Anyone have food allergies or histamine allergies?

(Crystal Michelle) #1

Hi! I am Crystal and I wanted to kinda tell my story… I mean someone has to be out there with the same mess as me right? 4 years ago I was teaching a hip hop dance class and eating super clean and in pretty good shape, one day I started having a reaction to avocado… So I stopped eating it.

Skip to about six months I started having a reaction to banana… 3 more months… Lime… a year later tomato. Listen, I live in Texas you cant take my hotsauce… or shit my pizza rolls! hahahaha

So I started to get worried and frustrated… I have done the food allergy panel only thing that came back was moderate banana, I have done the back scratch test, only thing that came back was horses and seasonal allergies, I did the food sensitivity test only thing that came back was nothing High and a few things low… but nothing to be worried about.

I started doing some research and found out that I may have a histamine allergy which means you could rub an avocado all over me but the moment I take a bite then I have the reaction… I had someone tell me that I needed to try an elimination diet… this is how I kinda fell in to keto. I have had IBS as long as I can remember, I SWELL like no ones business, my rings, my sock lines and if I even think about having one pickle the next day I would wake up with splits under my lips… I could drink a gallon of water every day for three days and then finally pee all day long on the 5th day and start to go down in swelling… I have had ct scans so my organs and blood work are fine.

I am pre diabetic ( the hereditary kind ) so I have to keep an eye on that but its never been an issue.

I started doing keto to heal my gut… so far I have had some weight loss but there are so many other things that have been an eye opener for me… I have minimal swelling if any at all, my 3pm lag is gone, my allergies are pretty non exsistant unless its a bad seasonal day, my IBS is under control and that has NEVER happened… ever.

So I guess my question is has anyone else dealt with the food intolerance and after doing this for say 90 days been able to add foods back in? I think what I am afraid of is this not “working” not healing my gut and them talking to me about auto immune disease. I could just use a glimmer of hope I think…

(icky) #2

Hi Crystal,

I had awful food and histamine allergies, along with IBS, which is how I found extended fasting 10 years ago.

I’ve only recently switched from that to Keto.

I also had extreme allergies to all thing “chemical” being put on my skin, so that meant all cosmetics, shampoos, etc. In the end, only a single brand of baby shampoo wasn’t leaving my skin so raw it would bleed. It was a nightmare time.

My body seemed to be stuck in a cycle of stress response and hyper-sensitivity and I couldn’t get out of it.

I’ve always had very strong hayfever, so I knew to expect cross-reactions with things like apples. I get it from capsicum/ peppers too, pineapple, pecan nuts, etc. One thing I found out on that journey is that the plant proteins that cause those reactions get altered during the cooking process (just think how the proteins in a raw egg get changed when you cook/ fry it). That is why many foods that cause a massive reaction when raw, can be fine when cooked.

I’ve fasted 3-4 times per year for 10 years now (each time between 1 - 2 - 3 weeks) and that has been a godsend in terms of healing my gut and my skin and my overall system.

I’m still “sensitive” to stuff, but no longer hyper-sensitive. I can live a normal life now.

I’m hoping that with Keto I can continue to improve and sustain these results.

I’ve also struggled with insulin resistance for as long as I can remember and fasting and Keto are helping with that too, obviously.

I think as my body settles down and heals, I will feel much more comfortable overall.

The issues described above are my goals re fasting and Keto. I’m TOFI so for me it’s not about weightloss - I want to heal those conditions and live a normal, healthy life.

Also, yeah, it’s “normal” for allergies to suddenly pop up later in life. Lots of people say “But I never had an allergy before!” but it seems that’s not how allergies work.

Do you take anti-histamines on your bad days?

Are you careful to avoid high-histamine foods like tomatos, salami and aged cheese?

I think one thing that’s helpful about Keto for me is avoiding all wheat and grain foods. I’ve been tested for celiac’s and sensitivity to wheat and it’s come back “negative”, but as you know the clinical results don’t always tell the whole story. And while I’m not sure, I suspect that eating lots of wheat/ grain based products is not good for my gut and overall system. So as Keto eliminates these foods, I hope that will help calm my system too over time.

I can’t think of more stuff that helped or hindered me on my food and histamine allergy journey off the top of my head, but if I think of anything else, I’ll come back and add it.

I’m not sure if a “90 day” goal is realistic re having been healed from allergies. Maybe aim for a year? :wink:

But the goal of healing and being able to add stuff back in and getting to a point of feeling normal again? - Yeah, I think that’s absoluely do-able!

