Histamine Diet

WHAT ARE HISTAMINES?

Histamines are chemicals that play an important role in regulating physiological functions in the body. They are involved in the health of our immune and digestive systems, and help neurological functions. While our body's naturally produce this chemical, it can also be found in food.

Some people are less tolerant of histamine for various reasons - our goal is to use this diet as a therapeutic tool throughout your protocols. Being intolerant of histamine means that too much of it is in your body. When this happens, the body is not able to properly and effectively metabolize histamines. When histamines levels are too high or when the body cannot break them down properly, it can affect normal bodily functions.

Some foods naturally have higher histamine contents. Aged foods and leftovers also accumulate histamines as they age. Dried, aged and fermented foods typically have the highest levels of histamines.

Due to this, it is recommended to eat freshly-made foods when consuming a low-histamine diet.

WHAT IS A LOW HISTAMINE DIET?

A low histamine diet limits the consumption of histamines from food sources. This can reduce systemic inflammation, relieve gastrointestinal symptoms, and other reactions caused by a histamine intolerance. This diet is therapeutic and is often used in conjunction to healing protocols.

Since a low histamine diet involves cutting out certain foods, you will need to make sure you still have a nutritious balance in your diet, otherwise you will miss out on some vitamins and minerals that are very important...

• CALCIUM: Dark Leafy Greens, Broccoli, Wild-Caught Seafood, Grass-Fed Meats, Grass-Fed Butter

• HEALTHY SATURATED FATS: Grass-Fed Butter, Grass-Fed Meats, Pasture-Raised Chicken Eggs

• IRON: Grass-Fed Meats, Pasture-Raised Eggs, Wild-Caught Fish

• MAGNESIUM: Dark Leafy Greens, Pumpkin Seeds, Almonds, Grass-Fed Butter, Wild-Caught Seafood

• OMEGA-3S: Olive Oil, Wild-Caught Salmon and Mackerel (must be fresh),

• PHOSPHORUS: Almonds, Broccoli, Pasture-Raised Eggs

• VITAMIN B12: Grass-Fed Beef Liver, Grass-Fed Beef, Wild-Caught Salmon, Fresh Tuna

• ZINC: Grass-Fed Meat, Wild-Caught Seafood, Pumpkin Seeds

THINGS TO REMEMBER:

Always read the list of ingredients to find out whether a food contains incompatible ingredients.

• Meals from a restaurant are often poorly tolerated.

• Leftovers and overripe fruit may be high in histamines.

• People with a histamine intolerance react in a multitude of different ways. For example, tiredness/fatigue, skin issues/hives, fevers/temperature regulation issues, dizziness, gastrointestinal discomfort, facial swelling, allergy-like symptoms, etc. are common symptoms.

• You may notice a small amount of nuts are included in low-histamine recipes. Everyone is bio-individual. Some may react to some of the nuts listed, but others may not. Pay attention to your body and if your body reacts.

• Overtime, as the histamine levels in the body have reduced, gut health has improved, inflammation has reduced, liver function has improved, and adrenals are stabilized… more histamines will be tolerated.

Our goal is to replace foods. As you take foods out that are High Histamine, make sure you are replacing them with high nutrient, low histamine foods.

If you are just starting out on a low histamine diet, here are the top foods to begin eliminating:

• Fermented alcoholic beverages: wine, champagne, beer, whiskey, etc.

• Fermented foods: sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, kefir, yogurt, kombucha, etc.

• Soured foods: sour cream, sour milk, buttermilk, soured bread, etc.

• Balsamic Vinegar and Vinegar foods: pickles, mayonnaise, olives, ketchup

• Cured meats: bacon, salami, pepperoni, luncheon meats and hot dogs

• Aged cheese (including goat cheese)

• Smoked fish, anchovies, and sardines

• Beef (aging process increases histamine)

• Rotisserie chicken (sitting in the store all day raises histamine levels)

• Smoked or processed meats: salami, bacon, ham, sausage

• Dried fruit: apricots, prunes, dates, figs, raisins

• Uncooked egg whites (histamine liberator)

• Leftovers

Visit the following links for low-histamine and low-oxalate recipes: CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE.