Eating a low-histamine diet can get really bland, especially in the sauces department. Most store-bought sauces and dressings contain vinegar and expeller-pressed oils, both of which can trigger migraine. So I wanted to share this very simple recipe with you, to give you more healthy and tasty options in the kitchen while you are working to heal the root cause of your migraines. (The way to do that is through mineral balancing. Eventually, through mineral balancing, you won’t have to eat low histamine anymore!)
This Lebanese Garlic Sauce is easy to make, very delicious, and very versatile, but best of all, it will also reduce histamine in your body. Olive oil has been shown to increase the production of Diamine Oxidase, the enzyme that breaks down histamine.
In terms of minerals, the garlic in this recipe is an excellent source of both sulfur and manganese. Sulfur is needed for the master antioxidant glutathione, and manganese is especially important for protecting the mitochondria from oxidative stress and for reducing glutamate buildup in the brain.
While it’s true that some migraineurs are sensitive to citrus, the amount of citrus in this dressing is small enough that it poses significantly less of a triggering effect than vinegar. Both citrus and vinegar contain salycilates, but vinegar also contains other biogenic amines because it is fermented. So, citrus is a better option to add a tangy flavor in sauces. (I hypothesize that migraineurs who are triggered by citrus may be more likely to have migraines caused by copper toxicity than those who have a copper deficiency – you can read more about that in my blog post here).
I’ve adapted this recipe from Mama’s Lebanese Kitchen. The original recipe suggests using vegetable or canola oil, which we know is a major migraine trigger. Remember, migraineurs need to avoid expeller-pressed vegetable oils at all costs. So, my version of this recipe uses organic olive oil only – which seems more authentic, since this is the oil originally used by Lebanese cooks before expeller-pressed oils came onto the market.
I like to use this sauce on tacos (I make my own organic blue corn tortillas fresh using Gold Mine Masa), but it’s very versatile.
Ingredients
- 3 heads of peeled garlic (learn how to quickly peel garlic in this awesome vid)
- 4-5 cups of organic olive oil
- 1 lemon, freshly juiced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- Be sure that all ingredients are at room temp before starting.
- Blend the garlic and salt in the food processor for about 20 seconds.
- Stop blending from time to time to scrape the garlic mixture down from the sides of the processor. Then repeat the process of blending about 3-4 times until the garlic mixture turns into a paste.
- While the food processor is turned on, add oil slowly in a very thin stream, ½ cup at a time. You will begin to see the garlic emulsify.
- With the blender still on, slowly add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice in a thin stream.
- Continue the same process of alternating adding oil and lemon juice – slowly adding ½ cup of olive oil, waiting a few seconds, then adding ½ teaspoon of lemon juice until you’ve used up all of the ingredients.
- The key to getting this sauce to be a nice texture is to add both the oil and the salt in VERY slowly. If you go too fast the paste could turn into liquid. This can also happen if you have too much oil in relation to lemon juice, or vice versa. In this case you may add a small amount of cooked potato to thicken the mixture to the desired consistency.
Variation
If you’d like to make this recipe even better at combating histamine, add in some fresh basil.
Enjoy!
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Migraine Relief Coaching with Marya
For the past 3 years, Marya has been helping those with chronic migraine to clear their head, heal their digestion, regain their energy, and transform their lives using simple plant and mineral solutions.
Disclaimer
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and not meant to replace diagnosis, treatment, or prescription by a qualified medical professional.