Can a Carnivore Diet Cause Food Allergies? Or Does It Help Allergies?

Can meat cause allergies? Can people even be allergic to meat? What does having a meat allergy mean? Can a carnivore diet cause food allergies? What is histamine intolerance?

These are just a few of the questions I’m asking myself as I dive deeper into the world of carnivory, aka the carnivore diet lifestyle. Why would I even begin to ask myself these questions? Because I have been eating predominantly meat for the past 2 years and a lot of it is beef.

The general skeptic and worrying part of my ego say, “what if you eat so much beef that your body starts to reject it, creating an allergy.”

Yeah, that’s the kind of self-talk I deal with now and then.

The other part of me just wants to know more about allergies and histamine in general as a lot of people ask me about this.

That’s why this article is going to based on meat allergies, histamine intolerance and how the carnivore diet plays into all of this.

But first, let’s re-examine allergies. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “allergies are your body’s reaction to what is normally a harmless substance, such as pollen, molds, animal dander, latex, certain foods, and insect stings.”

I should mention that if you are new to the carnivore diet that after you read this head on over to our article, “The Carnivore Diet 101: A Meaty Resource.”

Carnivore Diet As Allergy Relief?

I think a good start is to address the carnivore diet and explain one of the main reasons for trying it is to find relief from allergies and inflammation.

A large number of people that have gone on this diet have experienced improved health by reducing the symptoms of allergies.

Many people with chronic health problems and inflammation have found that by reducing or eliminating certain plant foods from their diet they in turn improve their symptoms.

However the carnivore diet doesn’t seem to be a cure-all as some people report unwanted symptoms and inflammation associated with histamine intolerance which is just another form allergy.

We will discuss this in more detail toward the end of this article and possible solutions.

What’s Up with Meat Allergies?

Plant allergies are common knowledge but meat allergies are a new concept for me. I had to review the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology website to get acquainted.

On it they have a whole section dedicated to meat allergies.

According to them these are the more common meat allergy symptoms:

1. Runny Nose
2. Stuffy Nose
3. Nausea
4. Skin Rash

What type of meat are we talking about?

1. Beef
2. Lamb
3. Pork
4. Venison
5. Seal
6. Whale

Potential Causes of Meat Allergies

Lone Star Ticks

What? A bite from a Lone Star Tick can cause red meat and pork allergy. Talk about some horrible luck and unfortunate circumstances.

These ticks are found in the Southern US, New England area from Iowa to Texas.

The ACAAI says, “This specific allergy is related to a carbohydrate called alpha-gal and is best diagnosed with a blood test. Although reactions to foods typically occur immediately, in the instance of allergic reactions to alpha-gal, symptoms often take several hours to develop.”

The delay from eating meat and to when symptoms occur can pose a challenge for diagnosis. They recommend working with an expert allergist to determine a diagnosis.

Time

According to the ACAAI people can develop allergies to meat over time. Is that from overconsumption? It doesn’t say and I hope not as us carnivores eat copious amounts of meat daily.

Milk and Meat Allergy Connection

It is said that a small percentage of children with milk allergies can also have a beef allergy. It’s possible to have your child tested for meat allergies if suspected.

Bodies Over Reaction

When someone eats a piece of meat that they are allergic to the body’s immune system overreacts to certain proteins and releases histamine.

Histamine is a compound found in the body that is part of the immune response. It plays a part in inflammation as well.

Some more symptoms associated with meat allergies according to ACAAI.

• Vomiting
• Stomach cramps
• Indigestion
• Diarrhea
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
• Repetitive cough
• Tightness in throat, hoarse voice
• Weak pulse
• Pale or blue coloring of the skin
• Hives
• Swelling, can affect the tongue and/or lips
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Anaphylaxis, a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction

Don’t Get Triggered

When first triggered your body freaks out and overreacts to certain meat proteins and then your body makes antibodies to destroy the fake threat.

Now that you have been triggered, every time the protein/allergy threat is introduced within the body it binds to the antibodies and forces a release of histamine, and in return that’s what triggers the symptoms.

People experience a range of severity from mild to extreme and in some cases causing a trip to the ER.

