Diet’s Power Against MCAS & Histamine Havoc

Introduction to MCAS, Histamine, and Diet 0:00

Welcome back to your Reversing mast cell activation syndrome and histamine intolerance a Worldwide Summit I am so. Thrilled to be here with you today. And today we're going to talk about. Something that can be very confusing when we're talking about MCAS and histamine intolerance. And that is Diet because it. Can be complicated. It's not the same for everyone. There's a lot of misinformation out there and it can. Feel very restricted. So I want to get. A little bit. Into understanding the diet, how it's not.

Always just. Histamine. Foods. How we're going to use the. Diet as a. Tool and how it's actually not the end all. Be all for. Treatment. And why that happens because I think sometimes I'm in a lot of. Groups where I try. To go in and give support, and people can get so hung up on the nuance answers. Of the low. Histamine diet and of. Foods. And we need to look at this as a tool in. Our journey, but not the end all be all on our journey. We need to be doing things that are looking for the root. Causes.

Not. Just. Eliminating the histamine foods. And in that. Can be very helpful. I don't want to discount that, but we need to go beyond that, because sometimes we. Start to see people actually develop sensitivities. Even to those. Foods, or. You can't. Actually eat outside. It can. Become very. Restricted. So we're going to get into all of that, navigate it and give you some helpful information. Before we start, I just want to do we have a whole talk on. Histamine that. How. Histamine works in our.

Body, how we start to get. The histamine intolerance. But I want to just give you a one minute overview. If you missed that and go back and listen to that talk. If you want more detail. When the immune system detects a. Threat. Histamines release our mast cells in our bezels. So this is going to increase the. Permeability of our blood vessels. And allow our immune cells. To reach that affected area more easily. And it has an a purpose in our body. But sometimes. It gets out. Of balance. And that's when we start to get histamine intolerance.

I want you to. Think of it like the bathtub. We talked about what's. Filling the bathtub and what's. Clogging it. So if you have this. Bathtub and it's, you know, you have this nice. Bath because. You have things coming in, things coming in, but you have the drain and it's coming in, it's draining out. So we have two problems. We either get the overload. Where we're having too many things come in to fill.

How Histamine Intolerance Works 2:25

Up the bathtub, or we get plugs. In our drains. Or we get. Both, and that's. Where we get the spill. Over, and we. Reach that threshold where we start to get all. Of these negative symptoms. The two enzymes that are responsible. For metabolizing histamine in our body primarily are. Diamine oxidase, which is an enzyme. Produced in the intestine mucosa. And that plays a vital role of regulating histamine. In our gut. And that's where we're going to talk about with some of the foods. If that's compromised and you're not.

Able to break down the foods that. You're eating, you're going to get this histamine overload and you can get this response. We also have. Histamine and methyltransferase. And that is going to you detoxify histamine by methyl eating it. And that's. Actually going to make it safe to remove through. The urine a common trait. With. Histamine intolerance. Is a deficiency. In that diamine oxidase enzyme. And the most common reason this gets depleted is underlying gut issues. We can have what we call dysbiosis.

Which is an imbalance of the. Good. Bacteria and the bad. Bacteria in our gut. We can have things happen like candida overgrowth. We can get parasites, we can have Sibo, we can have other. Things, invaders that come in and we. Start to have this. Change in that brush. Border. The enzyme becomes compromised and we can no longer break down that histamine load. And some telltale signs you have histamine intolerance. Are gut issues like. Abdominal pain. Gas, bloating, diarrhea. Constipation, skin issues like hives and itchiness.

Anxiety, respiratory. Symptoms like asthma, congestion, heart. Palpitations. Brain fog, headaches, migraines, hormonal imbalances, PMS, fatigue. We start to see these whole body symptoms. And so it can be really confusing because. As you see, a lot of these things overlap with other. Symptoms. And so. Really. Looking at. Okay could some of the other. Symptoms I'm having all of these things. Actually. Be from histamine. We're going to really notice that when we see more. Of the allergic symptoms more of the rash is more of these.

