Here’s a recipe that may or may not make it into the low histamine non-gluten free dessert recipe book. To be made correctly it really needs some butter. You could use vegetable shortening, but I’m not really in love with either health-wise. My results with oil weren’t as good. I would only make these once in a very blue moon because of the wheat and butter. I’m also on the fence about the dates. I can eat them, but generally not with other higher histamine ingredients. Having said all that, they’re really delicious, but please be aware that they are not as low histamine as my other recipes. Omit the agave or sub with a little apple juice for a lower histamine dessert.
It’s such a challenge finding low histamine desserts suitable for those of us with histamine related disorders and I sometimes wonder if I’m being too militant in what I classify to be low histamine. There’s no way you’d find anything lower histamine dessert-wise than my recipes in a store, but I would never buy a dessert from a store anyway! Please leave me a comment to let me know if you think this recipe is low histamine enough to make it into a non-gluten free low histamine dessert recipe book.
My very first Balinese steps assured me I had found heaven on earth. The airport’s delightfully kitsch tourism ministry infomercials and the frosted mirrors transported me back to the 70s, not in a dingy, dirty way like it does in Bangkok’s seedy after-hours bars, but in a Brady Bunch meets the original Batman series, by way of the most beautiful spa you’ve seen.
Best of all? No chemicals used by the agricultural, um, industry. I don’t know if I’d call it an industry there, but I guess that’s the point. I began every day luxuriating in a chlorine free bath, followed by coconut oatmeal with fresh mango. Dinner was invariably spicy, served on a crappy plastic table, right on the beach. I’d wander into the water with my plate, eating as I waded through the ocean. Like I said, heaven.
Here on earth, we do the best we can to recapture those celestial aromas and flavours, usually on the kitchen stove, now with the benefit of knowing the effect of diet on our physical and mental well-being. So here’s my take on my Balinese favourite, Sambal, low histamine, for all us histamine challenged folks.
Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter for a 10% discount on my upcoming ‘On the Go’ book. Healthy low histamine meals for professionals on the go. Most are 10-15 mins prep, natural foods with few ingredients but lots of flavour!
Is pain “down there” ruining your life? You’re not alone. Chronic “lady pains” were a hot topic at the hista-sista kvetch-sesh in Notting Hill yesterday. The abundantly histamine blessed ladies and I compared notes. The term “chronic pelvic inflammation” of idiopathic origin and vulvodynia came up quite a bit, as did its disastrous effect on mental health and intimacy with our partners.
I went home and did some research. Obviously, there was a link. It’s something that almost every single woman with histamine issues (that I’ve been brave enough to ask) has complained of.
Here’s what I found:
“Our data suggest that women with a history of urticaria, seasonal allergies or reaction to insect stings appear to be more prone to later development of vulvodynia than women with no history of these allergic reactions. We also showed that this association was largely confined to exposures that occurred before the first onset of vulvar pain, suggesting that allergenic exposures could be involved as, or a marker of, factors involved in the development of vulvodynia. We also observed that a history of other skin conditions, not as strongly related to an immune response, generally were not associated with the risk of vulvodynia. [1]”
And…
“Vulvodynia is a complex disorder and described as discomfort or intense burning pain in the vulvar area. Such chronic pain affects 5 to 15% of women and many suffer of misdiagnosis. For sure the aetiology is multifactorial. Through few studies we consider the inflammatory response plays a major role. There is a genetic profile of women suffering of vulvodynia, especially genetic polymorphisms from genes coding for cytokines, Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and Interleukin-1 beta, and gene coding for mannose-binding lectin (MBL). These polymorphisms result in a stronger inflammatory response and lay these women in a susceptibility situation. Histological analysis showed a chronic non specific inflammation. We have also demonstrated that these patients present in normal state or under infectious induction an inadequate inflammatory response. But there is still a variety of mechanisms which can interact with the inflammatory response. Management of such vulvar pain syndrome could be very frustrating, but the first step for improvement is to get the right diagnosis [2].”
What I found particularly healing was cutting down on high oxalic acid foods like curly kale and most grains. That cleared up much of my bloating, interstitial cystitis and general sense of malaise. It took a while, but was worth it. I hadn’t realised initially that oxalates were as big an issue for me as histamine. I highly recommend getting tested if you feel this is your issue. You can check out my oxalate post here.
All the more reason to look after your health/diet and be good to yourself (lady parts included). I’m off to make a very low histamine anti-inflammatory dinner – you’ll find plenty of recipes in my Man Food bookthere’s also lots of information and low oxalate recipes in my Low Oxalate Cookbook.
It’s finally here! Man Food – a high nutrient antihistamine and anti-inflammatory ingredient filled book geared towards guys, women who love to work out, yoga like they mean it, or just load up on healing nutrients. Features my personal shopping list of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods.
