If you have Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, don’t give into sugar temptations! Sugar is well known to increase histamine levels and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms.

The Problems with Sugar and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance

Histamine plays a role in the development of Type 2 Diabetes. Mast Cell Activation is also involved in Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome.

Sugar consumption is also linked with increased asthma in children. Asthma is often associated with Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

If you want to control your Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance, it is important to control your blood sugar. So, you want to avoid using sugar in all forms:

• Agave
• Brown Rice Syrup
• Cane sugar (white, brown, and turbinado cane sugar)
• Coconut Sugar
• Corn Syrup and High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Date Sugar
• Dextrose
• Honey
• Maple Syrup
• Molasses

Of these sugars, coconut sugar is the lowest glycemic. This means it affects blood sugar the least. But coconut sugar will still cause your blood sugar to go up.

These are the kinds of Food Triggers I mention in my Mast Cell 360 – 7 Common Root Causes of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. (These are the same root causes in Histamine Intolerance too!)

So, what should you do if you enjoy sweets and you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance?

Sweetener Options when you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance

First, let’s talk about what sweeteners you DON’T want to use. You definitely don’t want to use artificial sweeteners. These are:

• Acesulfame Potassium – Brands: Sunnett, Sweet One
• Aspartame – Brands: Nutrasweet, Equal
• Saccharin – Brands: Sweet ‘N Low, Sweet Twin, Sugar Twin
• Sucralose – Splenda

These are harmful chemicals. There is significant research that these artificial sweeteners cause health issues. These can increase Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.

Also be careful with Sugar Alcohols in “sugar free” foods. These can cause gut issues. Sugar alcohols include:

• Isomalt
• Lactitol
• Maltitol
• Mannitol
• Sorbitol
• Xylitol

So, what sweeteners CAN you use when you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance?

The best sweeteners when you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance are:

• Organic Stevia
• 100% Monk Fruit

You have to watch out, though! The majority of the time Monk Fruit has additives like the sugar alcohol erythritol. And Stevia is often packaged with Dextrose.

Here are the brands of 100% Stevia and Monk Fruit that I use that are additive-free:

Pure Monk Fruit Extract, Organic Better Stevia 
(or Organic Better Stevia Alcohol Free)

Stevia can have a little bit of a bitter aftertaste. So, I mostly use it in herbal teas or I combine it with Monk Fruit. Monk Fruit has a slightly caramel flavor. I like it much better for desserts.

Both Stevia and Monk Fruit have a lot of health benefits if you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance!

Stevia has shown to help lower blood sugar. Good news for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance!

And Monk Fruit (also called Lo Han Kuo) has been shown to help reduce Histamine from mast cell activation. It has also shown in research to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Since inflammation increases Mast Cell Activation and Histamine production – anything anti-inflammatory is usually a great thing for you!

You can see why Stevia and Monk Fruit are my favorite sweeteners. These are what I use in this Apple Crumble Dessert.

So, let’s get on to the recipe!

Low Histamine Apple Crumble Recipe (also lower oxalate, low lectin) for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance

This is one of my favorite desserts. It is satisfying and full of histamine lowering ingredients. Apples are a great source of quercetin – a well-known Mast Cell stabilizer.

And we’ve already discussed the great properties of Stevia and Monk Fruit.

Allspice, Clove, and Cinnamon are traditional in baked apple desserts. But these are all Histamine Liberators.

So, instead I use a little Cardamom – which has anti-inflammatory properties.

And here is my secret ingredient…

Camu Camu powder! This is a low histamine, low oxalate foods-based source of Vitamin C. It’s my favorite source of Vitamin C, actually. And it has a nice allspice flavor that works beautifully with apples. You want Organic and a reliable brand free of toxins. I use Navitas Camu Camu powder.

Pecans can be high in mold toxins. To reduce them, I recommend soaking pecans in salt water for 12 hours in the fridge. Then dry them until crispy in a food dehydrator or oven on lowest temperature.

One last tip – make SURE your apples are organic. Conventional apples are notoriously high in pesticide residues that can make Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance worse.

