Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, and probiotic supplements for migraines
Is it possible to maintain a healthy microbiota without taking probiotics?
Eating a plant-rich diet and leading a healthy lifestyle are undoubtedly the best guarantees of good intestinal health, more so than taking any probiotic supplements.
There’s absolutely no problem with not taking probiotic supplements. Even if you didn’t eat probiotic foods, nothing would be wrong. This topic could only be emphasized if you are taking a diet or taking some medication that weakens the intestinal flora.
What are the best foods for intestinal flora?
If you decide to improve your gut flora, you need to start with a proper diet: rich in pectin fiber (applesauce, baked apples, etc.), foods rich in resistant starch (prebiotic potatoes), and a vegetable-rich diet in general. All of these foods provide highly fermentable fiber that promotes healthy gut flora, increases beneficial gut flora, and exerts health benefits (prebiotic effect).
In addition to diet, it is also advisable to eat probiotic foods, which are those that contain large amounts of live beneficial bacteria, such as fermented foods: yogurt, bifidus yogurt, milk kefir, water kefir, sauerkraut, miso, etc. Eating these foods helps “populate” our intestines with these good microorganisms.
Histamine-free diet and probiotic foods
The DAO enzyme deficiency diet for migraines immediately recommends avoiding foods containing histamine and therefore avoiding fermented foods (i.e., probiotics like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, etc.). However, this isn’t a strict recommendation, It is not a strict recommendation, and there is not much problem in eating these foods.
Usually fall in the error to lump all histamine-rich foods together, but the truth is that some foods contain a LOT of histamine, and others that don’t. To illustrate this, here’s an example: yogurt contains 0.1 mg of histamine per 100g, while cured cheese has 50 mg of histamine per 100g. The difference is significant. to lump all histamine-rich foods together, but the truth is that some foods contain a LOT of histamine, and others that don’t. To illustrate this, here’s an example: yogurt contains 0.1 mg of histamine per 100g, while cured cheese has 50 mg of histamine per 100g. The difference is significant.
* More information: Table of histamine content in foods
Can you eat yogurt and kefir on the DAO or low histamine diet?
It’s impossible to follow a 100% histamine-free diet, and the goal of the DAO diet is to reduce it as much as possible. However, this also makes no sense certain excessively strict restrictions if you can tolerate certain amounts of histamine. Ultimately, it all depends on individual tolerance (i.e., the individual’s DAO enzyme capacity).
It is only recommended to completely eliminate all foods containing histamine during migraine episodes or symptoms of excess histamine (which can be dermatological, gastrointestinal, or neurological). On other days, it is recommended not to combine foods that contain or significantly increase histamine, but you can eat them as tolerated.
It should be take into account that certain medications can increase histamine levels so, if taken, it may decrease tolerance to foods that have histamine, even if it is small.
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