Episode 87: Histamine Intolerance: Contributing Factors And Ways To Tolerate Nutrient Dense Foods

Summary: Thanks for joining us for episode 87 of The Ancestral RDs podcast. If you want to keep up with our podcasts, subscribe in iTunes and never miss an episode! Remember, please send us your question if you'd like us to answer it on the show. Today we are answering the following question from a listener: "I have an anxiety disorder that was under control until I began to eat more high histamine and glutamate foods. While I was previously fine eating foods like canned sardines and salmon, avocados, strawberries, dark chocolate, fermented vegetables, and bone broth in moderation, the anxiety symptoms significantly increased after I made these foods staples in my diet. Similarly, daily B vitamins began to cause the increase in anxiety. I have taken these foods out of my diet for months at a time. Trying to reintroduce them still causes symptoms. My doctor suggested it may be due to histamine intolerance, or impaired methylation from a MTHFR gene mutation which was confirmed by testing. Testing for gut dysbiosis has shown normal results. I’m starting to prepare for pregnancy and would like to include these nutrient dense foods and B vitamins regularly into my diet. How can I increase my tolerance to these?" When dealing with histamine intolerance, it seems like the only way to avoid the uncomfortable symptoms is to avoid higher histamine foods. The problem is that many foods that are high in histamine are also high in health promoting nutrients. But how is it possible to include foods like fish and fermented vegetables in your diet with histamine intolerance? Listen today to learn the steps to take to gain control of histamine intolerance while feeding your body the foods it needs. We discuss potential causes of histamine intolerance and explain how to include nutrient dense higher histamine foods in your diet. We’ll also be sharing which nutrients and supplements may be helpful in lowering the amount of histamine in your body. Here's what Laura and Kelsey will be discussing in this episode: The effect of gut dysbiosis on histamine intolerance Why checking methylation status is key if you have an MTHFR gene mutation Types of B vitamins that may be better tolerated if you are over-methylating Supplements that can help to lower the amount of histamine in your body The role of calcium in histamine response The importance of considering dietary change when investigating contributors to the development of histamine intolerance symptoms Tips for choosing higher histamine foods that give you the most nutrient dense bang for your buck without overflowing your “histamine bucket” How those with histamine intolerance can better tolerate frozen fish instead of fresh or canned Supplements that may help reduce general anxiety levels Links Discussed: This episode is sponsored by Pure Indian Foods Laura's new website is up and running at LauraSchoenfeldRD.com! "Regulatory Role of Calcium on Histamine Secretion" TRANSCRIPT: Laura: Hi everyone. Welcome to episode 87 of The Ancestral RDs podcast. I’m Laura Schoenfeld and with me as always is Kelsey Kinney. Kelsey: Hey guys. Laura: How have you been Kelsey? Kelsey: Pretty good. I had a busy-ish weekend with lots of hanging out with friends and stuff which was great. It actually snowed here in New York for the first time this year. It wasn’t very long, but we had an hour of flurries which was kind of exciting. I always like that first snow of the year. Yeah, pretty busy. I did a lot of stuff. I did some holiday stuff around the city which was fun. My birthday was on Thursday so I celebrated with friends and everything for that. Now I’m settling in for the week and hunkering down and trying to get a lot of work done before the holidays hit. How about you? Laura: You share a birthday with my new nephew. My sister just had a baby last week which was really cool. Kelsey: Yeah. Laura: It’s the first child of my family,