Carnivore, Low Histamine Diet. Can it get much more selective? haha. Actually, I find it super easy and don't mind it, less choice in my day simplifies my life :) And it's especially easy since I am now feeling much healthier and have more energy, so EVERYTHING IS EASIER!

I've had muscle and mind fatigue, and brain fog issues, since I was a teenager, gut issues since my early 20's, skin issues since then too, achy joints from 30years old, and everything worsening together into my mid 30's.

Going carnivore removed most of these issues, at least in severity. Dr Paul Mason was a huge help to my mum and I in this respect. He has some brilliant presentations on Youtube from Low Carb Down Under conferences, and Carnivory Con. However eating what seemed like the same foods day after day, I was still getting some symptoms back, and I couldn't figure it out. UNTIL...

Until I watched Georgia Ede MD on youtube talk about histamines from a clip published 5 years ago.

Histamine became my new interest, and I added that to my already "limited" carnivore diet.

I had been eating aged meats, and loved them.. but once I heard about histamine in aged food products I instantly recognised my patterns of fatigue and skin problems with times I had eaten meat that was not as fresh. Combine that with yoghurt or hard cheese and lots of bacteria equals lots of histamine.

This explains why I can have some, in small amounts, but it is the OVERDOSE of histamine which is an issue, not histamine itself.

So consider when you eat something high in histamines, (aged food eg. wine, cheese, yoghurt, cured/aged meat) how do you react if you eat a lot of these products?

If you have gut issues it is likely histamine overload is playing a part, or more accurately, has become a problem due to your gut dysbiosis, and is contributing when histamine levels rise.

Leaky gut is tough to deal with, so many things can be affecting you, but trying a low histamine carnivore diet is a great place to start, then reintroduce foods one by one every few days. HOWEVER, as my mum and I have found out, just because you can tolerate it, does not mean you can have it frequently or in large amounts - keep in mind it is in the DOSE that is your poison, not the food itself.

An overdose of histamine can be more likely after added stress, i.e. stressful events - exercise, heat, poor sleep, late nights, other food combinations, etc. which all make your body more REACTIVE and your gut lining more PERMEABLE

If you have experienced autoimmune symptoms, you will understand your cells REACTION is the problem, so do what you can to calm your cells and nervous system-  vagus nerve exercise are an excellent addition to everyday habits to help lower you Sympathetic Nervous System (and cellular response).

Buy meat the day the butcher gets it, freeze it, then defrost quickly and cook quickly (not 24hr slow cook). Histamine builds up in food at any temperature other than freezing, and is not removed by cooking   - so freeze leftovers.

Lots more information on my podcast about my low histamine carnivore diet. And this is just a snapshot in time at how I'm currently eating, and what is working right now for me.

Please send me any questions or personal anecdotes over social media @petejjacobs or email pete@liveyourownfit.com