Reactions. But we can be getting our anxiety. Our fatigue, other. Symptoms from this histamine intolerance. And we really want to work on getting to the root. We want to. Look at the gut health. We want to look at dysbiosis. That's a key factor. We want to look at enzyme deficiency in the diming oxidase. We want to make sure we have enough nutrients or certain things like vitamin C. Vitamin B6 can. Play a big. Role. And like I said, we want to. Make sure that we're stabilizing. The mast cells. That we're healing leaky gut.

And like I said, we dive deep into that. But we also. In the meantime, can work on a low histamine diet. And this can be. A big relief for a lot of people while we're trying to get those root issues resolved. And the goal of. This low. Histamine diet is not. To avoid high. Histamine. Foods forever. It's actually to start to have strategies to identify your intolerances.

Root Causes and Low Histamine Diet Basics 5:20

I'm going to. Just start before. We get into the. Foods, give you some strategies to do this. So, you know keeping a food. And symptom diary. You don't have to write. Down everything you. Eat all. The time. But what I tell people is. That when you have symptoms. Write. Down what you ate 24 to. 48 hours. Start to record your food. Start to look for patterns. Note the time, the quantity, and the. Specific food. Along with any other symptoms and the severity. This is particularly. Important when you're having symptoms.

If you can't maintain that every day. Like I said, just make sure. That you know that. The 48 hours before you had a flare. In your symptoms. You want to also make sure that when you're doing something like this, you give it enough time. So when we're talking about the histamine foods, you want to look at eliminating them for. Up to six weeks. It can take. Some time in order to see some of these differences. I know sometimes. People say, well, I tried. To eliminate that and I didn't see a difference, and maybe they.

Did it for a week or so and. You couldn't see the difference. But we do need to give that some time. And then when you're reintroducing the food, do it one at a time. So you want to observe any changes. That you feel when you're. Putting one food and you don't want to. Just say, okay, I did it for this portion. Of time, and now I'm going to go back and eat everything again. We need to. Actually have that. Evaluation. To see your. Symptoms and really pay attention. So you're becoming that detective.

And it's also. Good to just. Have patience and. Flexibility. Recognizing that food intolerance can change over time. What triggers a reaction. Today might not be the same as in the. Future, so stay flexible and. Patient as you. Navigate these dietary changes. When we're. Looking at high histamine foods, we're looking at them in different. Ways. So we have, first of all, foods that are high in histamine. And I. Have resources. At megmill.com/summit That actually gives you lists of these. We have a lot of confusion.

Around the. Site because there's a lot of different. Versions. Of the low. Histamine. Diet. A lot of people are. Doing it wrong and not always. Accurate. There's also variation, so it's. Not the same for each person. We have foods that are generally safe. We have foods that are variable. And then we. Have foods to generally avoid. Do you. Have some flexibility in that navigation and really can pinpoint it to what's working for. You. So foods. That are high in histamine are fermented. Foods. Age cheeses, sauerkraut, avocados, dried fruit, certain fish, soybeans, chickpeas.

Lentils, moldy foods, and cheeses. Vinegar is another one bone broth, cured meat, canned foods. Chili powder. Cinnamon, cloves. Olives. And when we're talking about this, I want to just point out that I've been pointing this. Out throughout. The summit. But some of the foods that I just name like bone broth, fermented. Foods, those are foods that are. Often used for gut healing. We've been talking about that. We need to do gut healing when it comes to histamine intolerance, but we also need. To do it the right way.

Because some of the things that you. Could be told to do are actually aggravating you. So I just like. To point. That out because it really is. Surprising for some. People that what. They're doing. To be healthy and to. Fix some of this can actually be backfiring for them. Then we also have. Foods that trigger the release of histamine. These foods. Aren't. Necessarily always. High in histamine, but they can trigger your immune system to. Release. A high amount of histamine. And those are things like.

Alcohol. Bananas, chocolate.

