Miked (Exeter, Nh, Usa) on 05/29/2013:
Just wanted to post this b/c I am a teacher and I believe in helping people. I have suffered from allergies all my life. In the last 20 years it has been really bad. I started seeing an allergist. Got allergy shots for 10 years. Developed nasal pollyps which is inflamed sinus tissue that forms into little balloons that block your nose. I saw my allergist three weeks ago and I couldnt breathe through my nose and I had an ear infection. He gave me antibiotics and my ear healed but my nose was still plogged up. He also gave me more nasal sprays. Last week I got an infection in my face that felt so bleeping bad it brought me to tears. I went to my regular Dr. and he gave me antibiotics and my nose cleared up.
On Saturday I ate some broccolli in a bag and shrimp and my nose swelled up. I have been trying natural rememdies for about a year now and what I have discovered is that I diagnosed myself opposite and my remedies were hurting me even more and made me toxic.
Your body makes histamines in response to allegies or foreign material that freaks your body out. It causes inflammation and then mucus gets trapped in there and causes you to get stuffed up. Food high in histamine naturally are a lot of surprising bad foods and good foods like soda, spinach, tomatoes, cheese, alcohol, vineger and lots more. Ressearch if you would like. I dont seem to need medicine and doesn't seem that allergies bother me after eating foods low in histamine.
I eat bananas, fresh turkey (foods processed and bagged are not good for you at all), watermelon, apples, ricotta cheese, grapes, eggs were ok, potato salad without prapika.
If you have health problems there are answers for you that maybe your Dr. doesn't know about or just wants to pump you up with medicine. But, my problems might not be yours. But if someone feels better from cutting out histamine foods...... Great.
Common reactions to histamine are also skin rashes and hives. My 5 year old nephew suffers from this so I told my sister.
I also tried the ACV and GFSE. Vinegar is not good for histamine intolerance. I also tried all that sinuswars stuff. If I eat right I feel great and don't need anything. Here are some general pointers:
- Avoid or reduce eating canned foods and ready meals
- Avoid or reduce eating ripened and fermented foods (older cheeses, alcoholic drinks, products containing yeast, stale fish)
- Histamine levels in foods vary, depending on how ripe, matured or hygienic the foods are
- As much as it is possible, only buy and eat fresh products.
- Don't allow foods to linger outside the refrigerator - especially meat products
- Ensure that your food preparation area (kitchen) is always kept clean - but don't be manic!
- Everyone has their own threshold; you will need to find yours
- Consult a certified dietician about working out a balanced diet
- Learn to cook! It can be loads of fun once you get into it
Low histamine level foods:
- Fresh meat (cooled, frozen or fresh)
- Freshly caught fish
- Chicken (skinned and fresh)
- Egg yolk
- Fresh fruits - with the exception of strawberries, most fresh fruits are considered to have a low histamine level (also see histamine liberators below)
Fresh vegetables - with the exception of tomatoes
- Grains - rice noodles, yeast free rye bread, rice crisp bread, oats, puffed rice crackers, millet flour, pasta (spelt and corn based)
- Fresh pasteurised milk and milk products
- Milk substitutes- coconut milk, rice milk
- Cream cheese, butter (without the histamine generating rancidity)
- Most cooking oils - check suitability before use
- Most leafy herbs - check suitability before use
- Most non-citric fruit juices
- Herbal teas - with the exception of those listed below
High histamine level foods:
- Alcohol
- Pickled or canned foods - sauerkrauts
- Matured cheeses
- Smoked meat products - salami, ham, sausages.
- Shellfish
- Beans and pulses - chickpeas, soy beans, peanuts
- Nuts - walnuts, cashew nuts
- Chocolates and other cocoa based products
- Most citric fruits
- Wheat based products
- Vinegar
- Ready meals
- Salty snacks, sweets with preservatives and artificial colourings
Histamine liberators:
- Most citric fruits - kiwi, lemon, lime, pineapple, plums
- Cocoa and chocolate
- Nuts
- Papaya
- Beans and pulses
- Tomatoes
- Wheat germ
- Additives - benzoate, sulphites, nitrites, glutamate, food dyes
Diamine Oxidase (DAO) blockers:
- Alcohol
- Black tea
- Energy drinks
- Green tea
- Mate tea
Debatable:
- Yoghurt - depends on the bacteria culture used
- Egg white - it is a histamine liberator only when in its raw state
Other:
- Yeast - even though it does not contain histamine as such, yeast serves as a catalyst for histamine generation during manufacture. There is no yeast in the end product.
Sources include:
http://www.nahrungsmittel-intoleranz.com/histaminintoleranz-informationen/symptome-histaminintoleranz.html
Maintz L, Novak N: Histamine and histamine intolerance, American Journal of Clinical
Joshua (Lakeland, Fl) on 02/17/2009:
I've had allergies since i was fairly young and at 25 had a sinus surgery which was an incredible relief (clearing polyps etc.) I could breath like a kid again. One year later pressure and symptoms returned to approximately the same level as before the surgery.. So I went on a vegan diet. i cute out all meat and dairy. And this has helped alot. I dont take any meds or shots any longer. I can breath clearly through my nose almost every day excepting the few days which i am getting a cold/allergy. After six months of this diet I havent had a cold that's lasted more than 2 days.
Frank (Brooklyn, NY) on 09/01/2005:
I found that cutting down on sugar and soda intake can eliminate allergies. I used to be unable to open my eyes at pollen season. Now that I'm not a soda addict for years I've been allergy free. I recently started to drink soda again and the allergies came storming back. Why is this relation so?