Good luck! :blush:

(Jay AM) #3

Because of the foods you mention, do you have a latex allergy? I have one and all of the things you mentioned and more cause an allergic reaction. I normally don’t get it from external use (unless, say, a latex glove was taped to me maybe or a latex condom.) However, food allergy tests are not very conclusive for me either. I’ve had highly allergic to many things and not very allergic to those same things later on.

(Crystal Michelle) #4

Goodness! Can you tell me a bit more about fasting and how that works? Is that something I should be incorporating into Keto? I know that I try and fast 10-13 hours but should I do more as far as gut health goes?

And guurrlllllllll I have had sensitive skin since I was a kid, like I cant even wear sunblock, Have to use like Almay, Mac or something hypoallergenic on my skin… cant switch soaps or laundry detergent. My grandmother, mom, me and now my daughter are the same way…

As far as it being “normal” for allergies to pop up later in life, I mean I get that to an extent but shesh its like every time I turn around there is a new food I cant eat, like my body is attacking itself… It leaves me baffled like there has to be something else going on… I mean its something new every 3-6 months…

I am careful to avoid those foods, and I do take a Zyrtec each day just to stay on top of it all.

I figured the 90 days wasnt a significant amount of time but 90 days in my brain gives me a goal to shoot for to see if minor changes are happening. If I said a year, I feel like I would cheat or give up bc 90 days is an easier goal to wrap my brain around than 365 kwim?

I think my biggest fear is they tell me I have some auto immune illness that will just keep getting worse and worse… at this point I am so scared to eat new things for fear of asphyxiation… I mean if I am allergic or have an allergy to stuff I have been eating my whole life ( banana ) what if I try a passion fruit or a berry Ive never eaten kwim… it just has me freaked out all the time. I just want to feel normal… and not live in fear of eating. I mean on Valentines Day I fixed my family a beautiful italian spread and with in about 10 minutes it looked like someone had slapped the side of my face all the way down my neck with fever… My husband made me take a benadryl and it went away but I have kinda gotten embarrassed to even share some allergies with him bc its like " Oh okay youre allergic to this to…" like its always something new…

I just want to feel normal again and un afraid.

(Crystal Michelle) #5

OH and have you been successful in adding back any foods?

(Crystal Michelle) #6

Hey :slight_smile: Yep… tmi… but I have an internal ( wink wink) latex allergy. So as an adolescent I was unable to use condoms. The 1st time I ever slept with someone the next day I was in the ER and freaking out bc I thought I was that 1% that got pregnant or herpes from the 1st time they had sex hahahahaha come to find out I had a latex allergy… But not to tape, bandaids or anything like that its alllllll internal even the food!

Its just so frustrating when it comes to foods and the all of a sudden stuff.

(Jay AM) #7

I actually wrote a post here with your similar title. Well, here’s what I’ve learned about the latex allergy. First off, it doesn’t get better with exposure like some allergies, it gets worse or stays the same. My current reaction to tomatoes and citrus for example is sore and swollen tongue, it used to just be sore. This isn’t just my finding. There are lots of articles on it. On keto, the only thing I’ve noticed is that sometimes the reaction goes away faster than normal. Usually my tongue would be sore 2-3 days later now it’s 1-2. I’m thinking it’s from the reduced insulin and blood sugar so my body can move on faster. I’m also not allergic to most bandaids but, it will sometimes leave mild red marks when it’s taken off that will last a bit. Definitely allergic to various tape if I put it on me somewhere. I actually used to think my frequent food allergies were all individual until finding out they all fall under the latex allergy cross reactivity of foods. They don’t always actually contain latex, they just cross react. Luckily, it’s mostly fruit which isn’t usually good on keto. Yeah, no avocados or tomatoes but I don’t seem to react to zucchini or cucumber. And, same boat with all my other crazy allergies too. If it has synthetic fragrance, nope. I have to use free and clear everything soap related, makeup has to be unscented, no perfumes, I can’t wear new clothes off the rack unless it came packed in plastic due to a powder they use to keep new clothes fresh and rodent free (learned about this allergy working in apparel at Walmart), allergic to dogs and cats, lactose intolerant, seasonal allergies that are year round. For me, my internal allergies (besides lactose intolerance) didn’t start until I was 13.