The Anti-cookbook and all liquid Anti-Detox Book, don’t treat any conditions, but feature a plethora of the high nutrient antihistamine and anti-inflammatory ingredients that have been instrumental in helping me feed myself on a limited diet. The Anti-cookbook features a six page list of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods and comes in regular and Paleo.
The Low Oxalate Cookbook features antihistamine and anti-inflammatory rich recipes.
Don’t miss the Low Histamine Beauty Survival Guide for non-toxic beauty tips, the skinny on histamine releasing (mast cell degranulating) beauty ingredients, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory beauty alternatives and the top brands natural brands I’ve found.
Gluten/Milk/Sugar Free Low Histamine Cupcakes with Frosting
Check out these gluten/milk/sugar free and low histamine cupcakes. There’s no unhealthy fats, preservatives, flavours, really absolutely nothing but pure, nutritious, tasty ingredients. I’m definitely an excitable gal, but these took a few tries to get right, so I’m celebrating. I’m not a huge fan of stevia/yacon as sweeteners so I use agave. You could easily substitute it for them though.
I’m very new to gluten free baking, but I’m really loving it.
Phew. Ok, on to the next recipe. The histamine intolerance/histaminosis/mastocytosis/mcad/mcas friendly dessert book with this recipe will be out by the end of the week. The recipes are higher histamine than my other book (The Diamine Oxidase Support Recipe Book), i.e. many recipes contain some agave/honey but are still far lower histamine than anything thing you’ll find commercially or in most cases even online recipe-wise.
Sign up to my mailing list for a 10% discount and for bi-monthly free recipes.
I found this particular email very interesting given that I’ve been misdiagnosed with thyroid issues twice in my life before being finally diagnosed with a histamine related disorder (high histamine/histamine intolerance/histaminosis). I refused meds the first time but gave in on the second. What a weird, crazy ride Levothyroxine sent me on. We’re talking severe mania here. Awake for days on end, racing thoughts, very productive behaviour till the crash. And boy was it spectacular!
Medicine has sent me on so many Alice in Wonderland trips that I didn’t necessarily think there was a link when I began my investigations, but a little research turned up that not only do thyroid meds (synthetic thyroxine) raise histamine levels, they also lower diamine oxidase and monoamine oxidase, the enzymes responsible for metabolising histamine and tyramine (respectively).
Circulating levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), histamine, monoamine oxidase (MAO), histaminase, tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were studied in L-thyroxine and carbimazole treated rats. Increased concentrations of 5-HT, histamine, glutamate, T3 and T4 were recorded in L-thyroxine-treated rats while plasma gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), MAO and histaminase levels were significantly decreased. The findings suggest that alterations in the metabolism of thyroid hormones may have a link with the altered metabolism of biogenic amines. Read the full study here.
And another that mentions cardiac involvement:
Thyroxine-induced supersensitivity to histamine and norepinephrine activation of cardiac phosphorylasea. The results indicate that thyroid hormone can enhance both histamine and norepinephrine-induced activation of cardiac phosphorylasea. Possible mechanisms of this interaction are discussed. Read the full study here.
Thyroxin induced supersensitivity. Yes, that’s one way of referring to the hell that I went through on these meds. The next endocrinologist I consulted with called it “a sub clinical diagnosis” that should never have been tampered with. He did not in any way attribute my anxiety/mania symptoms to it. I asked. Sheesh. I’ve seen a lot of silly docs over the years. This might be something to keep in mind if you’ve been diagnosed with a histamine related disorder.
Please consult your doc before even thinking about messing with your meds!
Fermented foods are so off the menu for me histamine-wise that I don’t recognise them as food anymore. My last attempt, store bought coconut yoghurt (lactose free), bought me a whole lotta face-down pillow time as it worked it’s magic on my digestive tract.
Ok, enough of the dirty talk.
So what’s a histamine-challened gal to do? I ♥ my beneficial bacteria big time but am in no way willing to risk that kind of down time again. Others might not be so sensitive, it’s one of the, um, perks, of not taking any anti-histamine/allergy meds.
It’s frustrating because beneficial bacteria does help lower histamine! But this study showed that the strains with the antihistaminic action are only found in human infant bowels. Not something I’d like for lunch really.
So I examined the alternatives…a little research on my day’s menu not only turned up that buckwheat may be an anti-allergenic food for some due to its rutin bioflavonoid content, more so the leaves and the dark flour than noodles [1], that it inhibits cancer spread (read more here), but also that it’s a pre-biotic.
UPDATED POST:
Unfortunately with two confirmed cases of buckwheat anaphylaxis and a rising number in other European countries as well as the “home” of buckwheat, Japan, where it’s actually becoming a serious problem [2], it seems that chronic exposure to buckwheat may pose a risk to those pre-disposed to allergies. I have in recent years cut back my buckwheat because of its extremely high oxalic acid content. You can read all about oxalates here.
