A friend of mine has developed a rash, pronounced on her hands and feet. Her doctor says that it is due to NICKEL! No, not the five cent piece that has George Washington's face on it... the metal it was/is(?) made from. Frankly, I never knew that we ingested nickel, but apparently, it is in all the foods we eat to be heart healthy…Grains, dark greens, some fruits – even dark chocolate!!! For a chart see Healthy Eating Club’s summary. Don’t panic – it is somewhat rare to be allergic, but it does happen. If you have dermatitis or a rash that just won’t go away, this might be something to look into. Canned foods are never my first choice, but here’s another reason to avoid them whenever possible. Cans often contain nickel, which can leach into our food… Before you give up a healthy diet, consider the tools that you use to prepare your foods. Some of our cooking utensils can contain nickel as well. A certain amount is desirable, and more details are available on Melisa.org, so once again – DON’T panic. In my research I found a few products that claimed to detect this metal if it exists in your tools – take it for what it’s worth – I found it on the Internet. I’m not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV – just wanted to share what I learned today.