Mmmmmm, two of my favourite hobbies came together in a very pleasing manner recently when I finally managed to get my butt into gear to get to Triyoga, one of Europe’s most highly regarded yoga studios here in London (where I’ve been living).

Ironic that I only managed to do it two weeks before leaving for what’s shaping up to be a very, very long absence from home, but hey, that’s the way the (gluten and dairy free, low histamine, anti-inflammatory) cookie crumbles.

Investing my remaining time in London taking full advantage of their introductory £20/$35 for two weeks of unlimited yoga offer, I spent my days class hopping, from vinyasa flow to yin to scaravelli, to you name it, often all in one day. Having re-discovered my appetite in recent years,  I naturally got hungry between classes. Luckily Triyoga in both Chelsea and Primrose Hill (and soon Soho) have excellent cafes that I’d likely take the trouble to visit even when not attending a class.

The ever changing menu definitely held my interest, and even though I’m no longer a fan of grains, one of my favourites turned out to be their Thai rice salad. So today, while chilling by the pool in the south of Spain (don’t hate me, I was typing away on the sun lounger!), I decided I needed to whip up a super duper pimped out version for myself.

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

A quick trip to the place where the locals get their veg left me gasping for air as I fought for my share of juicy produce. Priced at least a quarter of the asking price at local supermarkets, it was populated by dozens of hot blooded shouty Andalusian’s unapologetically elbowing their way through the stalls. One woman actually seemed ready to get into a fight with me over beautifully constructed fire engine red pepper I snagged for the photos.

You may have noticed the cheeky serving of raspberries in the photo. Why would I include a food that’s listed as high histamine on most food lists? Have a read of this for an explanation of how I’m healing myself using a histamine-balanced approach rather than starving myself of nutrients and joy. In Lebanon (where my mom is from) we eat a bucket load of fresh fruit after meals – I am aware of the food combining “rules”, but those of you who read this blog regularly will know that I’m a bit of a rebel 😉 As for the lime, you can use lemon, or nothing at all. 

Nutritional benefits of this recipe:

Red pepper: anti-inflammatory, high in vitamin E (can be inflammatory to some – is a nightshade) [1]

Green peas: 1 cup provides nearly 100% of your RDA Vitamin C and nearly 50% inflammation fighting and bone building Vitamin K [2]

Onion: is one of the richest sources of histamine lowering quercetin [3]

Basil: as potent an anti-inflammatory as the pharmaceutical Diclofenac. Holy Basil meanwhile is as potent an antihistamine/H2 receptor antagonist as Zantac/ranitidine [4]

As for the rest:

Antihistamine: apple, ginger

Anti-inflammatory: carrot, coriander, chile, olive oil, sesame oil

You’ll find six pages of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods in the anti-cookbook…

Antihistamine & anti-inflammatory rich Thai rice salad 

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice (brown if not low oxalate), I used basmati

1/4 cup long grain wild rice (optional)

1 red pepper, finely chopped (optional – it’s a nightshade)

1 cup green peas (optional – appears on some lists as high histamine. You could also use lentils)

1 red onion (use shallots if low oxalate)

2 carrots, shredded

1 cup basil, finely chopped (or to taste)

1/2 cup coriander, finely chopped (or to taste)

1 small chile (optional), finely chopped

4 tbsp grated ginger (or to taste)

olive or sesame oil (or any tolerated), to taste

1/4 cup apple juice or 2-4 tbsp coconut nectar

1 lime, squeezed (optional – on some lists as a histamine liberator) or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar with mother (the lowest histamine of all vinegars)

Directions

Combine the ginger, apple juice/coconut nectar, sesame oil, lime/vinegar and chile. Allow to sit in the fridge while you Cook the rice according to directions.

Once strained, combine the rice, red pepper (if using), green peas, onion, and dressing in a large bowl.

Garnish with extra lime or basil and serve.

Enjoy!

You’ll find more recipes like this in my books Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

Please don’t forget antihistamine, pain killing foods can still hurt us, so please always check with your doctor before adding new foods to your diet.

————-REFERENCES————–

[1] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691502000376

[2] http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2520/2

[3] http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/404/fnic/foodcomp/Data/Other/AICR03_VegFlav.pdf

[4] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1216278/How-eating-fresh-basil-help-banish-arthritic-aches-pains.html

[5] https://dev.healinghistamine.com/holy-basil-the-anti-inflammatory-anti-histamine-superstar/