Healing is done one step at a time. One of the first steps is being able to identify "triggers", foods or things that make you feel unwell. Start by eliminating the things you know set you back, if you haven't already.
The usual foods that are eliminated (at least temporarily) are dairy, gluten, and eggs. If there are other foods known to cause problems, avoid them for now. It is important to keep as many food groups as possible in our diet, but the key is to only eat the foods that love you back.
Differences between food intolerance and allergies
Keeping a food diary is a great tool to keep track of what you ate and how you feel. Some people feel ill immediately and others may not experience trouble for a day or two. Trying to remember what you ate two or three days ago can prove challenging. Keeping track in a diary helps you to notice a trend.
Keeping a journal is an opportunity to reflect on the events of the day and how you feel, what you ate, where you went and what you were thinking at the time. Understanding the body, mind and soul are keys in healing a chronic illness.
Personally, many of the "tests" the medical establishment did to me didn't produce any concrete answers or solutions but rather set me back even further. Contrast dyes for tests, prescriptions with side effects and "learn to live with it" were not the answers that helped.
Histamine Intolerance
I tried different "healing" diets, such as the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet) and AIP (Auto Immune Protocol) and Paleo diets and just felt worse. I made bone broth, made yogurt from raw goat's milk, ate spinach salads for lunch and adopted a gluten free and dairy free diet. What was wrong? Why did I feel worse instead of better? I felt defeated. It was only much later that I discovered the missing piece to the puzzle. For me it was and is, Histamine Intolerance (HIT).
After six decades of struggling with health issues and no answers from doctors, I found the root of my problem when I read yet another book. I never stopped looking for answers and this time I hit the jackpot. Mast Cells United by Amber Walker read like my biography. The odd symptoms that mysteriously came over me and just as suddenly disappeared, provided me with a roadmap to help me connect the dots and see the pattern of histamine and mast cell issues. These “symptoms” go all the way back to my birth. Sometimes people will develop a histamine intolerance over time due to diet, environmental factors, certain medications and emotional triggers or traumas and some will be present at birth, like me. I’ll explain more in another post later, so make sure to subscribe.
What is Histamine Intolerance? High Histamine Foods to Avoid
Long Covid
Since 2020, when the world first heard about covid-19, many people are now struggling with their health, developing a variety of symptoms. I believe their bodies have a mast cell issue which is a form of auto immunity and affects any area of the body since mast cells are everywhere.
The AIP (Auto Immune Protocol diet) or a Paleo diet would be a place to start looking for new recipes. However, many may find a greater rebound to their health by adopting a low histamine diet. Check the Resource section on my website for more information on the Low Histamine Diet, (including cookbooks) to help you get started. (I have no affiliation with any of these publications or enterprises. I personally found them useful for my journey back to health.)
Personally I am embarking on following the GAPS diet myself after I read my new book, GAPS (Gut and Physiology Syndrome) by Natsha Campbell-McBride, MD, released in 2020.
Her first book, GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) addressed the nutritional deficiencies in many mental illnesses, including autism. This new book, GAPS (Gut and Physiology Syndrome), has branched out to address other chronic and debilitating illnesses throughout the body, not limited to the brain and psychology, hence the different titles.
Oxalates
I tried going gluten free and baking with almond flour and using almond milk in place of dairy. Remember all the spinach salads I ate to avoid the high carb bread in sandwiches? All that healthy, green spinach…ah, yes…what about it?
Further down the rabbit hole I fell and learned about the world of oxalates. Not everyone has issues with oxalates. I share this so you can be aware of them and eliminate (temporarily) the foods that are high in oxalates for you to really heal. If you’ve had issues with urinary tract infections or Interstitial Cystitis (IC) this information could be very important piece of your puzzle.
Sugar
The day I was told to give up sugar, I cried. I had given up so many of my familiar foods to the land of the unknown, what was left to eat?. I was raised on a southern diet that included sweetened iced tea as the "house wine", fried chicken, green beans cooked in bacon grease and cornbread. All the foods that were problems for me.
My body doesn't handle artificial sweeteners, so that isn't an option for me. Natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, dates, or coconut sugar were great alternatives to processed sugar. I had tried for awhile to convince myself that organic, unbleached sugar made from sugar cane (not GMO beet sugar) was a healthy alternative. Sugar is inflammatory, even the natural varieties, so moderation is important. You can get to much of a good thing...you know.
From the bitterness of disease,
man learns the sweetness of health.
Catalan Proverb
Food as Medicine
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, once said, "Food is Thy Medicine" and it is, but food can be your poison. Knowledge is power. Watch the movie, "Food As Medicine" (link below) for homework, and I’ll see you next time.
Featured Photo for this blog post is by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash