What does histamine smell like?
I must avoid high-histamine foods because I have histamine intolerance.
I have observed that foods high in histamine tend to smell like vomit. The predominant smell of vomit is always the same, regardless of the flavour of the foods being vomited. I have concluded that the common odour of vomit is due to its histamine content.
This observation is consistent with the internal mechanics that cause vomiting. When the mast cells at the bottom of the stomach detect a bad thing, such as salmonella or a toxic substance, they release histamine. This histamine triggers the cells lining the stomach to release more stomach acid and serotonin than is typically released to process food. The purpose of the excess stomach acid is to kill the germs or break down the toxic substance. The purpose of the excess serotonin is to increase the muscle contractions that move food through the system. A moderate increase in serotonin causes diarrhea. A bigger increase in serotonin causes vomiting. Recall the uncontrollable and powerful muscle contractions that accompany vomiting. These are caused by the large amount of histamine released by the mast cells, which trigger the release of a large amount of serotonin. I conclude that this is why vomit has a high histamine content.
I’ve also observed that, sometimes, reflux burps fill the mouth with the odour of vomit, even though they do not cause vomiting. I notice this when I’ve eaten a high histamine food that results in heartburn and reflux, followed a couple days later by diarrhea.
I’ve arrived at these observations by eating leftovers, despite the advice of my functional medicine specialist not to because they are known to be high in histamine. Recently I had some leftover roast lamb. Yummy. So, I ignored its faint odour of vomit and ate it. I paid for this meal with heartburn and reflux, which had the odour of vomit, followed by diarrhea.
So, now, I smell food before I eat it and, if I smell histamine (the odour of vomit), I throw it out and eat something else.
I have observed that foods high in histamine tend to smell like vomit. The predominant smell of vomit is always the same, regardless of the flavour of the foods being vomited. I have concluded that the common odour of vomit is due to its histamine content.
This observation is consistent with the internal mechanics that cause vomiting. When the mast cells at the bottom of the stomach detect a bad thing, such as salmonella or a toxic substance, they release histamine. This histamine triggers the cells lining the stomach to release more stomach acid and serotonin than is typically released to process food. The purpose of the excess stomach acid is to kill the germs or break down the toxic substance. The purpose of the excess serotonin is to increase the muscle contractions that move food through the system. A moderate increase in serotonin causes diarrhea. A bigger increase in serotonin causes vomiting. Recall the uncontrollable and powerful muscle contractions that accompany vomiting. These are caused by the large amount of histamine released by the mast cells, which trigger the release of a large amount of serotonin. I conclude that this is why vomit has a high histamine content.
I’ve also observed that, sometimes, reflux burps fill the mouth with the odour of vomit, even though they do not cause vomiting. I notice this when I’ve eaten a high histamine food that results in heartburn and reflux, followed a couple days later by diarrhea.
I’ve arrived at these observations by eating leftovers, despite the advice of my functional medicine specialist not to because they are known to be high in histamine. Recently I had some leftover roast lamb. Yummy. So, I ignored its faint odour of vomit and ate it. I paid for this meal with heartburn and reflux, which had the odour of vomit, followed by diarrhea.
So, now, I smell food before I eat it and, if I smell histamine (the odour of vomit), I throw it out and eat something else.
