Low Histamine Tea

“Well, what did you have for lunch?” I snapped. “Surely that’s not top secret superhero information.”

“Steak with mashed potatoes and a side salad,” Striker replied. “And a piece of chocolate cheesecake for dessert.”

I gave up on conversation after that. I was too jealous of the cheesecake to continue.
~Jennifer Estep

photo by Deborah

People with mast cell disease eat low histamine diets, which can also be helpful for people with chronic allergies or hives. It can be pretty easy to feel deprived when there are a bunch of foods you have to avoid, including strawberries and chocolate. I have been doing my best to make eating on a low histamine diet more of a joy than a chore.

There's no one set of low histamine foods (for instance, my daughter has to avoid all vinegars, but I have read some low histamine recipes that include apple cider vinegar). The following set of tea items would work for my daughter, but tweak them whatever way works best for you.

The first consideration is what teas to offer. Consider mint, tulsi, rose, and chamomile.

For your scone course, some possibilities are maple oat scones with caramel and vanilla scones with blueberry jam.

For the sandwich/savory course:
* Squares of toast topped with arugula, scrambled egg and chive, and chicken
* Celery filled with white beans cooked with olive oil and rosemary
* Crackers topped with chunks of oregano- and garlic-roasted lamb (I tried to find a recipe, but most of them call for lemon, black pepper, olives, tomatoes...all no-no's. This one is okay except for black pepper.)
* Broccoli quiche (same problem with this, in that they all use cheese. I use this recipe, minus the cheese, milk, and black pepper. I add extra eggs.)

For the dessert course:
* Chamomile shortbread
* Ginger turmeric cookies (minus the cinnamon, and subbing coconut milk for almond milk)
* Zucchini blueberry bread (minus the cinnamon, and using half the sugar)
* Blackberry tarts (Basically, blackberries, sugar, pie crust, not sure a recipe is really needed)
* Red and green grapes on small skewers

photo by Bianca Moraes