Shutting down histamine reactions (quickly)

antihistamine green juice

As you all know by now (’cause I’m fond of reminding you), I’m not a doctor. What I am is an avid student of nutrition,) and a mast cell activation/histamine intolerance survivor and thriver. The pictures I post of myself traveling the world aren’t a vanity project. When I made the decision to bare my soul to the world, anonymously, everything I said was taken with a pinch of salt. When I decided to go public it was so that you could all see me putting my money where my mouth is.

Now I’ve said before that labels don’t matter. A histamine condition, food allergies, food intolerance, mast cell activation, mastocytosis, or any of the other histamine related conditions, call it what you will, they all respond to nutrition. I’m not saying nutrition can cure them, in some cases it might, but it can certainly improve prognosis, quality of life and mood.

Take the hassle out of meal planning and healing histamine with this four week meal planner and stress relieving program. 

You’re no doubt aware at this point that what happens is that histamine is naturally in our bodies, sitting in our mast cells. The histamine is then released, as needed, by the mast cells. Problem is, some of us release more than we’re supposed to. Stress, allergic reactions, digestion and histamine containing foods all contribute. Thing is, mast cells don’t just splurge histamine. They also release a number of other inflammatory substances that wreak havoc in the body. Given that we know inflammation causes/is involved in many illnesses and conditions (heart disease, cancer, autism, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), I’ve been thinking that a low histamine, or even better, antihistamine diet could benefit them too. The upshot of explaining this is that I find lowering histamine is only part of it. Getting my inflammation down asap brings almost immediate relief.

So as promised, here’s how I use nutrition to shut down a histamine reaction (or allergy).

Please remember we are all different and that one man’s cure is another’s poison (always check with your doc before trying new foods) and always be safe – any reaction can turn deadly in a heartbeat, so please don’t convince yourself that a shot of juice will do an epi pen’s job.

You’ll find less hardcore recipes versions of the recipes that helped me regain my health here.

UPDATE: you’ll find my emergency histamine meditation here

CLICK HERE TO CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONALISED HEALING HISTAMINE PLAN. 

My (semi) Emergency Histamine Overload Protocol

Before getting out of bed: 15-30 mins meditation, visualisation

Breakfast juice:

Apple : rich in histamine lowering quercetin and inhibit the development of allergies.

Fennel: anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, analgesic and antioxidant.

Watercress: histamine release inhibitor.

Parsley: repairs damage to the mucusal lining of the stomach and prevents histamine release. It’s also anti-inflammatory and can repair liver damage.

Broccoli: anti-carcinogenic, prevents gastric mucosal damage (suggesting potential H2 receptor antagonism).

Ginger: as potent an H2 receptor antagonist as Zantac/ranitidine.

Side order:

Shot of thyme juice.

Thyme: has been shown to inhibit anaphylaxis in mice, as well as displaying anti-inflammatory and anti bacterial properties. It is a key ingredient in many modern medicines.

Take the hassle out of meal planning and healing histamine with this four week meal planner and stress relieving program. 

Pre lunch: 15 minutes meditation and visualisation, with top ups throughout the day. On the bus, on the tube, while walking. You can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere.

Lunch juice:

Apple

Fennel

Watercress

Parsley

Broccoli

Ginger

Side order:

Shot of thyme juice

Dinner: 

Green soup

Broccoli

Fennel

Cauliflower

Parsley

Thyme

Rosemary

Turmeric: inhibits anaphylactic shock, stabilises mast cells and prevents histamine release. It’s also anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour.

Side order:

Shot of thyme juice

Nightcap:

I dilute 2 caps powdered quercetin in 1 tbsp nigella sativa oil

Lie back and indulge in another 15 mins (usually more) meditation.

CLICK HERE FOR A FOUR WEEK HISTAMINE RESET WITH MEAL PLANNERS, STRESS RELIEF STRATEGIES & MORE

44 responses to “Shutting down histamine reactions (quickly)”

  1. Fiona Stryjak-Smith Avatar
    Fiona Stryjak-Smith

    OOOh I just bought fresh fennel and tumeric at the organic store this morning. On an impulse. And THEN I read THIS!!! TAH DAH! I’m gonna give this a go!

  2. Susan Avatar
    Susan

    Wonderful advice and I have found the meditation you suggested very helpful in a bad moment. Susan

  3. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Ooooh synchronicity 🙂 Hope you’re well!

  4. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Glad to hear it! Thanks for posting!