High Histamine Foods and Practical Strategies 8:40

Citrus fruit. Egg whites. Milk. Nuts. Papaya. Pineapple. Pork. Shellfish, spinach. Strawberries, tomatoes. There's a lot there. And so that's why. I have the resources for you. We also have things that block dining oxidase. So things. Like tea, black tea or green tea. We can also see those actually decrease the production. Of diamine oxidase. We want to make sure that we're looking at all of those things. Another thing that. We have to. Think about when we think of histamine and horns and this is really.

Tricky, is that. Freshness matters. Histamine can increase as food ages. So it's very important to eat fresh foods is. Important when you're you're looking at your meats, that you're buying your meats in a more fresh. Way, that you're. Freezing. Sometimes people. Set their whole week up, but that's not great if you have histamine intolerance because if you cook. It and then it's sitting for over 24. Hours, it's. Growing those histamines. So flash. Freezing is your friend because we want. To if we're going to cook early or.

Even get things out. Right away, put them in the freezer so we can lower that. Histamine load. You can also. Take a. Diamine oxidase supplement. And so I have those. Also linked to a great one in. Our summit resources because that can be very helpful. That can be your. Friend, especially when you're going out and you're at a restaurant, you don't know how much histamines. Necessarily. In your food. And then we also can add. Foods that are supportive because. You know, we don't want to always. Be.

Focusing on limiting, limiting, limiting. We also can think of things that. Are actually. More supportive. So things like apples and apple skin. Artichokes, a gala. Chamomile, ginger, pomegranates, onions, chives. You want to. Add those foods in that are that are mast cell. Stabilizing, that. Are. Actually beneficial for you and everyone has a different tolerance. So it's really. Unique when we're. Trying to increase our stomach acid to digest our. Foods, we can often drink apple cider vinegar. And I have histamine issues.

So I can tolerate at this point. Vinegar most of the time in depending on the. Threshold. But I was actually drinking apple. Cider vinegar to increase my stomach acid, improve digestion, and my face turned red and my nose turned red. I thought, oh man, okay, I'm having a histamine reaction. Can't do that right now. So you have to learn. Okay, maybe you can tolerate at some point there's going to be a point where depending on what's going on or. The threshold that you had can point you to a different level, but you're always.

Paying attention. And once you become that detective. I just see. So many people start to. Be able to identify. These things, and then it's enlightening. It's like, wow, every time I had an all of I had a migraine. Because of the. Histamine levels. And I never knew that. And now I can make. That choice. And change and it. Can make a. Huge difference in my health. And so we start to. Find these connections and it's so enlightening. And then you're and powered. That's really where we want you to be.

When you're ready to introduce the. Foods. As we said. You want to introduce very small amounts of. The. Foods at a time. For instance, reintroducing. Cheese with just a little cube of cheese. And then after you eat that small portion, closely monitor your body's response over the next 24. To 48 hours. Typically, a histamine. Reaction can include. Like we said. Skin flushing, headache, nasal congestion, gastrointestinal discomfort. We start to see. Any. Type of flare. Though, and even anxiety. We can see some fatigue.

So you want to. Keep a detailed diary of your. Reactions. If you don't notice any adverse. Reactions. Within 40. Eight hours, you. Can slightly increase them portion and then continue. To eat that food. It's important to. Just. Reintroduce only one food at a time, so you can really pinpoint that reaction. And remember, freshness is key. So we. Always want to make sure that we're getting the. Foods that are as fresh as. Possible. And if you're consistently getting a reaction to the same foods, then.

It's good just to keep that food in particular out of your diet for a little.

Beyond Histamine: Oxalates, Salicylates, Lectins, and FODMAPs 12:40

While until you can get some of the root. Causes. Worked on. So now we want to. Go a little bit deeper. Into other. Foods, because this is we're going to. Even become trickier. And that's why. It is good. To, you know, pay attention in the summer, listen to people. And working with a practitioner. Can be really helpful because the low histamine. Diet on its own can be difficult to. Navigate. But we can also add other reactions. And some people have reactions to oxalates. Oxalates are natural compounds found in many foods.