I’m leaving all the information here for you and your doctor to decide together. Read on for alternative prebiotic foods…
Sorry, couldn’t resist sticking in a Little Rascal’s Picture of “Buckwheat”!
This buckwheat…
shows particular increases in Lactobacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium spp and Bifidobacterium lactis.
A prebiotic was first defined as (1) “a nondigestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improves host health.” Read the full study here.
They then touch on my favourite topic, moderation with supplements, when the stress that quantity is not predictive of success…
The daily dose of the prebiotic is not a determinant of the prebiotic effect… The major factor that quantitatively controls the prebiotic effect is the number of bifidobacteria per gram of feces the volunteers have before supplementation of the diet with the prebiotic begins.The “dose argument” (often used for marketing some prebiotics) is thus not supported by the scientific data; it is misleading for the consumer.”
Here’s a chart of the top prebiotic foods – according to the US Dept of Agriculture.
This week I had the pleasure of meeting Barcelona-based nutritionist Adriana Duelo. She has kindly allowed me to re-blog an article that was originally part of her nutritional thesis. Adriana’s research is regularly submitted to the prestigious SPANISH SOCIETY OF DAO DEFICIENCY (of which she is also a member). Something that quickly caught my eye on Adriana’s website was a breakdown of histamine content in some popular foods. The charts and the text below were translated from the spanish on her site (using Google Translate). Adriana herself speaks perfect English and will be sharing a few more interesting articles for release through my site in the coming weeks.
Histamine levels in popular foods
Were you as surprised as I by some of these results? I was excited to see chocolate scoring so low – but we already know that cacao is more of a histamine liberator rather than being high in it. Alcohol, though not too high histamine, has the very unfortunate effect of blocking DAO (diamine oxidase) production. I don’t feel that bad when I drink (as long as I stick to tequila, rum or gin), but feel horrible for days afterwards when things I usually tolerate suddenly start bothering me.
Histamine levels in popular foods
Milk certainly shocked me, though it’s not relevant to me as I don’t indulge in dairy. My home made (raw) chocolate bars are pure cacao and almond butter. Before you rush out and indulge in all the things you’ve thought were off the menu – please read the text below from Adriana’s site where she points out that not only is there some dispute about the histamine content of foods, but also at what concentration (mg per kilo) to avoid them.
Histamine levels in popular foods
I personally don’t think people should be too strict. I’m only as strict as I have to be and most of the time chemicals bother me more than foods. I understand that histamine is necessary for almost all bodily functions, but that doesn’t give me permission to pig out on pizza and sausage. I’m much more likely to be found adding tomatoes to my salads and pineapple to a smoothie.
Histamine levels in popular foods
Continued from Adriana Duelo’s site….
FOODS RICH IN HISTAMINE
The lack of enzymatic activity of Diamino oxidase (DAO) can cause different symptoms in our body that is manifested by several signs, as shown in an article published last month in this blog: ” Deficit of enzyme DAO . “
First, is diagnosed when there is a lack of DAO activity with a blood test, the nutritionist can rate portal as a diet low in histamine and other amines . (These other amines also be taken into account, but I’ll leave for another article).
This pattern is essential to prevent the onset of symptoms (one of the main, the migraine ), so you need to degrade histamine enzyme DAO, and but we have enough accumulated histamine can produce symptoms mentioned.
From this diet, while nutritionist decide if, moreover, the supplies necessary for a DAO enzyme dietary supplement to help absorb the low histamine foods that we ingest.
There is disagreement over the criteria to be followed for the consideration of whether or not a food rich in histamine. Some authors suggest avoiding those foods from the diet that have concentrations above 20 mg / kg, while others are much more demanding and consider foods with low amounts of histamine which contain less than 1 mg / kg. ‘ What is clear is that the dose symptomatological is much lower in patients with CAD deficit in sporadic histamine poisoning: 15-20mg and 150mg respectively. This demonstrates clearly important in a diet low in rate portal histamine deficit in patients with CAD.
Adding anti-inflammatory foods to your fight against histamine-induced inflammation? Why stop at food? Check out this Huffington Post article on yoga’s role in reducing inflammation.
The researchers found that the caregivers who participated in the yoga practice experienced a change in the response of 68 genes, leading to the decrease in inflammation. Inflammation has been linked with health problems like heart disease, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, Scientific American reported. Read the Huffington Post article here.
