Low Histamine Part II

Low Histamine Part II

I decided to stay on the histamine/food relationship topic for a bit longer.  I do believe, wholeheartedly, that what we eat makes a huge difference.  Unfortunately, I’m at that “what do I eat, I think nothing” point in my life.  That’s only because I’m currently coming out of a flare and I do not want to relapse.  My food options are actually opening back up compared to where I was at two months ago but, again, I do not want to relapse.  So, the goal now is to introduce high nutrient, low histamine food into my diet.  I also believe that inflammation is a key culprit in wreaking havoc on our bodies.  If we can manage the inflammation through diet and exercise, we may not notice as much of a problem with the MCAS.

That Paleo Guy perfectly states “Histamine is a chemical which occurs naturally in certain foods. This is also one of the chemicals that is released in the body as part of an allergic reaction, causing the typical ‘itching, sneezing, wheezing, swelling’ allergy symptoms. We all have an enzyme (Diamine oxidase [DAO]) which breaks down any histamine that we absorb from a histamine-containing food, so when we eat a food which contains histamine it does not affect us. However some people have a low level of this enzyme, and when they eat too many histamine-rich foods, they may suffer ‘allergy-like’ symptoms such as headaches, rashes, itching, diarrhea and vomiting or abdominal pain. This is called histamine intolerance. Some studies have also suggested links between histamine intolerance and urticaria, asthma, eczema and anxiety and panic attacks.”

There are different techniques in approaching managing the histamine however mine will start with avoiding most of the following foods listed below.  I say most because it is summer and harvest season is upon us so I may indulge out of our garden a bit.  Also, I have an aversion to eliminating foods that are really good for us and replacing them with wheat, dairy or meat.  I love all three of these food choices but by now, we all know that these foods cause inflammation.  I’ve been dabbling a bit with eating a ton of fruits and veggies in hopes of permanently moving my plate in this direction but for now it’s just baby steps!  Feel free to join me in pulling a few of the items below off your plate and see how you feel!!!!

• All seafood including shellfish or fin fish, fresh, frozen, smoked or canned
• Egg (a small quantity in a baked product such as pancakes, muffins, cakes is usually tolerated)
• Processed, smoked and fermented meats such as luncheon meat, sausage, weiner, bologna, salami, pepperoni
• Leftover meat: eat freshly cooked meat ONLY (side note from Jackie—After meat is cooked, the histamine levels increase due to microbial action as the meat sits.)
• All fermented milk products, including cheese (any milk product that is curdled rather than fermented is allowed, such as cottage cheese, ricotta cheese)
• Cheese products such as processed cheese, cheese slices, cheese spreads
  Yogurt, buttermilk, kefir
• Orange
  Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Lime
• Cherries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Loganberries
• Apricot
• Pineapple
• Dates
• Raisins
• Prunes
• Currants
• Relishes
• Pickles
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Ketchup
• Tomato sauces
• Tartrazine and other artificial food colors
• Preservatives, esp. benzoates, sulfites and BHA, BHT
• Cinnamon
• Chili powder
• Cloves
• Anise
• Nutmeg
  Curry powder
• Hot paprika (cayenne)
• Fermented soy products
• Fermented food
• Tea—herbal or regular
• Chocolate, cocoa, and cola drinks
• Alcohol
• Vinegar and foods containing vinegar such as pickles, relishes, ketchup, and prepared mustard

 

http://www.judytsafrirmd.com/histamine-intolerance-gaps-and-low-carb/#sthash.ojMjdiRD.dpuf

http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/11/14/histamine-intolerance-update/

http://mastcelldisorders.wallack.us/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1339170489

Low Histamine Diet

Many of us find that it does not matter if the diagnosis is Histamine Intolerance, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, Idiopathic Anaphylaxis or Mastocytosis, we have similar symptoms and reactions.  What we have found is that maintaining a low histamine diet, along with some other lifestyle changes, reduces symptoms in many patients with these various disorders. 

