Back with more healthy recipes! Not only is this delicious chicken broth recipe going to become a tasty flavour enhancer in your food, it’s also an immunity booster and it calms down Histamine. It’s an aromatic blend of histamine-lowering spices and vegetables with the nutritious goodness of chicken bones. Read on to learn about histamine, chronic inflammation, and why you NEED this broth in your medicinal diet.
Wherever you are in the world, whether you’re in the midst of a chilling winter or sweating it out in a hot summer, this nourishing chicken bone broth is ready and waiting to heal you on the inside.
This is the recipe we all need to calm down inflammation and feel clearer and more vital
Many years in clinic have given me insights into the sorts of conditions we’re fighting on a community level. And somewhere in the last 5 or years, inflammatory conditions have become so prevalent that there’s hardly a day goes by when I don’t meet somebody dealing with inflammation. It’s not always clear to my clients that inflammation is there though, so I’ve added a list here of some symptoms that I’ll habitually flag as ‘inflammatory’. See if you have any of them. Once you know if you’re suffering from inflammation on any level, you can take control of your health by eating an anti-inflammatory diet with recipes like this histamine-friendly chicken bone broth.
The inflammation process is natural and it’s our natural response to injury or illness. And that’s great in an acute sense, but when it becomes chronic, it can lead to a host of uncomfortable symptoms and long-term health issues. Your body produces inflammatory chemicals to deal with infection and injury and they’ll pull fluids to the area, heat it up, swell it up, make it sensitive and painful…..that’s not comfortable if it’s happening long term.
The science tells us that histamine, a neurochemical involved in immune responses, plays a significant role in exacerbating inflammatory conditions. By understanding the importance of maintaining low histamine levels, you can unlock a potential pathway to reduce inflammation and improve overall well-being.
All the veges. (Sze, 2023)
Symptoms that suggest inflammation are:
- Heat (localised and persisting in the same area)
- Swelling (localised and persisting in the same area)
- Joint pain
- Muscle pain
- Pain (localised and persisting in the same area)
- Fever or heat flashes
- Low energy and fatigue
- Headaches
- Muscle stiffness or tightness
- Redness or flushing on the face
- Digestive pain
- Insomnia
- Acid reflux
- Constipation or diarrhoea
- Weight gain
- Low immunity
- Recurrent infections
- Food intolerances
- Food allergies
- Eczema, atopic dermatitis
- Blepharitis or eye area redness and sensitivity
- On a blood test: high oesinophils, high C-Reactive protein, high Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
There are many more but these are the more common ones I see in clinic. Do any of these apply to you? Also, if you’re a perimenopausal or menopausal woman, you may be more likely to have inflammatory conditions. I always recommend an anti-inflammatory diet for the perimenopause and beyond. And even if you don’t have active symptoms, there’s no medicine like preventive medicine!
Could you have histamine intolerance?
When histamine levels are elevated, individuals may experience a variety of inflammatory symptoms, including skin rashes, itching, hives, nasal congestion, headaches, gastrointestinal disturbances, and even mood disorders. These symptoms are commonly associated with conditions like histamine intolerance, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allergies. But you could also be one of those people who don’t have a history of allergy or sensitivity, but with age, menopause, as an after-effect of COVID or chronic illness, you’re body is less able to deal with pro-inflammatory foods. That was me when I entered perimenopause at the eye doctor clinic trying to understand why all of a sudden, I was getting chronic blepharitis and styes that worsened when I ate standard bone broths, slow cooks and any histamine rich foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado and fermented foods. Fact is, the longer a food cooks for, the more histamine it builds up (flag: 6 hour slow cooks), and the older a food is, the more histamine it’s built up (flag: canned foods) and so on….
What’s happening internally when you start developing a histamine issue, is that the inflammation aspect of Histamine is too active. It triggers constant inflammatory responses, binding to specific receptors in different tissues, leading to blood vessel dilation, increased vascular permeability, and the release of other pro-inflammatory molecules. For anybody with a chronic gut condition, including malabsorption, coeliac, leaky gut, SIBO….you’ll do better on a low histamine diet. So here’s what to do to manage your histamine status:
- Low histamine diet
- Cook with histamine lowering (anti-inflammatory) herbs and spices
- Take Quercetin
- See a naturopath like me (or see me) for an anti-inflammatory protocol with diagnosis and prescription of herbs and nutrients and a suitable diet plan
- Avoid refined sugars, sweets, chocolate, alcohol and fermented foods, and canned foods
- Shorten cooking times by using a pressure cooker where appropriate
Maintaining low histamine levels can have a profound impact on reducing inflammatory symptoms. For individuals with histamine intolerance or MCAS, adopting a low-histamine diet can be a valuable strategy. This involves avoiding or minimizing histamine-rich foods and beverages such as aged cheeses, fermented foods, alcohol, cured meats, and certain vegetables and fruits. Additionally, some people may benefit from histamine-reducing supplements, such as DAO (diamine oxidase) or natural antihistamines like quercetin and vitamin C.
