I'm Back To Ask The Experts... :0)

[GRB]

I thought rice and chicken were on the 'don't eat' list...probably somewhere else...I'll check again. If they aren't high histamine foods then I'd much rather eat them.

Oh bummer...I have to give up Pamelas! Thanks for the tip on King Arthur...I'll order some. There are times I just HAVE to have something and Pamela's hits the spot...

Thanks for the feed back...

Here it is...on another website...

From the Urticaria Chapter

The foods most commonly reported to induce urticaria are shellfish, fish, egg, nuts, chocolate, berries, tomatoes, cheese, milk, and wheat.

Foods reported to release histamine directly from mast cells are uncooked egg whites, shellfish, strawberries, tomatoes, fish, chocolate, pineapple and alcohol.

Foods containing histamine—Aged protein containing foods and fermented foods commonly have increased histamine levels.

Foods reported to be high in histamine are fermented cheeses (e.g. Camembert, Brie, Gruyere, Cheddar, Roquefort, Parmesan), brewer's yeast, shellfish, many fin fish, canned fish, tomato, spinach, red wine (especially Chianti), beer, unpasteurized milk (e.g., cow, goat or human milk), chicken, dry pork sausage, beef sausage, ham, chocolate, fermented soy products, and all fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut.

http://www.urticaria.thunderworksinc.co ... foodsource

There is quite a list of foods there...the reference to rice I'll have to continue to look for. In any case, I'll do chicken with occasional fresh pork roast...I tried some last week and it was heavenly and didn't seem to cause problems. However, now that I know about mast cells and am taking the benadryl I'm noticing things more. Flushing after eating and during sleep (something I've had trouble with for 20 years) temperature control issues..odd pain, sneezing, coughing and runny nose, stuffy head etc.

Thanks again...I'll post when I find that reference to rice again.

[tex]

The reason why fish are such a problem is because they spoil faster than anything else, (which creates histamine). Chickens also are notorious for spoiling quickly, but they don't spoil as quickly as fish, if they are handled properly, and they are kept cold enough, and they aren't stored too long before using.

Very few people in the world are sensitive to rice. It's generally the least allergenic of all the grains. Enriched rice can be a problem, though, because it sometimes contains gluten, because of the enriching process. Brown rice can be a problem, because much of it has an arsenic problem, and brown rice contains enough fiber that many of us have problems if we try to eat very much of it, simply because of the irritating effect of the fiber on our hypersensitive intestines.

Tex

[Leah]

All this talk of Mast Cells and that list of foods that should be avoided is daunting. If I have no other symptoms but D, should I assume that I don't have a mast cell issue? Some of those foods do bother me, but not in an "allergic" way. Could I just be intolerant to some of them ( like tomatoes and peppers)?

And another question Tex. Since you mentioned the pancake mix, I also noticed the buttermilk and was very bummed. But thanks for the King Arthur's suggestion. Until I get my Enterolab tests back, I am avoiding potatoes because the other test I took came up with intolerance to potato. So, does that mean I can't use any of the flours and mixes and such that have potato four/starch in them?

[tex]

Leah,

It's probably possible for intestinal mast cells to cause GI issues without causing any upper respiratory symptoms, but the combined experiences of the members of this board suggest that in the real world, that seems to be a rare occurrence. It's probably safe to assume that mast cells are not a major contributor to your MC symptoms. If, however, after extensive testing for food-sensitivities, and eliminating them from your diet, (and allowing a reasonable amount of time for healing), you still find remission elusive, you might need to reconsider the possibility of a mast cell problem.

Could I just be intolerant to some of them ( like tomatoes and peppers)?

Yes, definitely. Many of us cannot handle certain nightshades, and spicy, or acidic foods, also tend to cause problems, so foods such as tomatoes and peppers present a double jeopardy.

Avoiding potatoes will definitely limit your options on GF flour blends, because for someone sensitive to a food, a starch derivative is usually just as troublesome as the flour would be. There may be individual exceptions, though, so that rule is not chiseled in stone.

Tex

[brandy]

Hi Leah,

Not everyone has mast cell issues, (like me at present.) I generally ignore the mast cell conversations and hope for the best down the road. Brandy

[Gloria]

Although bacon isn't specifically listed as a high-histamine food, I tend to avoid it because it's an aged meat and more likely to have high-histamines. If I do eat it, I take a histame tablet.

Gloria