I'm fascinated with new research coming to light about how our genes impact our dietary needs. I have a homozygous mutation of my CBS gene which means I have a serious intolerance to sulfur that won't get better with time - it's in my genes. The great thing about this is that I'm personally highly motivated to research how to navigate low-sulfur diets! Here's my list of foods that people like me can and cannot eat. I'll update the list as new research brings new information to light.
For people with CBS mutations, it's worth noting that proteins should be eaten in moderation until the science catches up with how sulfur and proteins works - and it's good to keep carbs on the low side, with high levels of fats.
Lots of veggies, of course - but none of the kale / broccoli family that are so healthy for other people.
Also the jury is out on Epsom salts - some people recommend people with CBS mutations have baths with them often, and some people say we should totally avoid them. Same goes for chlorella and spirulina.
In short, Nobody Knows For Sure what to do about this, it's all so new, and the last time a scientific study was published evaluating sulfur levels in foods it was the 1950s, and they were evaluating stuff like Ryvitas. It's a quaint and interesting snapshot of foods that were popular at the time of the study, but it needs to be updated for today's products.
Maybe a food manufacturer will launch a new CBS-friendly range of foods, and fund the product information on the side of the packet, thereby making it happen?
Definitely hope so - there's only so much you can do with the list below, as I'm quickly discovering! That said, if anyone can, I can, so I'm starting to create some recipes that will make this list a lot more appealing.
More soon!
Meena Ysanne
FOODS that are Low in Sulfur - eat these freely!
VEGETABLES
Squash of all kinds - acorn, courgettes / zucchini, pumpkins, marrow, butternut, etc
Artichokes (Globe/ French)
Aubergines
Avocados
Bamboo shoots
Water chestnuts
Basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, thyme and all herbs
Carrots
Celery and celeriac
Cassava
Corn
Cucumber
Fennel
Fresh ginger root
Letttuces
Chard of all kinds - green chard, ruby chard, rainbow chard
Mushrooms of all kinds, fresh and dried
Parsnips
Sweet potato
Yams
Tomatoes
New potatoes
Endive, chicory
Salsify
Bell peppers
FRUIT
Apples
Bananas
All berries (except raspberries)
All stone fruit, including cherries, peaches, apricots etc
Grapes
Figs
Melons
Oranges
Basically, most fruit is low-sulfur except passionfruit and raspberries
LOW SULFUR PANTRY ITEMS:
Macadamias, cashews and pecans
All seeds, except for sesame
Chia
Sesame oil (but whole sesame seeds are NOT ok)
Lard, dripping, suet and all fats - animal or plant fats are all A-OK
Full fat milk, cream and butter are all FINE
Vanilla extract
Honey and sugar
And finally, GIN is fine, as is vodka
PROTEINS
All fish, shellfish, meat, and organs are high in sulfur, but act low in sulfur
Dark poultry meat is better than light meat i.e. chicken legs are lower in sulfur than the breast etc
Fatty cuts are best
Tinned sardines are better than fresh
MEDIUM in Sulfur - i.e. I can eat these in moderation
VEGETABLES:
BOILED cabbage
Boiled cauliflower
Boiled lentils
Radishes
Watercress
Boiled garden peas
Boiled leeks and well-cooked onions
Boiled cauliflower
Boiled asparagus
Boiled turnip tops
Boiled turnips, radishes, swede, horseradish, jicama, daikon etc
Old potatoes, boiled (meaning, standard potatoes as opposed to baby new potatoes, which I can eat freely)
FRUIT:
Raspberries
Passion fruit
PANTRY:
Almonds
Walnuts
Cooked lentils of all kinds
Dried culinary turmeric
Chocolate and carob
Oats, barley
Black tea
Beer
Apple juice if it has added sulphur, which most of them do
HIGH in Sulfur, to be avoided at all costs
HIGH-SULFUR VEGETABLES:
Brassicas, other than a few boiled ones as seen on the 'medium' list above
Alliums - all of them, except occasional cooked onions and leeks
Beans of all kinds, including beansprouts and green beans
Peas of all kinds
Arugula / roquet
Asparagus
Dandelions greens
Spinach
Bok choy
Collards
Seaweed of all kinds including carrageen
Sunchokes i.e. Jerusalem artichokes
HIGH-SULFUR PANTRY ITEMS:
Peanuts and Brazil nuts
Sesame seeds - whole or tahini (but oil is ok)
All dried fruit that has added sulfur (check the label)
Quinoa
Peas and beans of all kinds
Eggs - equally yolk and white
Meat and fish - but they seem to act like it's low sulfur for some reason I've yet to discover
Bone broth - likewise, getting confused information about bone broth
Cheese of all kinds from any animal - goat, sheep, cow etc
Coffee
Green tea
Wine
Mustard of all kinds
Soy anything e.g. tofu, tempeh, soy milk, miso
Bragg’s
Marmite and all yeast extracts
Nutritional yeast
Ground ginger
HIGH-SULFUR SUPPLEMENTS:
Chlorella
Turmeric supplements
NAC
And finally... stuff that may be high or low sulfur, tbc
Coconut milk and coconut oil
L-Glutamine
Epsom Salts
I'm endeavoring to find out whether these items are good for people like me with homozygous CBS mutations or bad for us - conflicting information about this, I'll keep looking for concrete info on these, and welcome any leads to a trusted source if you come across one! Thanks.
Also, I’m finding this article useful.