one thing I cannot live without. Forget chocolate, candy or even ice cream, I just love fruit. Sadly most experts think fruit should be rationed. However if I was out in the wilderness and I came across a fig tree there is no way I would stop eating after 4 figs.

Pooh about those golden raisins. They are called sultanas here, because that is the name of the grape involved. i love eating these little juicy morsels and I toss a few in my rice porrige every morning.

[Burgess]

I can help you search foods for that are the highest in Methionine and Cystine, which will help.

Go to www.nutritiondata.com and register, which is free.

I did visit the site and I followed your very clear instructions. Most of the rankings were no surprise: seeds were high in the two amino acids. What was a surprise was the high ranking of various leaves, including greens. However, I have decided to continue eating them, e.g., one bunch of collard per week, because the amounts are actually quite small when one considers that the ranking is due to density not the absolute amount consumed. I suspect that a 200 calorie serving of greens is more than I would normally eat at one sitting.

One commonality is that they are both very high in (or concentrated sources of) protein.

Yes, I noted that in the first few months of using the elimination diet and re-introduction procedure. I was dismayed to think that protein--an essential of life--is the culprit. But I also soon found that I can eat large amounts of low protein, non-seed foods, such as potatoes, and not get a reaction.

Again, thank you very much for the information and reference to the nutrition data site. I can use the latter again and again.

[JeffN]

What was a surprise was the high ranking of various leaves, including greens. However, I have decided to continue eating them, e.g., one bunch of collard per week, because the amounts are actually quite small when one considers that the ranking is due to density not the absolute amount consumed. I suspect that a 200 calorie serving of greens is more than I would normally eat at one sitting.

Correct. While the 200 calorie serving is a better way to compare foods than their other one by weight, there are still some foods that you are just not going to eat 200 calories of. So, its another example of having to put relative numbers and absolute numbers in perspective.

Again, thank you very much for the information and reference to the nutrition data site. I can use the latter again and again.

Your welcome. It is a great tool.

In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

[Burgess]

Quick summary and review: In the last 10 years, thanks in part to leads from Dr. McDougall, I have gotten rid of 99% of the inflammation problems I had: http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... ation.html

The main solution was to avoid all animal products and seeds (grains, beans, peas, nuts, sunflower, sesame, etc.): http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2007/ ... ution.html

Now I am trying to get rid of the last 1% of the inflammation, which is only in a skin problem (apparently eczema) remaining on my face (of course).

I have long suspected that there is some element common to the bad foods. Jeff Novick, above, has suggested their protein density, possibly two proteins in particular, the ones that bear a lot of sulphur: cystine and methionine.

I followed Jeff's suggestions above. I continue to wonder if sulphur as an element could be the most explanatory common denominator. I found only this one list, which rates some foods by the amount of apparently elemental sulphur they contain: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 2-0143.pdf

The article is 71 years old, but so far it matches my experience closely. Consequently I have decided to use it as a partial guide in conducting an experiment: For one month, eat only those foods that are below 20 mg of elemental sulphur per 100 gram serving.

Why 20 mg/serving? Originally I selected 10 mg/serving, but that excluded orange and yellow sweet potatoes (which will be my main source of starch and therefore protein).

I exclude all preservatives (many of which include sulphur in some form).

My food list for the experiment now includes:
- Fruit: apples, apricots, cherries, grapes (black), lemon juice (organic), melons (yellow and orange), nectarines, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums (prunes).
- Vegetables: carrots, celery, eggplant, French beans (same as "green beans"?), lettuce, tomatoes (crushed, canned).
- Starches: mainly sweet potatoes and American yams, but also pumpkin, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, parsnips, and possibly arrowroot and tapioca.
- Other: honey (to boost calories to about 2000/day); a vitamin B12 tablet twice weekly at 500 micrograms per tablet; a probiotic; and water.

What I am now excluding, that I was eating a lot of before, are: avocados, ginger, turmeric, spinach, onions, garlic, greens, potatoes (1.5 lbs/meal!), beets, artichoke hearts, cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, vinegar, and asparagus.

If I see an improvement in my skin by the middle of November, I will know I am on the right trail.

Any suggestions, corrections, questions, or challenges are welcome.

[mrweetabix]

Hello Burgess,

Have you tried searching all GoogleBooks...You just have to go to Google and instead of selecting the image,map,video option you select books.

Search something like 'Sulfer in foods' an array of books will appear, you can use many of them for free, by selecting 'preview' and typing in key phrases, words etc to extract what you want from them....Much better than going to the Library or searching endlessly for websites!.

Hope it can be of some use, and good luck!

[Burgess]

As I mentioned earlier, I found a seventy-two year-old list of foods evaluated for sulphur (mg per 100 g serving). In October and November, I conducted an experiment, eating only very low (<10 mg) then low (<20 mg) sulphur foods. Here is a weblog post that summarizes the results, which are spectacular: http://anti-itisdiet.blogspot.com/2011/ ... ssful.html

Going to the low sulphur diet has eliminated the last 1% of the problems I was experiencing -- and which were flaring-up occasionally and inexplicably.

For the first time in 50 years, I am free of all inflammation problems.

Thank you, Dr. McDougall, Jeff Novick, and others who have contributed to my progress in dealing with inflammation problems.

[sweetfruitlover]

Burgess, that is awesome news! I have been following your blog and your situation with much personal interest since I suffer from inflammation too. I think my list of foods is looking quite a bit different than yours, but your approach and ideas really helped me figure out a huge part of the food puzzle. Thank you for sharing your journey with us here. And congrats!!! That is so exciting to be free of inflammation for the first time in so long!

[nicoles]

Wow, Burgess that is amazing news!

I want to also thank you for recording your experiments and results in such detail, as well. You have helped me greatly with my arthritis and my father, who has atrial fibrillation, is experimenting with his own medications after your example. Thank you!

[jamietwo]

Impressive, Burgess! Congratulations on solving that last 1%!