Are you suffering from hives, eczema, skin flushing, puffy eyes, runny nose, breathing difficulties or headaches and can’t pinpoint the reason?  It could be that you’re suffering from histamine intolerance.

Histamine is a neurotransmitter (chemical) responsible for communicating messages to the brain, breaking down food during digestion, triaging water reserves to key areas of the body and releasing an immune response in times of need.  It plays a vital role in our bodies, UNTIL we are either not able to process it efficiently (a deficiency of enzymes DAO and/or HNMT) or our bodies are simply overloaded.

Histamine overload can occur when the bodies produce too much (even some of the ”good” bacteria in probiotics or present in our gut can produce histamine) OR we ingest too many histamine containing foods. Now here comes the aha moment… for years we have been educated to consume more prebiotic and probiotic superfoods for a healthy gut, but the problem is that many of these foods are high in histamine; so the very foods we are eating in higher amounts in good faith are actually causing an imbalance of histamine in the body and sending the immune system into overdrive (hence the allergy type symptoms)!

These high histamine foods include;

• Fermented foods – sauerkraut, kombucha, soy sauce, miso, kefir
• Matured dairy – cheeses, cows milk, buttermilk, kefir, yoghurt
• Probiotics – any probiotics containing lactobacillus strains (the majority on the market today)
• Vinegar and vinegar containing foods (pickles, mayonnaise, olives)
• Red wine
• Some fruits that require histamine to ripen (eg. tomatoes, cherries) as well as over-ripe fruits (which most are by the time they reach our supermarkets)
• Dried and citrus fruits
• Some vegetables – avocados, eggplant, spinach, and tomatoes
• Nuts – walnuts, cashews and peanuts
• Slightly stale fish or shellfish (canned or fish not immediately frozen after being caught)
• Smoked fish
• Processed meats
• Leftovers (anything left in the fridge overnight)

Stress is another major factor that can exacerbate symptoms.  This is because when the body senses that it is threatened it will release histamine into the blood stream causing blood vessels and capillaries to swell and dilate.  This in turn allows white blood cells to quickly move through the body to find the source of the infection or threat; a vitally important immune response in times of need but the reality is most of us are living in a constantly heightened sense of stress due to the fast paced nature of our modern lives.  As the blood is indiscriminate, symptoms can often appear throughout the body and be difficult to diagnose.

To compound the issue many people in today’s modern world are consuming foods and beverages that are decreasing the production of enzymes required to be able to break down and metabolise histamine in the body.  These include;

• Alcohol
• Tea (black, green, mate)
• Energy drinks
• Bananas
• Chocolate and cacao producing foods
• Wheat germ
• Artificial preservatives and dyes

So what can we do?  If you suspect you may have a histamine intolerance, then getting a blood test is the quickest way to a diagnosis.  The alternative is to try a low histamine diet for a period of 1-2 weeks and see what happens. If symptoms reduce then we know what we’re working with! The good news is that once we’ve worked to heal the gut and the detoxification pathways then many of these beloved foods can be reintroduced over time.

To learn more or book a consultation head to my Contact page.