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  "description": "Histamine intolerance and fermented foods.",
  "path": "/the-importance-of-building-food-resilience/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-15T00:30:41.000Z",
  "site": "https://goodoil.news",
  "tags": [
    "Gary Moller",
    "Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis",
    "https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/copper",
    "https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/mitochondria",
    "garymoller.com"
  ],
  "textContent": "Gary Moller\n_Gary Moller is a health practitioner who is focused on addressing the root causes of ill health or poor performance by making use of a key forensic tool – Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis – and administering healthy, natural and sustainable therapies._\n\nOver recent years there has been increasing discussion about histamine intolerance and the role of fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, kombucha, yoghurt, aged cheeses, and similar foods. Some people thrive on them. Others react badly, developing symptoms such as:\n\n  * _Headaches_\n  *  _Flushing_\n  *  _Skin irritation_\n  *  _Sinus congestion_\n  *  _Palpitations_\n  *  _Anxiety_\n  *  _Bloating_\n  *  _Fatigue_\n  *  _Poor sleep_\n  *  _Digestive upset_\n\n\n\nThe modern tendency is often to label the food itself as ‘bad’ and to exclude it entirely. I believe we need to take a more thoughtful and physiologically intelligent approach than that.\n\n## Histamine Is Not the Enemy\n\nHistamine is not some dangerous poison that should automatically be feared or eliminated.\n\nIt is a vital part of normal human physiology.\n\nHistamine plays important roles in:\n\n  * _Immune defence_\n  *  _Inflammation_\n  *  _Stomach acid production_\n  *  _Brain signalling_\n  *  _Wakefulness and alertness_\n  *  _Blood vessel_\n  *  _Repair_\n\n\n\n> Histamine is not the enemy. Poor regulation is the problem.\n\nWithout histamine, we could not survive. Histamine helps the body in responding rapidly to injury, infection, allergens, parasites, toxins, and tissue damage. It forms part of the body’s frontline defence and repair system.\n\nThe problem is not histamine itself. The problem lies in poor regulation.\n\n## A Healthy Body Maintains Balance\n\nA healthy body carefully balances inflammatory activation with anti-inflammatory control.\n\nOne of the key systems involved in this balancing act is the adrenal gland system.\n\nThe adrenal glands produce cortisol, one of the body’s principal anti-inflammatory and regulatory hormones.\n\nPut simply:\n\n  * _Histamine helps activate the immune response._\n  * _Cortisol helps regulate and cool excessive inflammation._\n\n\n\nHistamine forms part of the accelerator. Cortisol forms part of the braking system.\n\n> A resilient body should adapt to food, not fear it.\n\nWhen the adrenal system is healthy and resilient, cortisol helps to:\n\n  * _Stabilise mast cells_\n  *  _Reduce excessive histamine release_\n  *  _Control inflammation_\n  *  _Maintain immunity_\n  *  _Recovery following stress_\n\n\n\nHowever, under prolonged stress, illness, poor sleep, emotional strain, toxic overload, chronic inflammation, infections, overtraining, nutrient depletion, or general exhaustion, the body’s regulatory systems may become overwhelmed. This is often when people begin reacting to foods that they previously tolerated perfectly well.\n\n## Histamine Intolerance Is Often a Sign of Reduced Resilience\n\nIf somebody reacts badly even to tiny amounts of sauerkraut or kimchi, we should not merely ask:\n\n  * ‘What is wrong with the food?’\n  * We should also ask:\n  * ‘What has reduced the body’s ability to regulate histamine properly?’\n\n\n\n> The goal is not perfect eating. The goal is metabolic resilience.\n\nIn many cases, this is not just a food issue. It may reflect broader disturbances involving:\n\n  * _Adrenal stress_\n  *  _Gut health_\n  *  _Mineral balance_\n  *  _Mitochondrial energy production_\n  *  _Oxygen delivery_\n  *  _Immune regulation_\n  *  _Nervous system overload_\n\n\n\nVery often, the body has simply lost its adaptive reserve.\n\n## A New Zealand Perspective on Nutrient Depletion\n\nOne important factor deserving special mention, particularly for New Zealanders, is the growing issue of nutrient depletion. Over many years of clinical observation and Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) testing, I have become increasingly concerned that New Zealand is now one of the most nutritionally depleted places on Earth, particularly regarding key trace minerals such as:\n\n  * _Zinc_\n  *  _Selenium_\n  *  _Magnesium_\n  *  _Iodine and_\n  *  _Other essential trace elements_\n\n\n\nThis becomes increasingly clear the further south we travel. Historically, New Zealand soils have long been recognised as low in selenium. However, modern agricultural practices, food processing, globalisation of the food supply, chemical farming methods, soil exhaustion, prolonged storage times, and the increasing consumption of processed foods have widened the gap between caloric intake and real nutritional sufficiency.