I have suffered with severe allergies all my life. Not just seasonal allergies but weird rashes and reactions to things that I couldn't pin down. I have undergone allergy testing and tried immunotherapy twice, but they were unable to get me up to a maintenance dose without me going into anaphylactic shock. Allergy medications don't work well for my either. I also have numerous organ systems diseases: endometriosis, adenomyosis, osteopenia, oesteoarthritis, denegertive disc disease, migraine, IBS, chronic sinusitis/rhinitis to name a few.
About a year ago, I started suspecting that I had something like Fibromylasia or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome because I was extremely tired all the time and had wide spread pain. I started following a group on Facebook for people with chronic diseases and in chatting with someone on there, Mast Cell Disorders where brought to my attention. So about two months ago, I meant with my allergist and started doing some testing, medication and diet trials. We are pretty sure I have Histamine Intolerance or HIT but there are no definitive tests, it is all diet and medication, trial and error. I started on Zantec twice a day, Zertec once a day, Xyzal once a day, and Singular once a day. It helped immensely but the more research I did the more I decided to try diet, supplements, and meditation following
The Low Histamine Chef . Please check out her blog for more information about HIT, the bucket theory, and some great recipes and books.
So today I am starting: to ween off the antihistamines; continuing on a low histamine diet; taking supplements including Vitamin C, B Complex, DAO enzyme, Quercetin, Vitamin D, Calcium, and probiotics that are low histamine.
While I have been eating healthy for years, I was not eating foods that were healthy for me. I read that fermented food were good for you. Not if you have HIT. Along with a whole bunch of others. This is the part of the list of foods that I have cut out and am slowly adding back into my diet a little at a time as to not overflow my histamine bucket.
Fermented foods or any kind
Canned foods
Leftovers unless immediately frozen
Meat ( unless extremely fresh, organic, free range)
No cured meats at all
Nightshade veggies(tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant)
mushrooms
Most processed foods
Any ages or cultured cheese
Wine
I basically had to change the way I was cooking but it has been a delicious adventure.
So instead of meat I have been making a lot of other protein based means like this dish before. I am not cutting meat out entirely, just limiting it. In the back of the plate are
Pakoras, which a garbanzo bean base fritter, this one with shredded zucchini in it. The veggies are kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots with Za'atar spice, and those are not mashed potatoes but mashed rutabaga which is lower in carbs and calories but just a delicious.
So I have decided to try to get my blog going again, mainly as a place to keep my recipes. You welcome to come along on my journey to feeling better, I am already halfway there. Enjoy!