Here’s another study that I posted a while back:
Importantly, even though novices and experts did not differ on key dimensions, including age, abdominal adiposity, and cardiorespiratory fitness, novices’ serum interleukin (IL)-6 levels were 41% higher than those of experts across sessions, and the odds of a novice having detectable C-reactive protein (CRP) were 4.75 times as high as that of an expert. Differences in stress responses between experts and novices provided one plausible mechanism for their divergent serum IL-6 data; experts produced less lipopolysaccharide-stimulated IL-6 in response to the stressor than novices, and IL-6 promotes CRP production. The ability to minimize inflammatory responses to stressful encounters influences the burden that stressors place on an individual. If yoga dampens or limits stress-related changes, then regular practice could have substantial health benefits. Read the full study here.
How are you fighting histamine/mastocytosis/MCAD/MCAS induced inflammation?
160% RDA Vit C & 40% RDA Vit K but only 100-150 calories per serving!
Histamine induced inflammation is a huge problem for me. I have persistent tinnitus in my head/ears as a result of it and a constant buzzing feeling in my extremities. It’s very different to the histamine itch that drives me insane, but it’s just as annoying.
When my ears/head goes quiet, it’s usually because the inflammation has moved from there to my stomach. It suddenly swells up, leaving me 6 months pregnant in a heartbeat. That cascades into a number of more unpleasant UTI-like symptoms as the inflammation radiates to neighboring areas. My gyno, having tested my CA-125 (ovarian tumour marker), found it high, but told me that rather than being a result of cancer, it was likely to be localised inflammation. This was a few years ago, before I knew anything about histamine. Luckily I was used to the cancer scares by that point.
With that in mind, today I whipped up a specifically Vitamin K rich anti-inflammatory soup. Here’s a great study outlining the anti-inflammatory benefits of Vitamin K and Vitamin D. Cauliflower is definitely not my favourite, but the swirl of tahini imparts a creaminess reminiscent of dairy. This soup contains the following amounts of your RDA for:
160% Vitamin C
40% Vitamin K
30% Copper
20% Vitamin B6
Anti-inflammatory Cauliflower Tahini Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
2 tbsp tahini
1 onion (preferably red for the quercetin content)
1 cup home made stock or water
2 tbsp oil, preferably olive
coriander or thyme to garnish
Prep:
In a medium pot, fry the onion in a little oil (or water). Add in the cauliflower, sauté for about 5 mins.
Add the stock. Simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add enough water to cover the the cauliflower and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 mins. Remove from heat, stir in the tahini.
Today’s lunch encompassed my favourite mealtime elements: this warm salad is anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine and prebiotic. I’m not devoting as much time as I should to getting the “perfect” shot of my off the cuff rummages through the fridge that are usually the result of either having forgot to go food shopping, or my uber healthy man getting to the veggies before I do! So I hope you’ll bear with me as I work out the kinks in my lunch-time photo shoots.
So here’s the salad breakdown: watercress has been show to have potent anti-histaminic activity, red chicory is both anti-histaminic and a prebiotic, which could help those of use with histamine intolerance or mastocytosis replenish our friendly bacteria supply without raising our histamine levels. Fennel is both a antihistamine and anti-inflammatory. This recipe is also high in Vitamin K which is our key ally in the fight against inflammation.
argan/almond oil (or your choice – olive works wonderfully)
2 tbsp almonds, lightly crushed
lemon (or lemon thyme), squeeze
PREP:
In a pan, heat a little argan oil. Sauté the garlic till fragrant, add in the chicory and fennel.
Squeeze in a little lemon (or some lemon thyme leaves).
If you have time…
Add in enough home made stock to halfway cover the food.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and let the vegetables finish cooking until tender. I like my veggies a little crunchy, but everyone is different. Once they’re good to go, remove the lid and raise the heat to high to boil away the rest of the liquid. Make sure to toss the veggies quite a bit, till you have a bit of a sauce. Garnish with thyme, watercress and almonds.
You can also serve this salad with warm goat’s cheese.
Non-low histamine modification:
Instead of almonds, warm up 1/2 cup of walnuts under the grill.
Add their choice of cheese.
Serve with the veggies.
It’s finally here! Man Food – a high nutrient antihistamine and anti-inflammatory ingredient filled book geared towards guys, women who love to work out, yoga like they mean it, or just load up on healing nutrients. Features my personal shopping list of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods.
The Anti-cookbook and all liquid Anti-Detox Book, don’t treat any conditions, but feature a plethora of the high nutrient antihistamine and anti-inflammatory ingredients that have been instrumental in helping me feed myself on a limited diet. The Anti-cookbook features a six page list of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods and comes in regular and Paleo.
The Low Oxalate Cookbook features antihistamine and anti-inflammatory rich recipes.
Don’t miss the Low Histamine Beauty Survival Guide for non-toxic beauty tips, the skinny on histamine releasing (mast cell degranulating) beauty ingredients, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory beauty alternatives and the top brands natural brands I’ve found.