\n\nPeople may consume plenty of food while remaining profoundly undernourished at a cellular level. This is where Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis becomes particularly revealing. When one examines HTMA patterns across thousands of people over many years, recurring trends become difficult to ignore. One of the strongest recurring patterns I observe is widespread mineral dysregulation, particularly involving copper, zinc, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and the broader stress-regulation systems of the body.\n\nAbout:\n\n  * _80 per cent of women_\n  * And around _60 per cent of men_\n\n\n\nI have written a lot about copper because it is such an important mineral when it comes to health and illness, especially for women, young and old. https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/copper\n\nSigns consistent with varying degrees of copper dysregulation. This does not necessarily mean ‘copper toxicity’ in the simplistic sense often discussed online. Copper is an essential mineral required for life. Rather, what I commonly observe is poor copper regulation and imbalance relative to other minerals, especially zinc. When copper becomes poorly managed within the body, we often see patterns involving:\n\n  * _Nervous system hypersensitivity_\n  *  _Histamine intolerance_\n  *  _Anxiety and emotional volatility_\n  *  _Poor stress tolerance_\n  *  _Fatigue_\n  *  _Sleep disturbance_\n  *  _Hormonal imbalance_\n  *  _Poor recovery_\n  *  _Immune dysregulation_\n\n\n\nThese patterns often occur alongside what is commonly called adrenal fatigue.\n\nTechnically, ‘adrenal fatigue’ is not an officially recognised diagnosis in conventional medicine. However, from a functional and physiological standpoint, it serves as a helpful term to describe what many individuals are experiencing: _a loss of adaptive reserve._ The body becomes less resilient, and the stress-regulation systems find it challenging to maintain balance. Additionally, regulating inflammatory processes becomes more difficult.\n\n> Food intolerance is often a signal of depletion, stress, and poor regulation rather than the food itself.\n\nThe person becomes increasingly reactive to:\n\n  * _Foods_\n  *  _Stress_\n  *  _Chemicals_\n  *  _Allergens_\n  *  _Lack of sleep_\n  *  _Exercise overload_\n  *  _Environmental triggers_\n\n\n\nThis is often where histamine intolerance enters the picture. A well-controlled body can usually tolerate reasonable histamine exposure from healthy foods without difficulty.\n\nHowever, a depleted, overstressed, mineral-deficient, poorly regulated body may struggle even with small amounts.\n\nThis is why I believe the answer is rarely as simple as permanently excluding foods.\n\nInstead, we should look more deeply at:\n\n  * _Mineral balance_\n  *  _Adrenal resilience_\n  *  _Sleep quality_\n  *  _Digestive health_\n  *  _Metabolic energy production_\n  *  _Oxygen delivery_\n  *  _Stress load_\n  *  _Whole-food nutrient density_\n\n\n\nWhen these foundational systems improve, the body often regains much of its lost tolerance and adaptability.\n\n## Nutrients That Influence Histamine Regulation\n\nSeveral nutrients and metabolic systems are deeply involved in histamine tolerance and inflammatory regulation.\n\n### Zinc\n\nZinc plays a major role in:\n\n  * _Immune regulation_\n  *  _Gut integrity_\n  *  _DAO enzyme activity_\n  *  _Balancing copper metabolism_\n\n\n\nLow zinc status is commonly associated with poor stress tolerance, poor digestion, and increased inflammatory sensitivity.\n\n### Magnesium\n\nMagnesium assists in:\n\n  * _Calming the nervous system_\n  *  _Supporting adrenal function_\n  *  _Stabilising cells_\n  *  _Reducing excessive excitability_\n\n\n\nMany stressed and inflamed people are magnesium deficient.\n\n### Selenium\n\nSelenium is important for:\n\n  * _Thyroid health_\n  *  _Immune balance_\n  *  _Antioxidant protection_\n  *  _Reducing oxidative stress_\n\n\n\n### B Vitamins\n\nEspecially:\n\n  * _Vitamin B6_\n  *  _Folate_\n  *  _Vitamin B12_\n\n\n\nThese nutrients support:\n\n  * _Methylation_\n  *  _Detoxification_\n  *  _Neurotransmitter balance_\n  *  _Histamine metabolism_\n\n\n\n### Copper Dysregulation\n\nCopper is essential for life and for oxygen-dependent metabolism.