  5. Victoria Jones Avatar
    Victoria Jones

    This is the kind of information I would like in a book. Sort of a plan to get well. Of course realizing that it may not work for everyone but that it works for you. Everything that you mentioned above seems like foods that I won’t react to. I’m going to try it.

  6. Victoria Jones Avatar
    Victoria Jones

    How do you make the green soup?

  7. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Thank you! Yes that’s the conclusion I’m coming to. I’ve been hesitant till now, but it seeds what may be of most use to people…send me your email re soup.

  8. stacy Avatar
    stacy

    I would love the soup as well. Also, how do u juice thyme? Ive not seen it in the veg bulk section. How many ounces do u juice?

  9. Alyson McElroy Avatar

    I agree with Victoria re a starters 4 or 6 week antihistamine diet book / info. That would be brilliant would also love soup recipe 🙂

  10. Alyson McElroy Avatar

    Also any tips for a ‘mindfulness’ virgin?

  11. bj Avatar
    bj

    why take apple in the morning to lower quercetin but take 2 capsules at night . did i miss something.

  12. PC Avatar
    PC

    Hi, could you recommend a probiotic suitable for those with histamine problems? Have you found one that works ok for you? I currently have one that contains strains known to increase histamine (as mentioned in one of your previous posts) so am hesitant to take it.

    Also, thankyou for all the wonderful information and recipes 🙂 It’s so reassuring having a resource like this!

  13. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi there! I’m so sorry but I don’t understand? I eat quercetin rich apples to lower histamine, and I take 2 capsules of pure quercetin again at night. Apples are rich in quercetin, but pure quercetin is obviously an even stronger mast cell stabiliser 🙂 Maybe I didn’t understand correctly?

  14. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi there, I don’t juice the thyme. It’s too fiddly and expensive. I buy Salus fresh thyme juice. I love their products.

  15. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi there! Brilliant thank you 🙂 Am now working on it…will be a while though. Lot of planning.

  16. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    OOops sorry – the soup is basically every vegetable I have, with as many herbs as I have, with 1-3 onions, lots of garlic.

  17. MJ Hambly Avatar
    MJ Hambly

    Can you please clarify how much of each (ginger, fennel, etc) you are putting into your juices? Also, will a smoothie (for those of us that don’t have juice machines) suffice? Thank you!

  18. Vivian Avatar
    Vivian

    Hi, I’ve been using Prescript-Assist for about 6 weeks. It’s been working wonderfully and I haven’t experienced any side effects. In the link below, Chris Kresser mentions that this has not been proven, but he has anecdotally observed that soil-based organisms are much better tolerated by people with histamine intolerance and SIBO. (Scroll down to the section that talks about histmaine intolerance) http://chriskresser.com/gluten-triggered-ibs-d-twisted-food-politics-and-overcoming-histamine-intolerance

  19. Moreyzi Avatar
    Moreyzi

    does wholefood sell thyme juice?

  20. lou Avatar
    lou

    read it as “histamine-lowering quercetin”

  21. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi there, so sorry for the delay in replying! I just posted something on supplements here http://thelowhistaminechef.com/favourite-things/supplements/ Thanks so much for the kind words and for reading!

  22. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi there, you’re very welcome, thanks so much for reading and apologies for the delay in getting back to you! I added a supplements page that lists the ones I’ve found that look good http://thelowhistaminechef.com/favourite-things/supplements/

  23. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Wonderful thanks so much for posting that!

  24. KR Avatar
    KR

    Would ‘thyme juice’ be the same as an ‘extract of thyme’, if one were to *make their own*? Hard to find thyme juice around me, but the herby-form grows quite well on my porch! 😉

  25. joseph Avatar
    joseph

    Thyme juice? Where do I get that?

  26. IG Avatar
    IG

    Happy day 🙂
    Thank you for sharing your story and helping others live healthy and happy!!!
    I have developed a bad rash on my stomach and back during my last trimester also known as PUPPP. Do you have any suggestions for relief?
    Thank you so much from a mum to be getting crazy from sratching and little sleep 😉

  27. Name Avatar
    Name

    When I was diagnosed with histamine intolerance last year, I bought an ebook on anhistiamine and anti inflammatory foods and paid £15. Unfortunately, I did not download it just printed some pages off and now I can’t find it anywhere. Can you tell me please if it was your book, and if so is there a way of retrieving it. My email address started with ‘ulla’. I wonder if you would be so kind as to help me here? Thank you so much.
    How do I send this?

  28. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hiya, no problem at all – please email me using the contact form in the main navigation and I’ll get that right out to you!