But, I’m stubborn and don’t like to let my allergies get in my way. I found out I don’t react or barely react to some processed or fermented things, (like salsa that isn’t fresh), don’t seem to have a problem with hot sauce. I have a dog and 2 cats, I carry handkerchiefs with me everywhere for the seasonal allergy, I learned how to make perfume myself, I figured out certain brands of makeup, I buy free and clear soap for dishes and laundry as well as dryer sheets, I order food and pick out offenders. I probably talk about allergies more than others but, I never make a big deal about it. If a tomato touches my food I’m not going to lose my mind. I don’t want everyone catering to me or feeling bad.

Growing up, my family dealt with my odd allergies a lot so they are used to it. Of course, free and clear stuff wasn’t available then either. So, I usually just had to itch or get a rash sometimes.

Anyways, here’s a list of possible cross reactive foods.

http://latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food

(Edith) #8

Dr. Georgia Ede has a great website called diagnosisdiet.com.

This link is about histamines:

She has many other articles about foods and their effects on the body, especially the brain.

Edith

(Crystal Michelle) #9

You sound like you have been through the ringer to! See all this is new for me in the last 5 years or so. Weird you say zucchini the other day I ate it for dinner and the next day I itched all day…weird had no idea there was a relation. So as far as tomato… can you not have pasta sauce,hot sauce etc? This is the ONE thing I am like okay… I have to find a way to fix or around this one… I mean… couldn’t I form an allergy to something un healthy? hahaha Not my luck skip the tomato but here is a bag of Doritos get after it hahahaha

See my fear is not being able to breath and my allergy becoming more than just an itch or a red patchy chest… thats what I fear, is that a fear of yours at all? Pineapple makes me feel like my tongue has been cut with shards of glass…but I really would like to be able to eat tomato based products again… or limes… limes would be great to.

Thanks for responding!

(icky) #10

Hey Crystal,

My life has certainly become normal again and I can eat food without feeling like I need to go to hospital :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

I truly don’t know WHY my system calmed down again, but it did.

Yeah, I do love extended fasting (1 or 2 or 3 weeks) for helping my body heal from food allergies. It’s like it allows my body to “reboot” and to soothe.

It’s weird, when I think back to the time when my allergies were going crazy, it felt like a spiral. Like the stress of those immune/ allergy reactions were making my body so stressed that it would respond with more allergy and getting more stressed and responding with even more allergy.

It drove my partner nuts too. I would get the comments re “is there anything you’re not allergic to”?

There was soooo much I couldn’t eat for a while. Tuna. Black pepper. Spicy food. Black tea. Sooo many things, I can’t even remember them all!

I guess by keeping all irritating chemicals off my skin and keeping all irritating foods out of my body for a while, and doing things like fasting and stress-reduction, I got my system to calm down and stop being quite so hyper-sensitive.

I would say that I still have a sensitve body, but no longer hyper-sensitive. And I can live with that just fine. :blush:

Try not to freak out about your allergies and try not to be anxious about them - that will just keep producing more stress hormones like cortisol which are part of the hyper-sensitivity loop.

Think of it as a temporary glitch, where your body is over-reacting and soothe it as best you can and trust that it will return to normal in time.

You might try looking for a forum for extended fasting. I’m in one, but it’s non-English speaking, so probably not of much use :smile:

Read up on it a bit and if you are interested in doing it, I’m happy to give you additional information/ answer your questions.

During fasting, you go into ketosis too, which is a very healthy and healing state and very helpful for allergies and (auto) immune processes.

So both keto and fasting should help you, but fasting may provide the additional benefit of not exposing you to triggering foods.

It’s actually not so easy to work out which foods to eliminate. Sometimes reactions to food can be delayed. Sometimes processed or self-cooked food contains so many ingredients that when you react to a food, it’s hard to tell which ingredient is causing the trouble.

It took me aaaaages to work out that black pepper as a seasoning was giving me grief. It’s added to so many foods/ meals, that I thought I was reacting to EVERYTHING… til I realised a LOT later that it was the pepper.

So fasting can really give your body a break from all those triggers that just seem too difficult/ complicated to identify.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure you can get your body to heal sufficiently so that this is not causing you permanent grief!

(Jay AM) #11

Of course, your information depends entirely on whether the OP is talking about true food allergies like you mention or a latex cross reactive allergy which is not the same. I can expose myself to cats and dogs and eventually react less. Latex is an allergy that gets worse including the food cross reactivity depending on exposure. It has different reactions from a lot of the regular offenders that people see going away with keto and fasting. And, it can cause anaphylaxis. Any allergies that can cause anaphylaxis can’t be taken as lightly as “fast and try again.” Could it help in overall reaction? Possibly. While my allergy hasn’t gotten better about reacting, the reaction isn’t as long with keto and fasting. It’s possible that my body can handle what it has decided to attack quicker. Could it be a cure? Maybe. Latex is a unique allergy in that it can’t be helped through exposure and instead gets worse unlike other common allergies. I’m not trying to be rude as normally your advice could apply well but, if it’s what allergy it looks like, then it’s not as easy as that.

