Well hello. Welcome to Fork Broccoli! I am so excited to share my low histamine, paleo recipes and help you find a new awareness for your body by encouraging you to try new foods and recipes.
But how did I get here?
Here’s my story
I grew up on the east coast where my lifestyle was always very active and (relatively) healthy. As much as I was a normal kid that played tennis and went to the mall with friends, I was often suffering from migraines. As a teenager I saw multiple doctors and specialists who all said, “Your mom has migraines, your dad has migraines… you will have migraines”. Basically, they were saying I was doomed at birth.
Throughout college I suffered in silence – missing classes, social events, even my own birthday once. I knew I had triggers, but living in a microcosm of beer, binge eating and an all around unhealthy lifestyle, I didn’t care enough about my body to change.
As I got older I saw more specialists, tried multiple medications, got stuck with needles by an acupuncturist, became a dedicated yogi, ate healthy foods like avocado and nuts, even removed wine (my most prized treat) from my diet. But, my suffering worsened – I even combated a multi-year bout with Hemicrania Continua, which is a fancy word for constant one-sided migraine not relieved by medication.
I couldn’t understand why being the most healthy I had ever been in my life was also making me sicker. By the time I hit 30, I was suffering from over three migraines a week and, as a last ditch effort, I reached out to a nutritionist – that’s when everything came together.
The Ah-hah!
The very first thing the Nutritionist said to me after listening to my story and analyzing my diet was, “You probably have a histamine intolerance”. I was shocked and a little hesitant since all I knew about histamine was that it was released when I had an allergy to something. So began my journey to understand what histamine is and what I could do about it.
I started on a histamine elimination diet the next day and within a week I was (almost) headache free. I went from three headaches a week or more, to two in four weeks! Other things started to fall into place as well. I no longer had eczema and my skin started to glow after being dull for so many years.
I honestly couldn’t believe it. I thought back to how I was eating and what I was eating. A daily banana smoothie with almond milk and avocado, a scoop of peanut butter for snack, tons of tomato based dinners… I was essentially poisoning myself through healthy foods.
The Drawbacks
While I was relieved to have finally discovered what was going on with me after so many years, my world was imploding. I didn’t understand what to eat and how to choose the right foods. Particularly since I live in New York City where the culture is all about eating out or ordering in.
At the start of my low-histamine journey, I struggled to deal with situations in restaurants and how to prepare food for myself. There were so few resources to help, so I started to create recipes that were suitable for my new lifestyle as well as interesting and delicious so my husband would enjoy them too.
Let’s be honest, it started out rocky. I was never a magician in the kitchen. I relied heavily on Trader Joe’s frozen food and re-heatable meals from our local butcher. One of my very first dinners I concocted was a total disaster. Undercooked chicken, lumpy sauce… it was gross. But as I continued to understand the diet I also started to understand how foods complement each other. My mom helped too. She had suffered for years with the same types of symptoms as me and as I flailed through my first few weeks, she lent a hand and took on the journey with me.
The Now
Today I regularly eat a low-histamine diet of fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Even though I’ve cut out a number of foods that are triggers for me, I also have come to appreciate a balance. It’s OK to have pizza occasionally and it’s OK to enjoy a glass of wine while out with friends.
What You’ll Find On Fork Broccoli
All the recipes you will find on Fork Broccoli are easy to prepare, low-histamine and paleo meals. My goal is to encourage other people who may be suffering from the same issues to live a healthy and exciting life through food.
So thanks so much for popping by! I’m pumped to be a part of your journey and I’d love to hear from you. What’s your story? Do you have recipe suggestions? Has a low-histamine diet helped you too?
xo,
L