\n\nHowever, excessive bio-unavailable copper or poor copper-zinc balance may contribute to:\n\n  * _Nervous system irritability_\n  *  _Stress intolerance_\n  *  _Mast-cell instability_\n  *  _Poor inflammatory regulation_\n\n\n\n### Oxygen and Mitochondrial Energy Production\n\nPoor oxygen delivery, sluggish circulation, chronic inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and reduced metabolic energy production may all impair the body’s ability to regulate inflammatory responses appropriately. A depleted body is usually a more reactive body. https://www.garymoller.com/blog/search/mitochondria\n\n## Fermented Foods Are Not ‘Bad’\n\nTraditional fermented foods have nourished human beings for thousands of years.\n\nThey may support:\n\n  * _Microbial diversity_\n  *  _Digestion_\n  *  _Immune function_\n  *  _Nutrient absorption_\n  *  _Food preservation_\n\n\n\nThe problem is not necessarily the fermented food itself. The problem is often whether the person who is eating it has the strength and energy to handle it well. A healthy person may thrive on fermented foods. A stressed, inflamed, sleep-deprived, nutrient-deficient person may react badly. That does not necessarily mean the food should be banned permanently from a person’s diet.\n\n## Start Low, Go Slow\n\nOne of the wisest principles in nutrition and healing is: _start low, go slow._ The digestive system is adaptive. It learns. When introducing unfamiliar or biologically active foods, especially fermented foods, the body often requires time to adapt.\n\nThis may involve gradual changes in:\n\n  * _Gut bacteria_\n  *  _Enzyme production_\n  *  _Immune tolerance_\n  *  _Stomach acid production_\n  *  _Bile flow_\n  *  _Histamine-processing pathways_\n\n\n\n> Start low, go slow: the digestive system learns and adapts over time.\n\nTraditional cultures generally consumed fermented foods in modest quantities alongside meals, rather than in large therapeutic doses. For somebody sensitive to histamines, even beginning with **_one teaspoon of sauerkraut with a meal_**. This may be enough initially.\n\nOver time, tolerance may gradually improve as the body regains resilience.\n\n## Beware of Fear-Based Food Restriction\n\nOne of my growing concerns is the increasing fear surrounding food. Many people progressively narrow their diets after reacting to foods, eventually becoming fearful of eating almost anything unfamiliar. This can become socially isolating and metabolically unhealthy.\n\nHuman beings are extraordinarily adaptable creatures. One of humanity’s greatest evolutionary strengths has been the ability to survive almost anywhere on Earth and make nourishing use of whatever foods were locally available.\n\nFood is also about:\n\n  * _Family_\n  *  _Hospitality_\n  *  _Community_\n  *  _Culture_\n  *  _Tradition_\n\n\n\nTo sit at another person’s table and gratefully share the meal placed before you is one of the oldest human rituals of trust and belonging.\n\nOf course, real allergies and serious intolerances must be respected. However, outside such situations, we should be careful about turning food exclusion into a rigid ideology.\n\n## The Goal Should Be Food Resilience\n\nRather than striving for perfection, I believe the better long-term goal is resilience.\n\nThat means:\n\n  * _Supporting digestion_\n  *  _Improving sleep and recovery_\n  *  _Restoring adrenal resilience_\n  *  _Correcting mineral deficiencies_\n  *  _Reducing toxic load_\n  *  _Supporting mitochondrial health_\n  *  _Gradually broadening food tolerance where possible_\n\n\n\nThe body is designed to adapt. Often, with time, nourishment, and sensible progression, tolerance improves. The goal should not ordinarily be lifelong fear and restriction. The goal should be a robust, adaptable organism capable of enjoying a wide range of nourishing foods and participating fully in the deeply human experience of sharing meals together.\n\n> Rather than declaring war on foods, we should restore the body’s ability to regulate and recover.\n\n## Final Thoughts\n\nHistamine intolerance is real. However, histamine itself is not the villain. Very often, histamine intolerance is the body signalling that its regulatory systems are under strain and in need of support. Rather than simply declaring war on foods, we should instead look more deeply at the terrain of the body itself. That is often where the real opportunity for healing and resilience lies.\n\n### Medical Disclaimer\n\n _This article is provided for educational purposes only and reflects the opinions and clinical observations of Gary Moller, natural health practitioner. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease and should not replace personalised medical advice from your doctor or qualified healthcare provider._\n\n_This article was originally published by_ garymoller.com_._",
  "title": "The Importance of Building Food Resilience",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-15T00:30:40.975Z"
}