Histamine Intolerance appears to be a DAO enzyme issue where these other disorders have “triggered” mast cells that dump chemicals and often the triggers are food.  Many find that a following a low histamine diet is relieving regardless of the diagnosed disorder.

It is important to understand that removing histamine from our diet is impossible because food naturally produces histamine.  It just does!  We’ve been programmed to believe that all fruits and vegetables are good for us which isn’t necessarily true.  For some of us, ingesting tomatoes or spinach is like poison.  Just because something is good for most does not mean it is good for all!  The Paleo diet seems to be a popular option because of the grain elimination.  Gluten is often a problem for a lot of us with histamine issues but it is important to understand that meat is histamine producing due to bacteria found on the decaying food which soon happens after it is cooked.  If someone does not possess enough of the DAO enzyme, they may find trouble in the metabolizing of histamine. 

Too fully understand the role of histamine, it is both good and bad.  Histamine regulates body functions by binding to the appropriate receptors however, it is also responsible for allergic reactions when it finds what it believes to be a foreign invader roaming about in the blood system.

How to Eat

Eat fresh! Eat as fresh as possible! Always!  Overripe fruits, vegetables, and meats cause histamine production.  Foods that have been sitting out after being cooked may begin producing histamine very quickly especially meat.

 Buy your produce as fresh as possible, purchasing frozen as a second option and canned as the last.  Personally, I try to buy as little in a can as possible in a can.  Canned foods are often high in the sodium, devoid of nutrients and cooked until the goodness of flavor is boiled down to a bland bite of something that resembles a vegetable.  Sometimes canned options are okay in a pinch but do not make it part of your regular meals.  Use the 90%/10% rule.

 Organic

I try and eat as organic as possible.  I believe we are our own worst enemy.  All the crap that goes on our food to protect it from pests or to help it super produce, finds its way into our bodies through both our food and water supply.  The toxins are now down to the seed level.  Think GMO!  The debate is hot and controversial and I’m on the avoidance side of the fence.  I wrote “I” because it is my opinion and we are all entitled to our own thoughts.  However, I believe the toxins we ingest change our chemical makeup and induce disease in us, our children and grandchildren.  Why are auto-immune diseases common?  Why do we all know someone with an illness such as lupus, MS, RA, EDS or some medical mystery like MCAS?  Why are cancer rates so high?  Heck, we even have cancer super centers located throughout the U.S.  If we practiced more prevention education and action, some of these centers would have to shut down due to lack of business.  Now, I don’t buy everything organic because that is very hard to do.  I cannot seem to find everything I need in one store and I’m not about to travel all over the city, however I buy as much as possible and am trying to fully move into that direction.  I also believe, for me anyways, the pesticides, GMOs, and growth promoters that are on food, contribute to my mast cell bucket filling up which then leads to my mast cells triggering. 

Fermented Foods

Fermented foods have their place but not at the beginning of the healing process.  It is no secret that there are some foods that are super gut healers and our goal is to focus on healing but we also need to remember baby steps!  My path has been elimination, low histamine, gut healing, and reintroduction.  I do not believe in completely eliminating foods or our diet will be limited, unbalanced and nutrient deficient.

 Food Breakdowns

Some doctors will swear there is not a food connection but just ask around.  Ask people how they feel after they have ingested food they know they are sensitive too or ingredients like gluten or dairy.  They argue that there is a food connection.  Personally, I believe there is without a doubt.  You will have to be your own judge as we all have different tolerances and level of tolerances.  I may be able to eat a bite of something but not a whole bowl.  Moderation and food rotation is definitely important.

