Oxalates, Fermented Foods, and Histamine: Gaining Perspective and Finding Answers.
The hottest topic right now is avoiding oxalates and histamine-promoting foods to get your health back on track, but, as usual, it is more complicated than this, and once again, we need to look at our health holistically.
OXALATES
The common foods listed below (that many of us eat daily), if not not digested properly, create excess oxalates in the body, which often result in joint pain and kidney stones.
Oxalate-rich foods:
Spinach
Chocolate/cacao
Collard greens
Beetroots
Parsley
Celery
Legumes
Nuts
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Most grains
Tea
Poor digestion can result from antibiotic use, alcohol, a low-fibre diet, poor nutrient variety, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and stress hormones - which all decrease motility and the secretion of gastric juices.
Overcoming Oxalates
Did you know that high oxalate levels are prevented by having a broad spectrum microbiome and healthy levels of calcium in our diet? Oxalates need calcium to be metabolised, so ensuring adequate intake of a bioavailable source is key. Prebiotic fibres are also essential, as they create a healthy environment for probiotics to survive, and we need Oxalobacter formigenes, lactobacillus and bifido strains to break down oxalates.
So is it the naturally occurring oxalates that are the poison, or the destruction of our digestive systems in a modern world of processed foods, low fibre, antibiotic use and high stress?
These same factors that contribute to high oxalates will also make us deficient in DAO (diamine oxidase), an enzyme made in our gut lining. If there is inflammation in the digestive system, we will have low DAO, and therefore become high in HISTAMINES.
HISTAMINES
Histamines create an ongoing hyper-inflammatory response that can vary from day-to-day and week-to-week depending on the level of triggers that are being experienced.
High-Histamine foods:
These high-histamine foods are often foods most of us eat every day, including:
Alcohol
Processed meats
Liquorice
Cheese
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Spinach
Fermented foods/sauerkraut
Chocolate
Citrus fruits
Tropical fruits
Pork
Preservatives
Some fish
Olives
Nuts
Egg whites
Black tea
Help for High-Histamine:
Foods that can increase DAO are blue pea sprouts, omega-3-rich foods, foods high in antioxidants, copper, zinc, iron and B6.
High histamines are produced by mast cells which leads to another modern diagnosis: Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). Another common high-histamine condition is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
High histamines, MCAS and POTS are now commonly diagnosed health issues that are crippling the human. However, when you dig deeper into these health issues, you realise it comes back to the underlying conditions of autoimmune/post viral syndrome, which always comes with methylation issues (poor ability to activate and utilise B vitamins).
Interestingly, another factor influencing MCAS is overexposure to synthetic or harmful EMFs (electromagnetic frequencies) like wi-fi and personal electronic devices. Are those smart watches healthy?
Putting it all together:
If we look at the common behaviours in young adults such as partying/drinking excessive alcohol, junk food, hyperfunctioning/overachieving behaviours and excessive use of devices, it’s no wonder we are seeing DAO deficiency, MCAS, and IBS. These chronic, sometimes elusive conditions, are all underpinned by extreme stress/hyper-functioning behaviours AND a viral infection or v - c - ine side effect.
When we realise that the contributing factors to these interrelated conditions are all similar, we must address the causes. Sometimes, this can be overwhelming, especially when part of this is our lifestyle, behaviours and beliefs.
An Individualised Solution
Each person must be counselled on all of this and assessed as to why they in their individual situation have delivered these conditions.
Natural medicine has some perfect magic tricks to switch off, balance and correct these issues, but the cause must also be negated so the body biochemistry can balance, heal and prevent the reoccurrence of high oxalates, high histamine, MCAS and POTS.
If you want to heal holistically, easily and effortlessly, book with Colleen and find your homeostasis ASAP.