  29. shumee Avatar
    shumee

    I found the nigella sativa made my eczema spread to the inside fold of my arms. I put some topically with a carrier oil on my neck (where most of the eczema is) and it spread to my arms. I took it orally for several days too. Weird. I was hoping it would help.

    Thanks for this list though. I’ll try some of your suggestions.

  30. thelowhistaminechef Avatar

    Hi Shumee, it could be a salicylate issue? But also we tend to try new remedies out of desperation when things get bad, and then believe it’s aggravating the situation. I learned to try things when I wasn’t having a major reaction so that I could work out if it was giving me a reaction. That said, you seem to have had a severe reaction so not a good idea in this case!

  31. Lou Avatar
    Lou

    could you recommend a powdered quercetin? So many to chose from and many have a big list of other ingredients. Thanks.

  32. Lou Avatar
    Lou

    could you recommend a powdered quercetin? So many to chose from and many have a big list of other ingredients. Thanks.

  33. CassieLee_ Avatar
    CassieLee_

    This is so helpful! Thank you xx

  34. MG Avatar
    MG

    Hi, how do you do Tyme juice? How much Tyme do you put through juicer and if just leaves or with stalks? How can I contact with you in person ? I sent message from contact site but no reply. I have 2,5 year old son with possible MCAS as root of his medical and developmental issues. Any advice how to deal with hot weather as a trigger?

  35. Eve Avatar
    Eve

    I have ME/CFS and a rather vaguely diagnosed mast cell disorder, both of which are flaring up like nobody’s business at the moment. I’m vegan and too weak to live on juices alone even for half a day, but I’ll see how closely I can follow this, and have the ingredients arriving tomorrow from Tesco (and my partner will go and fetch me the thyme juice). I don’t have a juicer, but I do have a smoothie maker stuck on the top shelf. (I found that I was just as hungry after even substantial smoothies as before, and since I don’t want to gain any more weight, I stopped making them.) Could I adapt this into a smoothie instead, especially since I would prefer to have something more substantial? If so, how should I do it, in terms of making it satisfying and palatable? Stick in some oats? Coconut milk? Any idea about quantities? I assume I just make the amount I want to consume immediately? Would I be better making it straight into soup?

  36. Eve Avatar
    Eve

    I have ME/CFS and a rather vaguely diagnosed mast cell disorder, both of which are flaring up like nobody’s business at the moment. I’m vegan and too weak to live on juices alone even for half a day, but I’ll see how closely I can follow this, and have the ingredients arriving tomorrow from Tesco (and my partner will go and fetch me the thyme juice). I don’t have a juicer, but I do have a smoothie maker stuck on the top shelf. (I found that I was just as hungry after even substantial smoothies as before, and since I don’t want to gain any more weight, I stopped making them.) Could I adapt this into a smoothie instead, especially since I would prefer to have something more substantial? If so, how should I do it, in terms of making it satisfying and palatable? Stick in some oats? Coconut milk? Any idea about quantities? I assume I just make the amount I want to consume immediately? Would I be better making it straight into soup?

  37. Carlos Morlin Avatar
    Carlos Morlin

    just cut up some thyme leaves finely and steep in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink the whole lot, stalks and all. I use this mostly for killing off catarrhr. I will now be taking this for my newly discovered urticaria, from a severe histimine reaction!! Thank you Yasmina!

  38. Carlos Morlin Avatar
    Carlos Morlin

    just cut up some thyme leaves finely and steep in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drink the whole lot, stalks and all. I use this mostly for killing off catarrhr. I will now be taking this for my newly discovered urticaria, from a severe histimine reaction!! Thank you Yasmina!

  39. angie_massey Avatar
    angie_massey

    What do you suggest for someone who cannot tolerate salicylates?

  40. angie_massey Avatar
    angie_massey

    What do you suggest for someone who cannot tolerate salicylates?

  41. Cj Avatar
    Cj

    How do you make thyme juice?

  42. Dagmara Schellekens Avatar
    Dagmara Schellekens

    That’s what I’d like to know as well!

  43. Wei Avatar
    Wei

    how much of each? looks great

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Welcome!

Yasmina was an award-winning broadcast journalist with a decade of experience covering war zones for CNN and the BBC. She devoted her journalism skills to researching and writing about histamine. Click here to learn about her. Each post is carefully and fully referenced with the latest scientific research. Not sure where to start? Here’s a four week meal plan and overall Histamine Reset.


4 Week Histamine Reset


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