 

Low Histamine Foods
Fresh meat and chicken	Most herbs	Pasteurized honey, maple syrup, corn syrup	Herbal tea
Freshly caught and gutted fish	Olive, flaxseed  and coconut oils	Icing Sugar	Pure juices of allowed fruits and vegetables
Egg yolk (egg whites may be problematic)	Unbleached flour or grain	Pure Jams, Jellies, Marmalade	Plain And Carbonated Mineral Water
Most fruits with the exception of strawberries and the ones listed in the table below.	Crackers without yeast	Baking powder/baking soda	Coffee
Fresh pasteurized milk, coconut milk, and rice milk	Lentils (red, yellow, brown)	Cream of tartar
Fresh vegetable except tomatoes, spinach, peas,  eggplant, and pumpkin	Chickpeas	Plain gelatin
Butter, cream cheese and ricotta cheese	Black beans, white beans, split peas, navy beans, and pinto beans	Homemade relishes with allowed ingredients

 

Histamine Stimulating Foods
Tomatoes	Spinach	Eggplant (aubergines)	Avocado
Pumpkin	Bananas	Papayas	Pineapple
Strawberries	Kiwi	Mango	Raspberry
Tangerines	Grapefruits	Red prunes	Spices
Shellfish	Tree nuts/peanuts	Uncooked egg whites

 

High Histamine Foods
Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickled anything, soy sauce, kefir, yogurt, miso, kimchi, etc.	Processed foods that come in a box	Snacks with preservatives and flavorings such as MSG (flavored potato chips/tortilla chips)	Chocolate and Cocoa/Cocoa Beans
Vinegar (pickled anything), mayonnaise, ketchup, dressings, mustard	Mushrooms Dried fruit	Fava Beans, red beans, soybeans, and green peas	Cinnamon, anise, cloves, curry powder, cumin, cayenne, nutmeg, taco or any others pre-packaged seasonings.
Cured meat (ham, salami, bacon, sausage, jerky, and deli meats)	Canned fruits and vegetables. Buy fresh or frozen.	Prepared dessert fillings/prepared icings and frostings, cake decorations, confectionery, commercial candies	Spreads with restricted ingredients
Canned and smoked fish	Prepared salads	Citrus-foods	Cola and drinks labeled “flavor” or “spice”
Mincemeat	Walnuts, cashews, peanuts	Yeast/brewer’s yeast	Alcohol and non-alcoholic beers

 

Conclusion

This post is meant as general information regarding what is considered low histamine, histamine releasing and high histamine foods.  I will provide some follow-up posts that discuss foods that are full of nutrients, anti-inflammatory and that may actually help on the healing path. 

References

http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/histamine-intolerance/

http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/histamine-intolerance/

https://www.allergyuk.org/common-food-intolerances/histamine-intolerance

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11175/everything-you-need-to-know-about-histamine-intolerance.html

http://www.mastocytosis.ca/MSC%20HT%20Restricted%20Diet%20Nov2012.pdf

 

 

 

 

Diets, Diets, and more Diets!

Where do I start?  It’s so confusing.  In fact, confusing enough to make me want to close the book (or internet) and eat a pepperoni pizza, a bag of Doritos and then chase them with a Corona! Oh, but then I would probably go into a mast cell hell attack! So, I’m back to the question of diets, diets and more diets!  What do I eat to maintain a low profile, minimal-twitchy mast cell profile? 

This question is so confusing because we all have individual triggers when it comes to food.  What is nourishing, delicious, and fulfilling for some is toxic poison for others.  My approach and that of others who deal with a funky body is to start with an elimination diet and then add back in healthy foods one at a time.  It is highly recommended to use a tracking tool or food diary to log what’s going down the hatch.  I found an easy one on the allergyhome.org site.  There are several apps out there or simply use a notebook or journal.  I choose to journal my food life but that is just my old school preference.

Food Sensitivities and Intolerances

So, as stated before, most of us masties have individual triggers often referred to as food sensitivities and/or food intolerances.

Food intolerances are often the result of the absence of an enzyme needed to fully digest a food.  For example, people that are lactose intolerant do not possess enough of the enzyme needed to break down lactose (a type of sugar) therefore drinking milk or consuming dairy causes  symptoms such as bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, etc. 

