Histamines are my nemesis and I’ve done it again! I got into making sourdough bread with freshly milled flour. I enjoyed the process and the bread tasted much better than anything from the store, but was it really better for me? Yes..and no.
There is no doubt that freshly milled flour from the entire wheat berry is more nutritious than milled flour in a bag at the store. The over processed flour is devoid of the wheat germ and the bran that you get when milling your own. The store bought stuff is “enriched” and/or “fortified” with vitamins that are synthetic, such as folic acid. For “zebras” like me folic acid is not good for us. We need the natural folate which is found in the wholegrain that we have milled. All the B vitamins and other minerals and vitamins are why bread has been called “The Staff of Life”. Did you know that the word “bread” occurs a LOT in the Bible.
So why did I say the home made bread wasn’t good for me? Well, the bread was made with sourdough cultures. Sourdough works through fermentation which breaks down the gluten and the phytic acid in the bread which is great, but that fermentation produces histamines. Most people can handle this okay, but for “zebras” our “histamine bucket” gets too full and overflows. Then we experience symptoms that are elusive for doctors to diagnose. Often times we aren’t believed and even worse gas-lit by medical professionals and even friends and family members. Not having a diagnosis, or a path to health plus the lack of support can become overwhelming, depressing and even debilitating. Don’t give up hope…stick with me.s
Everything in Moderation
This isn’t the end of my sourdough adventures, just a temporary refrain and then, going forward, practicing restraint in the frequency of my consumption. The misconception with “histamine intolerance” is that it isn’t really a complete intolerance but rather a more disciplined way of consuming it in moderation. “Everything in moderation” is good advice and that is especially true for “zebras” like myself.
The key to healthy management of my histamine related health issues is understanding the principles of the “histamine bucket”, identifying high histamine foods and determining if they are “triggers” for me. More often than not when a flare occurs a quick look at the SIGHI (Swedish Interest Group Histamine Intolerance) list will reveal some recently consumed items on the “high” list. I know I need to go back to my low histamine “healing” food recipes. (See my Resources page for links for the SIGHI list and many more resources to help.)
Several things that have helped me cope with the issues I experience is learning how to remain calm when you think you’re dying. Symptoms vary but more often than not they are scary when you don’t know what is happening. The lack of support from your doctor or your family or friends can be morally debilitating in its own way. Stress is a BIG component on severity of symptoms. Stress releases MORE histamines, so keeping calm goes a LONG way in avoiding the Emergency Room at the hospital. Doctors are usually clueless on what to do with “zebras”.
GABA Calm (Source Naturals)
Epsom salt baths (Magnesium) or Magnesium cream
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement (appropriate B vitamins for methylation status)
Grounding (walking barefoot on the earth)
Infrared saunas (or sunlight in summer)
Peppermint tea (digestive calming) or Peppermint oil applied topically
Hot shower (relieve tension in neck and shoulders) or heating pad
Meditation (calming)
Identifying high histamine foods and avoiding them for a “reset” (plan forward)
Practicing grace (love yourself)
For severe symptoms, consult your medical professional for possible histamine blocking medications (H1 and H2 blockers)
For severe reactions seek medical attention immediately
Any information is my personal experience and not intended to be taken as medical advice. Please consult your medical professional for your particular symptoms.
Methylation (MTHFR)
He explains what is going on regarding the actual biochemistry of how it works…or doesn’t — Methylation, MTHFR and Histamine: The Interconnection
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)
My recent unpleasant experience with esophageal spams that left me choking on my food that is referred to as the “nutcracker” version. I had a feeling of being strangled and being punched in the gut, just below the breast bone…in the gullet. I felt like I had trapped air along with food. After about two bites I couldn’t take another bite. My body wasn’t having anymore. As a heart patient, I was scared.
