Histamine Intolerance and Diet

Histamine Intolerance! Never heard of it when I was growing up and now it’s all the rage! I was first diagnosed with this condition in 2009 as well as Histaminosis, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Disorder and Reactive Arthritis. I have not had the test for Mastocytosis. I didn’t see any point as I react adversely to most prescribed medication that  I have tried in the past. I had already realised that  I was going to have to make a big shot at changing my condition with diet and lifestyle changes. Back in 2009, I was terrified that I was going to be living the rest of my life in a bubble……

Since 2009,  I have followed a low histamine and a largely raw vegan diet with a few side tracks of brief experimentation with different foods on my way. I drink no alcohol, black tea  or coffee. My drinks are green tea, herbal tea, water and coconut water. I take no antihistamine medication.  I know that this diet is right for me because,  over the years, my health has improved no end! I have put away that plastic bubble! 🙂

I used to be a big foodie, I even worked for a food retailing company,  and I really struggled with the fact that I had to change my diet. I didn’t fancy dying and I used to choke so much so that it became a distinct possibility, so I had to make big changes. I was really “reluctant”, hence my logo!   However, now, I do not regard the way I eat as a restrictive diet. I eat and enjoy really lovely food. My tastebuds have altered in a way I never thought would be possible.

I also know, from my research, that I am eating the best diet, for me, for my various health issues. I eat a high raw, low histamine, vegan, nutrient dense diet. This way of eating is my life choice now. There is no going back for me!  🙂

For more about diagnosing Histamine Intolerance and Histamine related illnesses see also The Low Histamine Chef’s post. My dear friend, Yasmina, is a fount of knowledge on Histamine Intolerance and Histamine related issues. Thank you, Yasmina!

An example of my daily Salad! 🙂

Histamine Intolerance Food List from Dr Fuhrman

Dr Fuhrman  has very kindly given permission for me to reproduce his histamine intolerance food list. I will also post a link on my diet page so that it is alway easy to find.

Dr Fuhrman’s advice is to eat a nutritarian diet  but to focus on the lists below:

 Foods to include:

Leafy greens (other than spinach)
Solid green vegetables ( such as, asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, string beans)
Non-starchy vegetables (onions, mushrooms)
Beans/legumes
Seeds (sunflower, sesame, hemp, pumpkin) and avocado
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed daily
Fresh fruit
Grains (not containing gluten: wild rice, quinoa, gluten-free oats)
Starchy vegetables (squash, sweet potato, cauliflower, carrots, peas)

Foods to avoid:

General

Salt
Processed foods and fast food
White flour
Sugar and other concentrated sweeteners
Oil and fried foods
Animal products
Hot spices
Common allergens:
Soy
Wheat
Gluten
Dairy
Peanuts
Histamine-rich foods:

Fish
Fermented foods
Cheese
Processed meats
Sauerkraut
Alcohol, especially red wine
Red wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Spinach
Eggplant
Ketchup
Minimize potential histamine-releasing plant foods:

Citrus fruit
Melons
Papaya
Strawberries
Pineapple
Nuts
Peanuts
Tomatoes
Chocolate
Dried fruits

My Histamine Intolerance Diet

Personally, I had to find out what kept my Histamine Intolerance under control. We are all different and some foods may trigger us more than others. I can eat a lot of additional foods now, but I have not returned to eating animal products or  processed foods. Because  my diet is naturally low in histamine I have found that fruits such as  citrus and strawberries  are ok for me  as long as I steer clear of fermented foods and foods such as yeast, bread, alcohol,  dried fruit, etc.

I founds that eggs were a big ‘no no’ for me and fish would actually give me hallucinations!  – My skin specialist has recently explained why this happens! I wasn’t going mad after all! LOL! In addition to not eating animal products, I also do not eat processed vegan products such as vegan cheese.

I do not now add salt to my diet. More about this later.

Mushrooms! I once ate some fermented raw mushrooms, kindly prepared for me by a dear friend. Oh Wow! I had difficulty driving home as I kept falling asleep at the wheel! Horrendously scary!   I thought I would never make it home! I made about 20 stops on a 50 mile journey. It took me all day and once home, I slept for a further 24 hours. Now, I would not attempt to drive while feeling like that but I did not realise back then just how serious my condition was!  More about my “sudden sleep” issues later. I do however now eat a few (usually lightly cooked) mushrooms, as they have anti cancer properties. Again, more about this later.

I can eat almonds and walnuts but not cashews. Cashews make me itch and put me to sleep. Sadly, I cannot touch peanuts now and once, I spent 24 hours in bed with a raging headache, after eating a spoonful of peanut butter. I used to love peanut butter but I don’t miss it now! I replaced it with almond butter. I can eat a few tomatoes but aubergine (egg plant) sends me into shock! I am fine with melon and always have been. At one time, to bring down my histamine levels , I ate nothing but melon and banana for 3 days!

I have provided a link to the basic outline of Dr Fuhrman’s nutritarian diet above. For my autoimmune health issues, Dr Fuhrman recommends a vegan diet and I follow his guidelines on this. You can find these in his newsletter purchaseable   on his website  or in his book, Super Immunity, available here for those in the USA and here for those in the UK. It is one of my favourite books!

For more information on the way I eat, please download my free Guide by subscribing to my newsletter on my Home Page. The cooked stew, shown below, is included in my Guide. I will write another post on how I discovered what foods were particular triggers for me and how I have added some foods back into my diet.

See my resources pages for links to some more of Dr Fuhrman’s books.

Thank you so much for your continued guidance and for your histamine intolerance list, Dr Fuhrman. 🙂

I do eat some cooked food. This is a photo of my stew in my kitchen! 🙂