Prep Time: 10mins | Cook Time: 20mins | Servings: 1 | Difficulty: Easy

I’ve only recently come to the conclusion that I need to settle down for a little bit. As much as I love to travel and experience new foods across the world, I really just need access to all of my stuff. I haven’t had all my stuff under one roof (or even within reach) since giving up my place in spring 2012. While it’s lots of fun being a digital nomad, it means that I lose out on a lot of productivity and creativity. Sure, travel is inspirational, but it’s a total buzzkill trying to create beautiful new foods and pictures while you’re constantly lamenting the lack of kitchen utensils, or having to take a time out on safari because you’ve just realised that you can finally get a 3g connection in the Masai Mara. Yes, it’s pretty sad that I’m worried about internet connectivity while experiencing lions and tigers in their natural habitat, but the Masai warriors accompanying us were also furtively checking their email. What can I say, it can be challenging to get connected in Kenya.

Not quite ready to head back to the rat race, I decided last June to move to a small town in East Sussex, right on the sea. Beautiful. My new apartment has three skylights and I’ve been bursting to take pictures there since I viewed it. My very first brunch was this lovely little number.

UPDATE: I lasted exactly three months there before heading to Brighton, and then another three months before getting back to London!

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

As always, very little goes into my body unless it’s going in to heal me…

Duck eggs

As I mention in my latest book, the Anti-Cookbook: Antihistamine & Anti-inflammatory Recipes for Health, duck egg yolks are larger than that of chickens, thereby cutting down on potential reactions to uncooked egg white (which is what bothers most people with histamine intolerance), as well as giving you a whopping 160% of Vitamin B12 (which those of us with histamine conditions are chronically low in). They also have an incredible six times higher Vitamin D content than chicken eggs [1]. Many people who react to chicken eggs do ok with these, but please always check with your doctor before adding new foods to your diet.

Thyme

You’ll find thyme listed in the six page spread of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods in my new book. Thyme has been shown to inhibit anaphylaxis in mice [2], as well as displaying anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. It’s a key ingredient in many modern medications [3].

Sumac

Is an interesting one. My research tells me that this tasty lemony/salty herb (used to make za’tar) has anti-inflammatory activity [4], but, it is also related to poison sumac [5]. It’s used in Lebanese cuisine, often as a salt substitute. Studies show that when added to meats, sumac inhibits the formation of biogenic amines like tyramine (not histamine sadly) [6] and it has antioxidant, antifibrogenic (treats fever), anti fungal, antimicrobial, antitumerogenic and antiviral [7] properties.

Why am I using it? I worry about my calcium levels. As a female, I have to. My doctors warned me that as someone with mast cell activation I should really take care of my bone density. Sodium negatively impacts bone density [8], so I’m always happy to try (healthy) salt subsititutes. Having grown up on sumac, I know it has never harmed me – but please check with your doctor before trying this or any other new food.

Coriander 

Anti-inflammatory [9].

Nigella

H1 and H2 receptor antagonism [10].

Duck Eggs in Cocotte w/Chickpea Soldiers & Antihistamine Herbs

Prep Time: 10 | Cook Time: 20 | Servings: 1 | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

Eggs

2 duck eggs

fresh thyme

crushed sumac (optional)

black salt (high charcoal)

2 ramekins or small oven proof bowls

 Soldiers/Dippers

1/2 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp olive oil (or tolerated)

coriander, chopped

chives, chopped

nigella seeds (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 200C/390F.

Eggs

Lightly oil your ramekins.

Crack a duck egg into each ramekin.

Sprinkle with fresh thyme, crushed sumac (if tolerated), black salt and pepper.

Then…

Chickpea Soldiers/Dippers

Whisk the flour and water together till fluffy. Pour in the olive oil, herbs and nigella seeds.

Lightly oil a medium baking tin.

Pour in the batter.

Poke with a pin/baking pin/fork to check when it’s cooked through (10-15 mins depending on oven). Remove from oven, brush on a little olive oil and sprinkle with a dash of sea salt.

Before the oven gets cold, turn the oven grill onto medium and place the baking tin with the chickpea soldiers back in. Place the egg ramekins next to them, not too close to the top of the oven.

Grill till eggs are cooked (about 5 – 10 minutes) and chickpeas are lightly browned/burned (socca style).

Use a spatula to cut the chickpea dough into fish finger-like rectangles and serve with eggs still in the ramekins (careful they’ll be hot!). Eggs should still be gooey.

The Anti-cookbook, while it doesn’t treat any conditions, due to its high nutrient, antihistamine and anti-inflammatory ingredients, has been instrumental in helping me feed myself on a limited diet. It features a six page list of antihistamine and anti-inflammatory foods. It 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.

Take a peek at my other low histamine and antihistamine cookbooks for more high nutrient recipes.

If you’ve found this information useful I’d appreciate your support (at no extra cost to you!) – please check out my online store for your health foods, supplements, kitchen items and beauty product purchases. Affiliate sales through my online store go towards maintaining the website, funding travel to interviews and purchasing all the lovely foods for my free online recipes. You’ll find these items in the “Shop with us” drop down menu on my homepage.  

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] https://dev.healinghistamine.com/the-anti-cookbook-antihistamine-anti-inflammatory-recipes/

[2] http://www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/188/1_MeetingAbstracts/177.3

[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymol

[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2582678/

[5] http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-sumac.htm

[6] https://dev.healinghistamine.com/middle-eastern-indian-spices-lower-histamine-and-other-biogenic-amines-in-foods/

[7] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11130-007-0058-4#page-1

[8] http://www.jacn.org/content/25/suppl_3/271S.full

[9] http://www.ajebs.com/vol1/22.pdf

[10] https://dev.healinghistamine.com/plant-seeds-treat-nasal-allergies-better-than-steroid-spray/