Allergists and Diagnosis

Obviously if someone is concerned with a food allergy or meat allergy it’s probably best to speak with a doctor or allergist. From what I’ve read they will perform numerous tests like blood tests and food tests as well as give you a food and symptom questionnaire.

Allergists can also do a highly dangerous food test to help with the diagnosis. Basically they feed you the suspected food to try to prompt the allergic reaction. The good thing is they have emergency medication ready and emergency medical equipment at the ready should it get really, really bad.

This is also where that epinephrine comes in handy should one have anaphylaxis, a deadly type of reaction. Epinephrine helps stop this.

Carnivore Diet and Histamine Intolerance

While we are on the topic of meat allergies we should discuss some of the challenges of histamine intolerance when it comes to eating an all-meat diet.

What is histamine intolerance?

Normal healthy functioning bodies have healthy levels of histamines. In fact they are integral for keeping you alert and active. However some of us have situations where if too many histamines are introduced into the body by eating it will cause inflammation and unwanted symptoms. Yet this idea isn’t fully understood by doctors.

Carnivore diet doctor and proponent Dr. Paul Saladino explains, “the condition is likely connected with leaky gut and the inability of the liver to break down histamine containing compounds in food.”

Here is a study:

• Histamine and histamine intolerance.

That study says, “Histamine intolerance results from a disequilibrium of accumulated histamine and the capacity for histamine degradation.” It goes on to say that Diamine Oxidase a substance produced by the kidneys helps break down the histamine. In laymen terms…if your body is screwed up and not producing enough DOA then chances are you could be having a histamine intolerance problem.

When this happens some people are prescribed certain meds or take over the counter anti-histamines. These can make you sleepy and feel like crap.

Another way to combat this problem is with the supplementation of DOA. Some people get a chemically produced version while others eat fresh beef kidney or take beef kidney supplements.

I highly recommend this high-quality brand from Ancestral Supplements. They use properly raised grass-fed beef. Plus, they usually give our readers a 10% off discount with the link below.

• Ancestral Supplements Beef Kidney

Drop the Histamines

Sometimes it may be better to get to the root cause which may be diet. The carnivore diet isn’t perfect for all of us as it contains histamines which are found in different quantities in different meat. Some of the meats with high quantities of histamine are:

1. Pork (in general0)
2. Sausage
3. Processed Meats
4. Canned Meats like Tuna or Sardines
5. Smoked Meats including Smoked Salmon
6. Aged meat and even aged ground beef or cuts
7. Cheese
8. Hydrolyzed Collagen

A possible Carnivore Solution is a carnivore style elimination diet. Eating only fresh, non-processed animal and fish products is the way to go.

The patients of Dr. Paul Saladino have seen the improvement in histamine intolerance symptoms over time with a carnivore diet. He believes it may be due the body being able to heal itself and the gut after removing crappy plant-based foods.

In fact the more I learn about vegetables and fruits the more I dislike them and that’s why we wrote these two articles.

• 5 Ways Green Smoothies Are Killing You!
• 10 Chemicals in Plant Food Slowly Killing You

Carnivore Diet Testimonials in Relation to Allergies

There is an amazing online community at MeatRx in which people share testimonials. Here is a link to the section specific to allergies.

The website is partially run by Dr. Shawn Baker who recently wrote the book, “The Carnivore Diet” which I recommend. While on the topic books Dr. Paul Saladino also has a book out now called “The Carnivore Code”.

Community of Carnivores

If you are new to carnivore and are looking for a place with like-minded individuals then check out The World Carnivore Tribe on Facebook. Here you will find people asking and answering carnivore diet-related questions. It’s an inspirational community!

Conclusions!

So I wasn’t able to find a conclusive answer on if the over-consumption of meat will possibly lead to a meat allergy but I was able to drop some knowledge on the other topics.

Hopefully this article is able to point you in the right direction when it comes to food allergies, histamine intolerance, and the relation to the carnivore diet.

If you need more fascinating information then continue to look over our website. If you want to read some of our top articles then try these:

1. Top 11 Carnivore Diet Mistakes
2. How The Carnivore Diet Sent Me To The Emergency Room
3. 16 Perfect Snacks for People on a Carnivore Diet & Meat Lovers

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor. Consult with and ask your doctor about any diet or medical-related questions. No information on this site should be used to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition.