One of the #1 Reasons for your Headaches could be Histamine intolerance.
Headaches: Are They Caused by Histamine Intolerance?
I'm not sure if I have histamine intolerance, but I've noticed that when I eat certain foods, my head starts pounding in a few hours and I feel discomfort in my stomach.
Histamine can be found in many different types of foods and it's not always easy to identifying what caused the reaction. Some people experience headaches, skin irritation or digestive distress when they consume Histamine-rich foods.
You may have what is called histamine intolerance that causes those symptoms and you may even experience rash, runny nose, and trouble breathing and joint pain.
Why Do You Experience Histamine Intolerance?
Your body produces white blood cells known as mast cells that are responsible for releasing chemicals called histamines during the inflammatory-immune response to allergens. If you are deficient in the two enzymes that break down histamine - histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) and diamine oxidase (DAO) - you could experience an overflow of histamine or histamine intolerance.
Basically, this causes you to experience an allergic reaction without the actual allergen.
What Can You Do?
Best way to know if you are affected by histamine intolerance, some wellness and medical professionals suggest to start an elimination diet.
This involves removing certain foods from your diet for at least 4 - 6 weeks and slowly adding them back in, one at a time to determine whether histamine is the problem.
Foods high in histamine include:
Fermented dairy products, such as cheese (especially aged), yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, and kefir
Champagne and some alcohol
Fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut and kimchi
Pickles or pickled veggies
Kombucha
Cured or fermented meats, such as sausages, salami, and fermented ham
Wine, beer, alcohol, and champagne
Fermented soy products such as tempeh, miso, soy sauce.
Vinegar
Fermented grains, such as sourdough bread
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Spinach
Frozen, salted, or canned fish, such as sardines and tuna
Mushrooms
By eliminating histamine-rich foods from your diet for several weeks (under the supervision of a doctor) and then slowly adding them back in, you can learn more about your individual tolerance to foods high in histamine.
Connect with our health coaches if you think you can have histamine intolerance. They can help you create a personalized diet and plan for your health.