Ae easy low-histamine diet plan can help mitigate the inflammatory response, decrease histamine-related symptoms, and improve overall quality of life. It is essential to note that the underlying cause of high histamine levels should be addressed in consultation with a healthcare professional to ensure appropriate management. You can book in and see me via zoom or in person and we can get your health on track.
Ok time to make this broth!
How to make low histamine nourishing chicken bone broth with histamine-lowering herbs.
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Sautee the garlic, onion, bay leaves in a pot on medium heat for a few minutes. While they’re cooking, chop up the veges and get your chicken feet/bones ready.
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Add the veges and chicken to the pot and cover with water, you’ll need around 2-3L. Cook on low for 4 hours, then strain out the juice. I like to add lemon to mine.
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When it comes to storage, you can store in glass jars or freeze into ice cubes which makes it easy to cook with small portions of your broth.
Low Histamine Chicken Bone Broth
I just have to say this is sooooo good. It’s nourishing and moistening to the joints, full of collagen and minerals for your skin and bone health, and with just the right aromatic herbal kick. The herbs I used all help lower histamine levels. Veges are so important too.
For anyone with inflammation in the gut (think pain, distension, IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, SIBO or Coeliac) incorporating vegetable broths into your diet provides loads of benefits. Vegetable broths are rich in nutrients, easy to digest, and can help soothe and heal the gastrointestinal tract. They’re typically made by simmering a variety of vegetables and herbs in water, allowing the nutrients and flavors to infuse the broth.
This gentle cooking process releases essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are essential for nourishing gut health. Vegetable broths are also low in histamine, making them a suitable option for anyone with histamine intolerance or sensitivities. The vegetables I’ve used here are all low histamine. So having a bit of this broths in your daily diet will help reduce gut inflammation, improve digestion, and provide a nourishing foundation for overall health and well-being so you can SHINE with health 🙂
Low Histamine Nourishing Chicken Vege Broth
Equipment
- 1 Stock pot
- 1 Large strainer
- Storage jars or tubs
Ingredients
Saute mix
- 1 pc Onion (chopped roughly)
- 4 cloves Garlic (chopped roughly)
- 1/4 tsp Himalaya Pink Salt
- 3 pcs Bay leaves (fresh or dried)
Low Histamine Veges and Histamine Lowering Herbs
- 1/4 cup Parsley (chopped roughly)
- 2 Tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp Holy Basil dried
- 1 Tbsp Peppermint or Spearmint dried or 2 Tbsp if fresh
- 1/2 Tbsp Dill (dried) or 2 Tbsp if fresh
- 1/4 Bell Pepper (chopped roughly)
- 1 tsp Coriander leaf dried or 2 tsp if fresh
- 1 tsp Cumin seed (roughly ground)
- 1 tsp Nigella sativa seeds (Black Cumin)
- 1/4 tsp Ginger powder or 5-6 slices fresh Ginger
- 2 pcs Carrots (roughly chopped)
- 1 stalk Celery (chopped)
- 4 pcs Brussels Sprouts
- 1 cup Cauliflower (chopped roughly)
- 2 pcs Zucchinis (chopped roughly)
- 1 pc Parsnip (chopped roughly)
- 1 pc Turnip (chopped roughly)
Other
- 500 g Chicken bones
- 3 L water
- 1 Tbsp Organic Apple Cider Vinegar Optional, some people react to vinegar
Instructions
- Saute the onions, garlic, oil and bay leaves for a few minutes, then stir in the spices.
- Add veges, herbs and meat and cook covered in a slow cooker for up to 4 hours on medium or high setting.
- Strain and pour into storage jars or containers. Add to soups, casseroles, stews or anything you like, or even warm up and drink straight, throwing in some chopped onion and a little vegetable stock for more flavour.
Play around with the veges and spices, and don’t stress if you don’t the exact match to mine. But if using other veges, it’s worth checking on their histamine content first.
You might want to store in glass jars or as ice cubes. (Sze, 2023)
I hope your love this recipe, stay tuned for more. And if you want health tips and hacks, follow me on insta @gaia_herbalist and facebook @SulinNaturopath
Enjoy!
Hey there! Welcome to my world of totally natural and powerful healing medicines. Medicines from nature. Medicine from Source. I’m a naturopath and herbalist with extensive clinical experience working with a range of health conditions including hormonal, metabolic, mental health, sleep and more.
I’ve brought together years of clinical and teaching experience, academic skill and curiosity to bring you this blog. I hope you enjoy it! If you do, leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
