Histamine

What is Histamine and how does it affect your body?

You’ve been there. Chatting at a party or picnic while sampling every delectable treat in the generous spread, when suddenly you’re sidetracked by a sinus-shattering sneeze. Then another. And another. Next thing you know you have to put down your plate and excuse yourself – your itchy, swollen nose and fuzzy-feeling brain, that is.

What’s causing your discomfort? Histamine has prompted an allergic response.

What is Histamine?

Histamine is a biochemical that sends red flag messages to your immune system, notifying your white blood cells to rally up against potential attackers that may be infecting your tissues.

Many common, tasty, nutritious foods contain histamine. And there are just as many foods that trigger the release of histamine and allergic reaction in your body.

Normally, your small intestine would come to the rescue. Its stocked with the powerful enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) which breaks down and helps eliminate histamine to maintain your biochemical balance (and prevent uncomfortable reactions). However, when your DAO enzyme levels are low, or it’s activity is blocked so it can’t effectively combat excess histamine, you may find yourself fighting a histamine overload (histamine intolerance).

What Causes Histamine Intolerance?

Why would your body act up like that?

A number of things can influence your DAO levels and activity. Some people are genetically predisposed to DAO deficiency. Evidence also suggests that both DAO levels and activity decline with age. Certain foods – especially alcoholic beverages and fermented or aged foods – are high in histamine and can stress an otherwise balanced environment. And finally, many common medications – both over-the-counter and prescription – can block DAO activity.

According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, approximately 1% of Americans have a histamine intolerance, and 80% of them are middle-aged. The prevalence of this imbalance has been inspiring research for decades.

Some of that research has led to the development of Omne Diem Histamine Digest, a naturally-derived enzyme supplement that replenishes your DAO levels – so you don’t have to give up the foods you love.

Discover how supplementing your enzymes can revive your dining delight. Order Histamine Digest online today!

How do you know you have a DAO Deficiency or Histamine Intolerance?

In addition to the common skin flushing, histamine rash, runny, stuffy or sneezy nose, watery eyes and churning gut, symptoms of enzyme imbalance vary. Because histamine also influences neurotransmitters, DAO deficient or histamine intolerant people may also experience:

  • brain fog
  • bloating
  • wheezing
  • eczema
  • fatigue, anxiety and irritability
  • hormone imbalances
  • low blood pressure
  • low sex drive
  • migraines
  • nausea
  • racing heart

If any of these tend to strike after you eat certain high histamine foods, you may have a histamine intolerance or DAO deficiency.

Read more about diagnosing histamine intolerance.

What Foods Are Histamines Found In?

It’s hard to say which foods will cause these debilitating symptoms in you until you eat them. The following foods have been shown to commonly cause an overload of histamine:

  • Alcohol:especially wine; Champagne contains 670mg of histamines per liter
  • Canned seafood:canned, dried, or salted seafood, such as sardines, mackerel, tuna, and anchovies
  • Aged cheese:Parmesan can contain up to 2500mg of histamines per kilogram; fresh cream and cottage cheeses are lower in histamines
  • Aged and smoked meats:bacon, salmon, ham and salami – which contains up to 654mg per kilogram
  • Leftovers:reheated leftovers of meal-prep kits tend to be high in histamines
  • Chocolate and some spices:anise, cinnamon, clove, curry, cayenne and nutmeg
  • Fermented foods:kefir, kimchi, yogurt, and especially sauerkraut which, despite being good for gut health, contains 229mg of histamines per kilogram
  • Certain legumes:Are peas high in histamine? Soy is a major culprit, as are green peas, red beans, sugar and sweet peas; safe beans include lima, pinto, white, navy, and black beans, as well as black eyed peas, lentils and chickpeas
  • Certain nuts:walnuts, cashews, and peanuts
  • Certain vegetables:spinach, avocados, eggplant, tomatoes and mushrooms
  • Certain fruits:pineapple, papaya, strawberries, bananas
  • Vinegary foods:pickles, mayonnaise, olives
  • Seafood and crustaceans:squid, mussels, shrimps, crabs, prawns are highly histamine rich

What Foods Are Histamine Liberators?

While many foods contain high levels of histamine, others trigger the release of histamine in the small intestine. These foods which trigger your body to produce histamine are referred to as histamine liberators and include:

  • Certain fruits and vegetables:Most citrus fruits, strawberries and other berries, tomatoes
  • Nuts:walnuts and cashews
  • Chocolate and cocoa
  • Tomatoes, tomato juice, catchup
  • Additives:azo dyes and some preservatives
  • Alcoholic beverages of all kinds

While histamine elimination diets can help reduce histamine load, they are difficult to develop and maintain; and in many cases are only marginally effective. Supplementing with Histamine Digest can support a low-histamine diet and can help many people avoid dietary restrictions altogether.

What Foods Have Antihistamines?

Some foods can help the body process histamine and defend against histamine reactions. These foods include:

  • Certain fruits and vegetables: apples, broccoli, lettuce, garlic, onions can reduce inflammation
  • Hot peppers: like nasal spray, they contain capsaicin, which works like a decongestant
  • Eucalyptus oil: this essential oil can help relieve your stuffy mucus membranes; it can also be poured into a diffuser with black pepper oil to relieve inflammation
  • Green tea: this powerful antioxidant can relieve a runny nose and itchy eyes; the Japanese “benifuuki” type tea has been shown to inhibit mast cell activation which releases histamine
  • Raw local honey: bees in your region take pollen from plants and flowers which builds up your immune response and helps relieve hay fever and allergy symptoms

While these foods can be helpful, they do not provide a true solution to Histamine Intolerance. And while most people find histamine elimination and histamine free diets too restrictive, they can also interfere with proper nutrition. That’s why, rather than eliminating the foods you like to eat, you may find that you can manage your imbalance by wine daily.

You don’t have to give up the healthy, tasty foods you love and the nutrition they provide. You can supplement your enzyme levels with Histamine Digest. This patented DAO enzyme has been clinically tested and found to break down food-derived histamine in the digestive tract. Histamine Digest is not absorbed and does not have systemic activity – which means it stays in your gut where it belongs.

Order Online Today!

It’s time to quit being the party pooper. Don’t waste your time and energy itching, sneezing, blowing your nose, and rubbing your stomach, then recovering your valuable energy after a histamine attack. You can rebalance your DAO enzyme levels and still enjoy all the gustatory bounty life has to offer. And – you’ll never have to google: “How to stop sneezing fit” again.

Repair your gut health, and get on with the party!

Order Histamine Digest online today!

 *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.