Food sensitives are a toxic reaction to foods that can be divided into two categories:  allergic responses and food sensitivities.  If someone has an IGE allergy to food, they will develop and immune response when exposed that can be serious enough to induce anaphylaxis.  Think peanuts or bee stings!   If someone has a food sensitive, they usually develop a cascade of symptoms such as GERD, gas, cramps, headache, fatigue, dizziness, etc.  For example, I do not tolerate sulfites.  If I ingest sulfites, I get dizzy, wheezy, and unable to breathe.  Some people with food sensitives simply get bad gas, a headache or become tired and lethargic.  Food sensitives also contribute to inflammation which is a leading cause of weight gain and disease.  Both of these reactions are stressful on the body and cause widespread inflammation meaning your joints are probably going to respond with achiness.

You may have heard of the term “Leaky Gut”.  It is thought to be at the root of many diseases in America especially auto-immune disorders.  The gut lining should be tightly woven with mucous cells, connective tissue, blood vessels, etc.).  When the gut becomes inflamed, it can also become permeable and allow small fissures or holes to open up which then allows bacteria and partially digested food molecules to dump into the blood stream.  Our system sees the bacteria and food molecules as foreign invaders and goes into attack mode “auto” against itself “immune”.    The attack is significant and stressful on the body even though we may not realize it.  The symptoms are initially subtle and gradual but cumulative.  We often do not realize our system is attacking itself until it is too late and we are burden with an ailment.  Some signs that you are food sensitive include feeling:

• Sadness or depression
• Moodiness, brain fog and headaches
• Food cravings
•  Fatigue
•  Heartburn
•  Joint pain
•  Acne, rosacea, dark circles
•  Gas, bloating and constipation/diarrhea

These symptoms can drastically reduce the quality of life within the affected.  We just used to feeling like ick.  However, it is not normal and nobody should have to feel like ick all the time.  We are going to talk about food a lot on this site.  But the initial step we must take is keeping track of our food.

Food Tracking and Testing

The first thing that is recommended is tracking or journaling food to assist in discovering food sensitives, intolerances, and allergies.  It is as simple as writing down everything consumed both beverage and food.  It is recommended to jot down what was eaten, when it was eaten, what time symptoms started, feelings throughout the day, exercise performed during the day,  and sleep pattern.  Make a list of all things that thought to be a trigger.  Journaling becomes easier as body awareness increases.  One may find that the foods that they are reacting to are in the same as foods they know they are allergic to.  For example, people with latex allergies sometimes find that bananas bother them.  Bananas are cross-reactive with latex.  Along with journaling, I choose to have food sensitivity testing down every few years.  It is a bit costly (up to $200) but will test up to 300+ foods that people are most commonly sensitive too.  I do this through a functional medicine doctor however you may be able to order the test on your own.

 Elimination Diet

After spending a week journaling, it’s time to take action.  First, the most common food culprits are removed from diet which includes dairy, soy, wheat, sugar, yeast, corn, MSG, soda including diet and basically anything packaged.  Packaged food is full of hidden ingredients.  If an ingredient cannot be pronounced, it should be eliminated.  The key to success is to have a menu plan thought out and purchased.  If I get hungry, I will cheat.  It is normal to feel a bit out of sorts for the first three days of elimination but this is normal.  The body is purging and detoxing some of the foods that it is sensitive too.  After seven days, food may be added back in one at time.  Being diligent in journaling and noticing how symptoms after adding food back in is the key to success.  One should pay attention for a full 24 hours after the food is added because delayed reaction can happen up to 24 hours.  After a food has been consumed for three days without incidence, another food item may be added back in.   I notice within a day if an added food does not agree with me.  Once a food is determined to be a culprit, it should be remove that food item for 90 days.  Often, it is possible to add that food back in after 90 days and be fine with it.  The key to the elimination diet is to find out what is bugging the body, eliminate the food item to assist in the healing of the gut and then hopefully be able to add the food item back in unless it is an empty calorie food.  In that case, leave it out.  Adding that bag of Doritos back in just because a reaction did not occur, doesn’t mean we should be eating them because eventually they will become harmful.  We are going for nutrition to heal the body, not empty calorie junk food to contribute to our illness.  The key is to eat as many high-nutrient, high-fiber, organic, whole foods as possible.  Limit meat as it is very acidic and hard to digest and cut back on the coffee (my weakness). 