(Jay AM) #12

I’ll reply when I have some time after work. After 15ish years, I at least have a little n=1 info that might be helpful.

(Germaine M Schweibinz) #13

Hello Crystal, I am histamine intolerance, diagnosed two years ago. I started keto 1/28/2018 and it took all of my swelling and joint pain away. It was like a miracle. I was listening to the podcasts and made bone broth. It smelled sooooo good cooking. It tasted great and then it put me in the hospital. Long story short, bone broth was never on any of my foods to avoid lists so I never connected it to my histamine intolerance. The ER could not find out why I passed out and sent me home after 8 hours in the ER. Later we put it together it was the bone broth and all of the avocados I was eating, big no no for me too. I was told to go off KETO by everyone, but I refused. I will not go back to constant joint pain. It is much harder to make menu’s and I research all of my food but I am finally back to having my KETO energy and happiness again!

(Candy Lind) #14

Your doctor should be willing to give you an epi-pen prescription if you’re that nervous about it. Your cortisol levels can’t be helping the situation!

And I second the recommendation to visit Dr. Ede’s blog - she makes a lots of sense in the topics I’ve read.

(Jay AM) #15

First, anything I say is said as someone who has lived successfully with allergies for 15ish years and is not a doctor. Just really good at having allergic reactions. I recommend seeking a real doctor’s advice for treatment plans.

So, the first thing I’m leaving is a good link about histamines and histamine intolerance. It explains a lot and links a lot of good articles and studies. Below that are links about latex allergies and then about latex fruit syndrome or latex food cross reactivity.

Alright, onto some possibly good news. You already know you have a latex allergy and probably already avoid latex in situations you’re acutely aware of it like dentists or doctors. With exposure, this main allergy can get worse. Now, with latex fruit syndrome (fairly high percentage of latex allergy sufferers also have this), you won’t necessarily be allergic to the whole list and may be allergic in varying degrees. It can get worse like the main allergy but not always and, you’d likely have had an anaphylactic reaction to one of the cross reactive foods if you were going to have one. There isn’t a cure, sorry. But, you probably don’t have to worry about not breathing from the food. You should discuss this idea with a doctor/allergist. Some people find relief with antihistamines but, others don’t. I’d find it odd based on your symptoms being so in line if you didn’t have it but I’d be very happy to be wrong.

Now, for my story on it. When I first noticed being allergic to tomatoes at about 13, we didn’t link it with a latex allergy because I’d never reacted to them before or latex. Allergy testing wasn’t as popular an option for a minor reaction with some swollen tastebuds that went away quickly. And, I didn’t ever seem bothered by things like latex gloves. It wasn’t common yet for everyone to have non latex gloves and equipment available. It was diagnosed as a reaction to excess acid and I was told no more small tomatoes or citrus or anything else high in acids. Okay, so, big tomatoes are still in. I loved tomatoes. I went on about my life. Each year, I’d get another minor reaction to some random food and it’d get written off as the same type of deal. It wasn’t serious so, just don’t eat it and it’ll be fine. Well, if it wasn’t serious, I could pick and choose what I cared about avoiding. I’d already been lactose intolerant for years and still enjoyed things like ice cream and milk and cereal. And then, each reaction started to get somewhat worse. A highly acidic tomato sauce (where you can taste the acidity) would make my tongue swell and it would ache for days later, and then the very occasional orange juice would do it too, and then alcoholic mixed drinks (bloody mary’s and citrus drinks are my fave.) But, V8, my favorite drink in the world at the time? No problem. Salsa? Usually alright. Avocados? Good to go. I had my first real latex reaction similar to your description at 17. I didn’t tell anyone because I was too embarrassed. It went away and I went on with life. Occasionally a new and interesting allergy to a food would pop up and it’d go on my possibly avoid list. I was just that food allergy person that people joke about. Doctors had always written it off and, I found it pointless to consult each time I found some new minor reaction. Well, I’ve now reached a good number of foods on the list I shared from the high and medium category with a couple in the low category. I know I’ve read about links in the past and forgotten about it eventually. But, this year things all tied together as one allergy versus many. My reactions are currently stable where they are and haven’t gotten worse in the last few years mostly. Tomatoes and citrus are currently my worse with the tongue swelling and pain, swollen tastebuds, and a reaction that lasts. I avoid them most often, especially ones that haven’t been processed. Heat does help kill off some of the proteins causing the reaction. They say it has to be 600 degrees for an hour but, that destroys all the proteins. I’m guessing the reasons I can eat a highly processed salsa versus a fresh tomato sauce is in the processing time and heat. Sometimes I still react in that instance but, it’s often more mild or I don’t react. I still eat many tasty hot sauces but, not ketchup. Another reason for keto being so nice is in naturally avoiding many of the cross reaction list. There are plenty of very delicious sauces that can replace your tomato sauce in spades. You could consider experimenting with low quantities of things you think are a trigger, seeing if they are a true trigger versus something you mixed with something else. Keep a good food journal with notes especially to show a doctor if you go that route.