So, let’s put all this together for this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 organic apples (any kind)
• 1/4 teaspoon Pure Monk Fruit Extract
• ½ teaspoon Navitas Organic Camu Camu powder, divided
• ½ teaspoon Organic Cardamom powder, divided
• ½ teaspoon Raw Organic Vanilla Powder, divided
• 2 Pinches of Redmond Real Salt
• ¼ cup grass fed ghee or Virgin Coconut Oil, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon Pure Monk Fruit Extract OR 10-20 drops Organic Better Stevia
• ½ cup of chopped, organic pecans (soaked and dried)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. Use ghee or coconut oil to grease a 6×9” glass baking dish.
3. Wash apples and slice into ¼” slices. The quercetin is mostly in the peel, so I leave the peel on.
4. Mix together 1 pinch of salt and ¼ tsp each Monk Fruit Powder, Camu Camu powder, Cardamom powder, and Vanilla powder. Toss apples with this mixture.
5. Arrange apples in bottom of the baking dish.
6. Put ghee or coconut oil, chopped pecans, 1 pinch salt, Stevia or Monk Fruit, and ¼ tsp each Camu Camu powder, Cardamom powder, and Vanilla powder into a food processor.
7. Pulse the nut crumble mixture until well combined and the ingredients start to stick together. Don’t over process.
8. Layer the crumble mixture on top of the apples.
9. Bake 20-30 minutes, until apples are soft and cooked through. Keep an eye on the topping to make sure it doesn’t burn. If topping starts to get too brown, lower temperature or cover the dish.
10. This freezes well. Enjoy and freeze the leftovers!

Want to step this recipe up a notch? You can top it with Whipped Coconut Cream!

Optional Coconut Cream Topping:

• 1 cup Let’s Do Organic Coconut Cream
• 1 Tablespoon Pure Monk Fruit Extract
• ½ teaspoon raw vanilla powder

1. Scoop out 1 cup of coconut cream. Whip the coconut cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a whisk.OR
   If you have coconut milk on hand, you can use that, too. Here’s how.
   Allow coconut milk to sit in the refrigerator all night, remove it from the fridge.
   Then open the package and scoop only the thickest cream from the top of the package.
2. Top apple crumble with coconut cream.
3. You can use the leftover coconut water or coconut cream for smoothies or other recipes. You can freeze it in an ice cube tray to make it easier to use.

More Low Histamine Desserts

• Mango Ice Cream – Low Lectin, Low Oxalate
• White Chocolate Cookie Dough – Low Lectin and Medium Oxalate
• Macadamia Nut Butter – Low FODMAP, Low Lectin, and Low Oxalate
• 6 Layer Cranberry Trifle – Low Lectin and Low Oxalate
• Pecan Clusters – Low Lectin and Medium Oxalate
• Baked Peaches – Medium Oxalate and Low Lectin

References about Relationships between Sugar Consumption, Type 2 Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and Histamine Intolerance 

Anti-inflammatory activities of mogrosides from Momordica grosvenori in murine macrophages and a murine ear edema model

Are mast cells important in diabetes?

Effect of Lo Han Kuo (Siraitia grosvenori Swingle) on nasal rubbing and scratching behavior in ICR mice.

Histamine H4 receptor antagonism prevents the progression of diabetic nephropathy in male DBA2/J mice

Histamine in diabetes: Is it time to reconsider?

Histamine metabolism in diabetic rats

Per capita sugar consumption is associated with severe childhood asthma: an ecological study of 53 countries

Rebaudioside A potently stimulates insulin secretion from isolated mouse islets: studies on the dose-, glucose-, and calcium-dependency

Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin: actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine triphosphate-sensitive K+-channel activity

*Some links in this website are affiliate links, which means Mast Cell 360 may make a very small commission if you purchase through the link. It never costs you any more to purchase through the links, and we try to find the best deals we can. We only recommend products that we love and use personally or use in the Mast Cell 360 practice. Any commissions help support the newsletter, website, and ongoing research so Mast Cell 360 can continue to offer you free tips, recipes, and info. Thank you for your support!