Sunday 18 October 2015

What foods cause histamine intolerance?

Recently, I have been looking more and more into the chemistry of foods!

C5H9N3 is histamine!

How about that?

Ok, lets get down to the stuff you really want to know about!

Could you have histamine intolerance and what is it?



Histamine is a chemical compound which occurs naturally in foods.  It is involved in a local immune response as well as regulating physiological function in the gut.  The body is super clever! It does all this because we need it to.  It also works as a neurotransmitter. Basically sending messages from one place to another.  So,  we need it.  What we don't need, is an intolerance to it!

If we have an intolerance to it, this won't stop us from eating it but there are ways to limit what we consume at once in order to prevent a reaction.  It's like filling a cup with water.  A little bit in the bottom won't make the cup overflow.  Keep filling it (like filling your body with histamine) and it will flow over the top (cause a reaction).

Diamine Oxidase is an enzyme we all have which breaks down any histamine we consume from food containing the chemical compound histamine.  However, some of us can have a low level of the enzyme.  This, coupled with eating too much histamine food, we can suffer a reaction.   These can be allergy type reactions which cause
* Rashes
* Itching
* Sneezing
* Diarrhoea
* Vomiting
* Headaches

These high histamine containing foods are:

  • Champagne, wine, beer, cider and other fermented drinks and spirits
  • Sauerkraut and other pickled foods
  • Vinegar and foods containing it such as dressings, pickles, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard
  • Tofu and soya sauce
  • Parmesan cheese and other cheeses
  • Sausages and other processed meats (ham, salami, gammon, bacon)
  • Mushrooms and quorn
  • Tinned and smoked fish (tuna, salmon, herring) and crustaceans
  • Prepared salads
  • Tinned vegetables
  • Dried fruit, seeds, nuts
  • Yeast extract, yeast
  • Chocolate, cocoa, cola

Many foods which are not high in histamine can stimulate the release of histamine in our mast cells in our body.  These are a type of immune cell.  These foods include:


  • Bananas
  • Tomatoes
  • Strawberries
  • Nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Shellfish
  • Egg white
  • Chocolate
  • Pumpkin
  • Spinach
  • Aubergines
  • Avocado
  • Papayas
  • Kiwi
  • Pineapple
  • Mango
  • Raspberry
  • Tangerines
  • Grapefruits
  • Red prunes
  • Pea
  • Spices
Try skin prick testing?  No,  this will not show a reaction.  The IgE food allergy indicator  will not show as this is not what causes the reaction at all.  

The best way forward is to try a low histamine diet for a couple of weeks.  Track everything you eat and eliminate the foods above.  Then also track your symptoms, feelings, sleep patterns and any reactions.  

As with any elimination diet,  you need to be aware of nutrient deficiency.  Therefore re-introduction of the foods is paramount.  Take one item per 3 days and slowly reintroduce them to your diet.  Keep tracking! This is super important.  

I'd love to know how you get on with this if you are a sufferer.  

Wishing you the very best of health. 

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Advertise on my blog: 
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Books:  My amazon author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Louise-Usher/e/B00C1KEE5E 

Recommended books for your Lusher Life: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/lusherlifefavouritebooks-21

Email: lifenutrition@virginmedia.com

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Thursday 1 October 2015

Ever wondered what the Spoonie theory is?

Autoimmune illnesses come in many different faces.

Explaining how exactly this illness affects an individual can be so so difficult.  Having something that can not be seen with the naked eye gives its share of justifications.

After finding a lot of hashtags with #spoonie began to follow me over on instagram every time I mentioned Crohns Disease, I looked it up.  Finding that it is a way to explain to others exactly what the spoonie theory is, I decided to read it to you this week on my podcast.

You can read it here.

Or of course you can hop on over to my podcast and listen to it there.


https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/spoonie-theory-story/id1023129375?i=353426186&mt=2


Thank you so much to the sponsor of this blog post:

Vitatheia - Health & Fitness
http://www.vitatheia.com

Twitter:      http://www.twitter.com/louiseusher...
Blog:          http://www.louiseusher.co.uk (blog)
Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/lusherlife...
Podcast:    https://geo.itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/autoimmune-diet-and-me/id1023129375?at=1001l626&mt=2&ls=1
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/motivweight
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Advertise on my blog: 
http://lusherlifenutrition.blogspot.co.uk/p/disclaimer.html

Books:  My amazon author page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Louise-Usher/e/B00C1KEE5E 

Recommended books for your Lusher Life: http://astore.amazon.co.uk/lusherlifefavouritebooks-21

Email: lifenutrition@virginmedia.com

I'd love to catch up with you. Come and say HI.......


Motivational Merch:  Mugs, t-shirts and stuff http://www.cafepress.co.uk/profile/108959736

Health Stuff: https://www.foreverliving.com/retail/entry/Shop.do?store=GBR&language=en&distribID=440500051320

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