I don’t worry about not breathing. I’ve become good at recognizing a reaction and the severity and I’m aware that most of my “food allergies” aren’t super serious and unlikely to suddenly cause a severe reaction where there wasn’t one before. I’m wary of new fruits and try small bits, usually researching in advance. I got over excited about a jack fruit with some friends recently, didn’t research, the danged thing actually emits its own latex. I ate a bunch and got covered in latex opening it. Free hives and burning itching for me. Knowing what I know about my true latex allergy and how it gets worse with exposure, that’s the one I worry about and just make sure to limit. And bees. I haven’t been stung but based on prior reactions to bug bites with excessive swelling, I bet that’d be pretty bad. I have gotten completely used to just not eating things I don’t want to deal with the reaction of. I rarely even have a situation where I have to turn something down due to an allergy in a social setting. I just don’t buy stuff I’m allergic to normally. It’s the same way how people buy wheat instead of white bread for example. It’s that normal of a decision. Instead of buying tomato sauce, I buy alfredo sauce for example. Instead of ordering a hamburger with tomato and ketchup, I ask for those things off. Just like someone might ask for no pickles. Or no bun on keto. I don’t feel like I live any differently due to my allergies, it’s never really affected my dating or friend relationships, it doesn’t affect me in social situations. I already take allergy pills for my regular allergies so, I’ve usually taken that for the day. If someone is doing something that might aggravate an allergy (I’m looking at you excessive febreeze and perfume/cologne users), I might avoid the location or just deal with the reaction. If it’s someone I live with, I ask it not be sprayed around me. That’s about it. It’s just never ended up being a major issue. Now, me being vegan and vegetarian was way more annoying lol.

http://healthypixels.com/?p=1044

https://www.allergypartners.com/rowansalisbury/conditions/latex-allergy/

http://www.aafa.org/page/latex-allergy.aspx

http://latexallergyresources.org/latex-cross-reactive-foods-fact-sheet

(icky) #16

Hey Jay,

You make an absolutely valid point about anaphylaxis.

But seeing Crystal was clear that she’d been copiously tested for allergies and got no definite responses and that there was no talk of any anaphylacitic reactions, I assumed that this was a given.

But you are absolutely right that “anaphylactic” type allergies to peanuts, bee stings, etc cannot be “cured” by exposure and it would be ludicrous and dangerous to do so.

The way I’ve understood Crystal is that she has low-grade to medium-grade allergies and they are combining with histamine intolerance and creating an allergy madness fest which is stressing her system hugely.

This is what I was responding to and I have recovered from this situation. And yes, my “true” allergies (hayfever etc) have decreased in severity along with the reduction in food “sensitivities” and “intolerances”.

(Edith) #17

I thought I was allergic to tomatoes when I was younger, but when I gave up gluten, I could eat tomatoes in all forms. I believe that sometimes there is a main culprit that causes damage and then once the culprit is eliminated and the body heals, other problems disappear.

Edith

(Crystal Michelle) #18

Thanks! I hope I can eat hotsauce again!

(Edith) #19

There are hot sauces that don’t have tomatoes. :slight_smile:

(Molly Pitre) #20

I think I have Latex fruit syndrome. It’s definitely self diagnosed. I miss avocado, zucchini and banana! If find it hard to get healthy fats and stick to a keto diet. I want my keto diet to be plant based. So many recipes call for the foods I cannot eat. Additionally Whey Protein gives me an allergic reaction, though I know it’s not plant based. It’s become a guessing game doctors have not taken seriously! Please tell me what kind of doctor gas diagnosed you allergy or sensitivity.