Especially. Plants, nuts and. Seeds, so they're actually a part of the. Plant's defense mechanism. And when you eat certain plants, you ingest these oxalate. A lot of people don't have issues with oxalates. And moderate amounts. But when we're having high level. Oxides, especially in. People that are more sensitive, we can start to see an oxalate intolerance. And this occurs. When the body struggles to process and excrete high levels of oxalate. Leading to symptoms. We often see joint pain, urinary issues.

Fatigue. Gastrointestinal discomfort. Leaky gut. And an ACL. Activation. Syndrome. It can. Further trigger mast cell activation. And exacerbate our symptoms. Oxalate intolerance occurs when the body struggles. To process or excrete oxalates. Leading to symptoms like joint pain, urinary issues. Fatigue, gastrointestinal. Discomfort, and leaky gut, and in mast. Cell activation. Syndrome. This intolerance can. Further actually trigger the mast cells to. Activate and. Exacerbate. Our symptoms. You know, some things that make you.

More likely to have oxalate. Issues can be mold. It can be fungus. Leaky gut, dysbiosis. Glyphosate exposure, a genetic variant, even low nutrients like B1, B6, even an overload of vitamin C. High oxalate foods can be vegetables like. Spinach is a really big one. Beets, rhubarb. Sweet potatoes. You can see kiwi, blackberries. Pomegranate, plantains. Buckwheat, brown rice, cashews. and sesame seeds. Chocolate. Low oxalate foods are. Most fruits are low oxalate. Some of the other than some of the ones we mentioned.

Leafy greens like lettuce and cabbage. Cruciferous vegetables like. Broccoli and. Cauliflower. We have olive oil. White rice normally support people. That's what we provide all of these lists. So that you have a very clear idea and strategies to actually. Navigate. All of these food conditions, but here are some strategies just. In general, when you're reducing your oxalates one. Don't go. Cold turkey. Gradually wean yourself off them. You can actually have more symptoms if you completely cut them out.

You can balance your. Oxalate. Intake by consuming calcium. Rich foods with your meals, because calcium. Can bind oxalates and actually. Reduce their. Absorption. So that's something that you want to consider. You want to stay hydrated. Adequate hydration is key to facilitating oxalate excretion. And you can change your cooking technique. So boiling. High oxalate. Foods can actually. Reduce their. Content. Those are some things you can do while you're learning. If oxalates are bothering you. And then we have salicylates.

So salicylates. Are a group of naturally occurring chemicals found in many plants, including fruits and vegetables, and are. Also. Present in. Everyday products like toothpaste and even. Certain. Medications. So you have to be careful of salicylates outside of food. And salicylates can actually. Be a. Trigger for some people with histamine issues and mast cell activation syndrome. Especially if you have mold toxicity. Because it can consume the. Pathway in the liver that metabolizes salicylate. So this can lead to a variety of symptoms, including headaches.

Tonight, which is ringing in your ear, skin issues. Respiratory problems. Nasal congestion, fatigue. See we're seeing some of these overlapping symptoms. When you have. Salicylate issues you can have an. Aspirin allergies. You have GI. Disturbances. So we're looking. At you know these different food groups and really navigating okay. What is bothering you. Like I said it's individual. But these are common ones that we can see. That people. Can react. To. So we see salicylates in many foods. Like blueberries. And. Citrus foods.

It can be in sweet potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers. Now almonds, pine nuts. Now one. This is what I have to note. You're seeing that. These lists aren't all. Consistent. So maybe you know, broccoli is high in salicylates, but it's not high in histamine. Or oxalate, you know, so. It's looking. At the combinations to and really navigating. That's why I say you have to become a detective. And it's good to have resources that help guide you because. They're not all the same foods. So it can start. To feel like.

