HISTAMINE
What is histamine and how might reducing your histamine help you?
Histamine occurs naturally in our bodies. It is what causes the red itching around a mosquito bite for example. This is your body trying to heal itself. Whilst most people are able to process histamine effectively, some people are unable to do this (due to their genes) and they end up with too much histamine in their bodies. This can cause inflammation (this is not needed for healing) and number of symptoms from hay fever like symptoms, swollen face, painful joints, eczema, migraine, IBS, allergic like symptoms, to name just a few.
Some foods are higher in histamines than others and histamine is not broken down by cooking. If you can reduce these higher histamine foods in your diet and ensure you eat food containing natural antihistamines, then you can reduce the amount of histamine in your body which may help relieve some of your symptoms. This is where a low histamine diet comes in.
Some medical professionals believe that a low histamine diet can also help relieve the symptoms of MCAS, ME, fibromyalgia, and any illnesses involving inflammation including long COVID-19.
Not sure where to start - check out the information below and then head over to the recipes page to get started.
START HERE...
No 1
Always use the freshest food possible. Vegetables that are starting to go soft or floppy are not as fresh as they can be and are higher in histamine.
No 2
Shop daily if you can so that your food is a fresh as possible. (I am not able to do this so I shop twice a week. )
No 3
When buying vegetables think about where they have come from and how long it has been since they were picked.
No 4
If you can, buy organic food. It has fewer pesticides and chemicals in it and is generally considered to be better for you. If you can’t then remember to wash your fruit and veg really well.
No 5
Even if something is low histamine it may not mean you can tolerate it. It is trial and error which ingredients you will be able to eat without an adverse reaction.
No 6
Meat can be difficult to source as it is often hung for several days or even weeks. I have found the best cut of meat to get is a hanger steak (beef). This is rarely hung and is often with the butcher on the day of slaughter. Any good butcher will be able to help you.
No 7
Leftovers are often very high in histamine and as a general rule should not be eaten. If you have any leftovers freeze them straight away, ideally while they are still warm.
No 8
If it comes out of a jar or tin, generally, it is not going to be low histamine and should therefore be avoided. However, some people can tolerate organic coconut milk.
No 9
To limit histamine fish needs to be flash frozen within half an hour of being caught, otherwise it is very high in histamine. If you find any please let me know as I have yet to!
No 10
If you can, make additional portions of the food you cook and freeze the extra. This will give you a couple of go to meals without the need to cook from scratch.
No 11
Most people should be able to tolerate a histamine free meal. However, everyone is different, so keep a food diary and work out what your tolerances are.
Check out our recipes here and get started straight away.