I will join you in the elimination process as I am starting it myself.  I’ve been doing a pretty good job with the exception of dairy and coffee.  I drink milk rarely, eat very little cheese (trigger), and try to avoid creams however I do like my yogurt and kefir.  Also, coffee is one of my weaknesses.  I’m working on it!

Please feel free to comment below and share how your journaling is going.  Also, please provide any insight you may feel is useful pertaining to this subject.    

References

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538

http://drhyman.com/blog/2012/02/22/how-hidden-food-sensitivities-make-you-fat/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/signs-food-sensitivity/story?id=24770899#7

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/food-allergy-myths

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/04/03/chemical-sensitivities.aspx

http://allergyhome.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/AllergyHome_Food-Symptom-Journal-copyright-2013.pdf

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/180120.php

http://www.innerbody.com/image_digeov/dige11-new.html

Flying with Nut Allergies - Another Successful Journey!!!

As I stated in another post, I live in the Midwest but have a passion for the Western U.S.  You can imagine how excited I was to jump at the chance to visit SoCal for the first time this winter.  I've been to Northern California a few times but never Orange County and because I'm a sunshine, toes-in-the-sand kind of girl, I told Mr. Man that I was booking tickets, lodging and a car and we were breaking away from this record-cold winter.  And, so we did!

As always, when vacationing, I worry most about flying.  I can control most other environments through avoidance. Think restaurants.  However, being confined in a relatively small area like an airplane can be a little nerve-wrecking.  First order of business was remaining calm and not worrying about nuts while in flight from the time I booked the trip until travel day.  Idiopathic Anaphylaxis as well as Mast Cell Activation Disorder can be exaggerated by stress. I have learned to not sweat the little, or in this case, big things but instead remain positive and calm and have a well executed plan. 

Prior to booking the flight, I reviewed Allergic Livings Flight Grid.  They provide some good information for what to expect with some of the larger airlines.  I also did alot of googling to find out what airlines have been good to other nut allergic flyers.  I then did a lot of airline calling to find out specifically what policies were in place with each airline.  Some airlines were definitely better than others.  We decided to go with Delta Airlines.  I really enjoy a direct flight whereas you do not have to layover somewhere and start the whole process of explaining your allergy and pre-boarding more than one time.  We were not able to get a direct flight this time.  We left Grand Rapids, MI and flew to Minnesota and then on to Orange County.  The flight home was the same locations in reverse order.  I have to say, I was incredibly impressed with the ease, patience and privacy that Delta Airlines provided me.  When I made the airline reservation and told them I was a nut allergic flyer, they flagged my ticket.  This allowed us to pre-board without question in each location.  My finacee' wiped down my seats, armrest and the tray table with some sanitizer wipes and then proceeded to cover both of our seats with baby crib sheets (they fit perfect).  He Rocks! Because nobody else was on the plane, I was able to privately confirm with the flight attendants that nuts would not be served in-flight.  They confirmed this to be true.  And, during in-flight take off announcements, they announced they would not be serving nuts on the plane as there was an allergic flyer aboard.  In one location, they actually asked passengers to refrain from opening products containing nuts.  I did wear a mask just in case someone was eating nuts on the plane.  I always feel a bit goofy with it on however I wasn't the only one and I had a safe flight! Oh, I still haven't ordered my Scough (scarf with a filter).

Hats off to Delta Airlines!!! We will fly again!