Histamine - intolerance and truffles

What is histamine anyway?

Histamine is an endogenous substance. The body makes it itself. It has several functions, for example it acts like a hormone in the tissue, is a messenger substance between the nerve tracts and fends off foreign substances.

How is histamine created?

Histamine is formed by mast cells, which are special white blood cells, and released after an immune reaction, among other things.

The body usually breaks down the histamine quickly. In people with histamine intolerance, the process of histamine breakdown is slightly or significantly slowed down and this leads to discomfort.

What are the symptoms of too much histamine?

Because histamine has so many different functions, the symptoms of histamine intolerance are very diverse and individual. It can also be that patients only have one of the symptoms or have several at the same time or at different times in different degrees.

Since histamine dilates the veins, patients often report a racing heart, headache or drop in blood pressure. The low blood pressure then triggers sequelae such as: fatigue / sluggishness, tiredness, headache, general malaise, etc.

The histamine also affects the digestive tract and disrupts the intestinal muscles, causing diarrhea or constipation (sometimes alternating), intestinal noises, stomach ache and / or flatulence. In addition, there are usually nausea, concentration and memory difficulties. In women with histamine intolerance, the histamine often causes severe menstrual pain because the ovaries also produce histamine.

I've heard that gynecologists often misdiagnose endometriosis and prescribe strong hormone pills, or worse, recommend hysterectomy when it is sometimes actually histamine intolerance. Many patients report countless doctor visits and unnecessary examinations until a doctor even considered histamine. It is therefore difficult to come to histamine intolerance straight away based on such a wide range of symptoms.

Also, for example. penicillin allergy related to histamine intolerance.

Rashes, itchy, flaky skin can also be caused by too much histamine. Some get a runny nose and / or swollen nasopharyngeal sinuses immediately after consuming histamine-rich food, similar to a pollen allergy. 

Tip: If you suspect histamine intolerance, ask your doctor about a histamine blood test. This is usually free of charge and should nothing be proven in this test, do not give up immediately. To be on the safe side, have your doctor refer you to a hospital for a check-up. Because this laboratory blood test is not always meaningful!

Which foods are high in histamine?

In summary, all foods that are old, somehow changed or unnatural:

- Smoked (smoked salmon, bacon, smoked cheese)

- Roasted (coffee, cocoa, soy sauce)

- Fermented (sauerkraut, vinegar)

- Fermented (naturally cloudy apple juice, alcohol especially red wine, beer, cider, sparkling wine)

- Artificial additives (flavor enhancers: glutamate, benzoates, colorings, preservatives, sulfites, nitrites)

- Old (old fish or meat, long-ripened cheeses and sausages, avocado, aubergine)

- Moldy (mold cheese, salami with mold skin, yeast, sourdough bread)

- Acid (citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, kiwi, pineapple)

- Carbonated (carbonated drinks, mineral water, crackers, sparkling wine)

- Sulphured (dried fruits, sulphured wines)

- Diet products (light products, artificial sweeteners)

- Medicines (e.g. diazepam, metronidazole, lorcainide, acetylcysteine, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), ambroxol (Mucosolvan), amitriptyline, diclofenac (Voltaren), ibuprofen (Dismenol), X-ray contrast media etc. Ask a doctor!)

In addition to all of this, there are also foods that contain little or no histamine themselves, but inhibit the breakdown of histamine in the body.

This does not mean that people who are histamine-intolerant have to do without these foods entirely. No! You can safely eat the following foods, but you should not have eaten any food rich in histamine before consumption.

- soybeans, (soy milk, soy yoghurt, tofu)

- bananas

- citrus fruits, pineapple

- wheat germ

- chocolate

- papaya

- nuts (also nut oils)

If you don't want to do without caffeinated drinks (coffee, black tea, mate tea), you can try out whether small amounts can be tolerated. Let green tea brew for only 2 minutes, drink coffee very mildly and espresso is often better tolerated than filter coffee.

Please note the following with mushrooms and truffles:

Most mushrooms and all truffles themselves do not contain any histamine, but the following should be noted:

- Never eat mushrooms raw, they contain enzymes that humans are difficult to digest. These enzymes are not heat-resistant, so please cook each edible mushroom for at least 10 minutes.

- Truffles can also be sliced raw over a warm dish, since edible truffles do not contain any enzymes that are difficult to digest. On the contrary; Truffles stimulate the body's own enzyme production and that is extremely healthy for humans! 

- Consume mushrooms immediately after buying / collecting (histamines are only formed in the mushroom when stored for a long time)

- The motto for all types of truffles is: "The fresher the better!"  

- Caution is advised with porcini mushrooms and chanterelles, they already contain histamine and other amines at harvest.

- It is therefore better to use mushrooms and king oyster mushrooms.

- It is best not to mix oyster mushrooms and shitake with meat in the dish, as these mushrooms contain a lot of protein, which is a little more difficult to digest. Therefore only use these mushrooms as the only source of protein in the meal.

Conclusion: Truffles are great for the histamine diet plan!

Tip: I can reassure anyone who is shocked after this article. There are over-the-counter tablets (Daosin) that use an enzyme to reduce excess histamine. Then you can still buy antihistamines such as cetirizine, loratadine or diphenhydramine without a prescription. These cancel the effects of the histamine in the body, so the symptoms disappear at the same time.

Of course, you should rarely use these tablets. They are not intended for everyday consumption!

That means histamine-intolerant people can visit the restaurant of their choice every now and then, thanks to science.

Histamine-free recipe with truffles:

150g fresh minced beef

1/2 half a red onion

100g fresh zucchini

1/2 half a teaspoon of salt

1 pinch of salt

150g spelled spaghetti

approx. 15g fresh white truffle to rub over

Chop the onion and fry it lightly in a little oil, then add the minced meat. Do not roast too long, because roasting produces histamines.

Cut the zucchini into sticks and fold into the pan. Salt and pepper as desired. Then add water and simmer briefly.

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente and then strain. Pour the contents of the pan over the pasta and slice the truffles over the top for serving. Finished!