I took a deep breath, remember to stay calm. I got a GABA Calm dissolving lozenge that is a natural calming combination of amino acids that my body is missing. After a couple of episodes I remembered my H2 blocker my cardiologist had prescribed to calm my last flare that had left me in “fight or flight” mode with hormonal night sweats that interfered with my sleep when the world went crazy in 2020. The stress of it all affected me and I learned how important it is to stay calm.
I’ve had mast cell and histamine issues since birth but this EoE was new for me. My experience with the medical community has taught me that the last place for me to heal is going to a doctor. The tests they order that include barium and other contrast mediums for GI issues always cause me more flares and the “hit or miss” medication attempts have left me worse than when I sought treatment. I have a long list of medications that are contraindicated for me due to my Long QT Syndrome and possibility of sudden cardiac arrest. One nurse practitioner who prescribed me medications for asthma that sent me into sudden cardiac arrest is now working at a dollar store.
I’ve nearly died three times already in this life. Death doesn’t scare me anymore. I have a strong faith and I know who and where my peace is. I know who the “Great Physician” is and find comfort in my research, looking for answers and understanding my genetics, my limitations, triggers and why I live in a very remote, very reclusive lifestyle.
The medical remedies for EoE include Botox injections, surgery and other “treatments” non of which do I want. I learned from the Bible that I needed to learn so I did. I once had a job assembling the educational materials for second year medical students at a medical university system. I started learning what they weren’t taught…nutrition. That is where I started digging into our food system over a decade ago.
My search for nutrition that I needed was the “Staff of Life” but for me, it isn’t in bread. At least not in a leavened bread made with any type of yeast, commercial or sourdough. I need the nutrition from the whole grains, but specifically the ancient grains. According to SIGHI histamine list of foods indicate that the ancient grains such as Einkorn, Emmer, Khorasan/Kamut, Spelt are listed as “low histamine” (pdf on their website - see my resource section for links).
ATI (Amalyse Trypsin Inhibitors)
The other research that shed light on more information on ancient grains and ATI (Amalyse Trypsin Inhibitors) was noted in the SIGHI Cookbook.
In addition, all recipes are suitable for ATI (Amalyse Trypsin Inhibitors) as long as the gluten-containing cereal types are ancient varieties, without the influence of modern ATI wheat-types by cross cultivation (eg. ancient spelt).
So of course, my next question was, what the heck is ATI (Amalyse Trypsin Inhibitors)? So my research continued and I learned a whole lot more about ATI and more about the genetic modification (GMO) of wheat that has been FDA approved for cultivation as of August 2024. Commercial applications won’t appear in the market for the consumer for several years. However, I’m not convinced that “accidental” cross breeding is inevitable if they let the “genie out of the bottle”.
Wheat ATIs: Characteristics and Role in Human Disease
Front. Nutr., 27 May 2021
Sec. Nutrition and Food Science Technology
Volume 8 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.667370
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.667370/full
These ATIs are what people think is the gluten issue. The ATIs are predominately found in the endosperm, the starchy part of the wheatgerm which is what is what is sold as “flour” in packages at the grocery store, your all-purpose type flour. But these ATIs are found in modern wheat and not in ancient grains. The trade off for the genetic manipulation that was done using hybrid breeding techniques in the “boom” where a Nobel prize was awarded for “feeding the world” from the “breadbaskets” of the world. Now these “scientists” are now back peddling trying to make modern wheat more like the ancient wheat God gave us in the first place.
So now what? I’ll be on a soft, low histamine diet for awhile but I’ll be back and I’ll be experimenting the world of pasta! What else do you expect from an Italian by marriage? Have you ever tried making pasta at home? How’d it go? Any suggestions for a novice? Join me on YouTube as I experiment…I mean create something edible (I hope) for the sake of curiousity.
Mangiamo! (Let’s eat!)
Follow me into my kitchen as I make “The Perfect Loaf” of Red Fife and Hard White Wheat sourdough bread. It was delicious but almost sent me to the ER this week. I explain in the video (below).