I can't eat anything. What can I eat? And people really do start to get food fear. So I do want you to use. This as a navigational tool, not. As food fear. You're empowering yourself. With knowledge rather than feeling like, oh my gosh, I can never eat anything again. And we also then have lectins can be another group that sometimes can be an issue for people. So lectins can trigger an immune response sometimes and lead to inflammation and exacerbate symptoms. And leaky gut. So lectin intolerance will. Recur.

When the body reacts negatively. To the. Proteins and lead to symptoms like gastrointestinal distress, fatigue, joint pain, and skin issues. So we want to look at, you know, we want to pay attention to foods that are high in lectins too. That can be certain. Grains, beans, lentils. We can have certain not plants melons, squash, cucumbers. Nightshades. And GMOs. And so that's another thing that you just want. To pay. Attention to and to cooking strategies again, that you can use to reduce lectins or boiling and soaking.

And that can help reduce the left and content in food. And then you can also remove the skins and seeds from the fruits and vegetables. And that can lower their lectin content. Another food group that we can have problems with are FODMAPs. And again, another thing that we've been talking about. Is. The underlying. Dysbiosis that's. Occurring. And this diet is used when we have Sibo so that. Small intestinal bacterial. Overgrowth. And so we can see. This. Correlation with sometimes. People have issues with. High Fodmap food.

There's a great app. By Monash University that is called Fodmap. That you can put on your phone. It's a. Great. Resource. Anyone that's following a low Fodmap diet I recommend because it can. It just gives you a green. Yellow, red, and it can be. A great tool just to have in your pocket to actually be able to tell

Using Diet as a Tool and Closing Resources 19:05

what foods right away are. High FODMAPs. Telltale signs of. Having issues with. Fodmap foods include. Gas. Bloating, belching diarrhea, stomach pain, the IBS symptoms. So you want to avoid. Things like artichoke, asparagus, cauliflower. Onions, garlic. Peas. Butternut squash. Apples. Those are some of the high higher Fodmap foods. And if you do feel like you are. Being. Bothered by the high Fodmap foods, you'll also want to. Look into. You know, getting tested for Sibo. Or small intestinal bacterial. Overgrowth.

And beyond that, we can have individual food sensitivities. I do. A whole nother talk on the different. Types of food reactions, so check that out, because we. Can. See a lot of people having. This immune response from the foods that we in it's an individualized manner. But becoming a food. Detective is so. Important here. And I'm not saying that. All of these foods will bother you. I just want you to be aware that it can be very individualized and if. You're armed with knowledge and you have. The patience, you can reduce your symptoms.

Significantly. While we're. Working on the. Root cause, remember the idea is to use this diet as a tool, not a solution. It's a great tool to use. While we're working on. Identifying the root. Cause. And getting a long term solution. And I think you've. Probably. Seen through. This talk how. Complicated it can be when you're dealing with this condition. And as you can see, a diet. Can be so. Complicated when we're dealing with this condition. So listen to the. People on this summit and work. With a health care.

Professional who can help you. Navigate the complexity. I see such a huge difference for people. When you don't. Feel this. Overwhelm, when you're. Able to. Have a roadmap. When we're able to give you resources, when we're able to help you. Pinpoint what's going on, and then actually. Give you tools of what. You can do, because that's the thing. It's not all about eliminating. We have to also make sure that you're nourished and that we're giving you. The tools to stay nourished. So if you'd. Like more information, then definitely.

Reach out. We help people all over the world. And stay tuned for after the summit finishes, because I'll be hosting. A series of classes to help guide you. So be sure to add. megmill.com to your Safe list. And I'll be in touch. After. The summit. And like I. Said, it's hard to set list all the foods. In this online event. So I do have a summit resources for you where we. Have more complete food lists. And you can go to megmill.com/summit n order to find those. If you have a friend or relative who you think needs to hear this, be sure to.

Share and if you'd like to get permanent access to the summit and all of the. Interviews, reach out to support@drtalks.com and the team will. Help you get it all sorted out. Have a great day! Take care.