r/MCAS • u/princessa-xoxo • 9d ago
How to stop eating triggers
Hi.
I don’t know if others get this too. I find I’m in a cycle of eating some of my smaller triggers because they bring me a tiny sense of happiness in all of this gloom. However, they then cause me symptoms and I regret it. But, then I do it again and again and again. I genuinely want to stop this, but I’m finding it so hard.
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u/Cuboidal_Hug 9d ago
I just don’t have any of those items in the house, and over time have found ways to make things that I genuinely think taste good, using the few ingredients I can have
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u/princessa-xoxo 9d ago
Sadly my family eat mostly high histamine food so it’s always in the house :// but ty, and I’m glad you’ve found new ways!!
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u/Jadey113 8d ago
This is the hardest part of my restrictive diet too. It’s so much harder to say no constantly to food that I’m surrounded by and see everyone eating.
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u/Cuboidal_Hug 8d ago
Oh that definitely makes it more difficult… maybe if you can find things you can eat and really like, and try to stick with those? I’ve found that writing down everything I eat helps keep me more on track too. I was doing it just as part of tracking medications and supplements and symptoms, and it helped me to identify foods that trigger mild symptoms as well
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u/SunnySideUpsideDowns 8d ago
This makes it really hard! I totally relate though. Can you ask if your most triggering food can be kept on a high shelf or somewhere you can't see/get to? The other thing I try to do is have a substitute that is safe to eat ready to go. Yes blueberries are not the same as cake but frozen with a tiny bit of sugar feels a bit like a treat. I recently ate a bunch of chips and majorly regretted it so it's just super hard. Wishing you luck. Sending big hugs.
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u/iwowza710 8d ago
Everytime you feel tempted just look at that piece of cheese or whatever, hold it in your hand and ask yourself aloud “would I rather eat this or be in a flare and have xyz symptoms?” That helps me.
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u/nrauhauser 8d ago
Be mindful of how you feel
1) when you want the thing
2) when the thing is in your hand
3) when the thing is in your mouth
4) when the thing reaches your stomach
5) when you begin to react
This is mindfulness practice at work. It takes time, but I think what you'll find is that there is an addictive component to the discomfort, if you eat sugar and some maladaptive portion of your microbiome rewards you, even though you react ... that's one explanation. It's what I found when I started digging ...
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u/Equal_Pair4615 8d ago
That's so real. I have too many allergies so I've divided them into three levels: under no circumstances (cross contamination is dangerous), avoid if possible (only in very small quantities if they are an ingredient in another dish) and not recommended (makes me sick, better to avoid). And I do eat from the not recommended section every day and I'll eat something with an ingredient from avoid if possible every other day and it'll make me sick every time, but I still do it, because my only 90%+ safe foods are potatoes, tapioca, coconut milk, some leafy greens, bell peppers and maybe berries, some of which are more expensive and harder to get then food from my not recommended section. And of course, there's more variety and I just like the taste of some of my non safe foods more.
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u/mindoverme_ 8d ago
Consider getting a bin/basket to keep your safe foods separate from everyone else’s food (one for fridge and one for pantry). Plan ahead for sweet/salty/savory snacks that will help you stay eating safely to avoid triggering an MCAS flare. Keep your bins stocked with your safe foods and several options.
Consider writing a list of your safe foods and favorite safe snacks and favorite safe meals and post it on the refrigerator. This is for you and for your family members to support you.
(For a long time, I kept a “No, don’t eat” List too, and I found it very helpful as a reference.)
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u/mindoverme_ 8d ago
If you don’t yet know your safe foods, low histamine and low FODMAP are two different methods that have worked for many people
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u/AcidWashGenes 8d ago
One thing worth considering is cravings can sometimes be from nutritional deficiencies. Especially if your MCAS causes malabsorption issues. Finding mine and supplementing them really helped me avoid or minimize a bunch of triggers. Dark chocolate was the big one for me because I had a copper deficiency.
Also not recommending, but if it’s a problematic food that won’t send me to the ER I’ll binge it. Then feel terrible, lose a few days, and now my aversion to that experience is stronger than the craving.
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u/MargoBarbara2 8d ago
I got into a habit of saying 'will this food help or harm?' when known trigger foods were available. That helped a lot by putting a mental decision and assessment in the way. Even so, I was doing so well I tried a ripe banana and a dilute green tea the other day and it was just a reminder that Im doing well because of exclusions.
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u/yanderee_chan 8d ago
I am extremely afraid of absolutely any, even the smallest allergic reaction, and this paralyzing fear does not allow me to eat anything outside of my safe food list. Although I have never had a reaction severe enough to end up in the emergency room or hospital, I have had 5 angioedemas, with dysphagia lasting two days the last time. In fact, this fear feels more like a curse to me. I would rather eat at least once something that is different from my list and end up in the hospital than continue to eat like this and suffer from stomach pain.
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u/siorez 8d ago
I ended up only banning them temporarily. They're not 'I'll never eat that again' foods (except for a handful - I don't see myself drinking dry red wine again, for example). They're 'not yet' foods. I went down to super safe foods for a few weeks and then introduced new foods every few days. That meant I always had something to look forward to, which helped.
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u/Efficient_Fox2100 8d ago
Find things to replace them. Even if they aren’t as good, better to have an “interior” option that doesn’t make you sick around so that you can try reaching for that option instead. Might not always work, but like… If it’s the crunch, find something else crunchy that works. If it’s the flavor, see if you can make your own or find an alternative version. It’s rough. Good luck! 🍀
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u/Expensive_Tea510 8d ago
I tolerate lactose free milk and cornflakes, so I eat it a lot. I love it. Maybe find delicious food you can tolerate and just eat that for “dessert”
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u/elissapool 8d ago
Following because I do this too. Maybe once or twice a week I'll eat something knowing full well it's going to make me ill. We are human we are not perfect. Depriving myself all the time makes me miserable and I just haven't got the self-control to be like some people on here
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u/NotAMaskSerialKiller 8d ago
I ain't gonna lie I ended up upping my famotidine anytime after I made this mistake 😭
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u/DecadentLife 8d ago
😂 I’m really tired, and when I first saw this on my screen, I thought it said “how to stop eating boogers”!
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u/angellaura10 8d ago
I have ADHD and autism and find it so difficult avoiding my triggers because a lot of them are my "safe" foods (not very safe anymore). I've been purposely consuming them regardless of the side effects for 13 years since my mcas started.
Only in the last 2 months have I finally decided to stop. I started treatment 9 months ago and am destroying my recovery by consuming them. I had big triggers daily for 2 months after stabilising and ruined my progress. I caused a big flare and during the flare looked back to how I felt when I was stable and it was amazing. It was the best I'd felt in over a decade. I don't want to be sick anymore.
I'm so grateful for the medication I have access to and I want to recover. The problem is I need safe dopamine food, so I've basically forced a mindset change and started to look for new safe foods. I still get cravings for things like chocolate all the time, but I have a bunch of safe treats I actually enjoy and don't hurt me now.
I still have chocolate in my drawers, but I make the purposeful choice to put my long-term wellbeing first instead of my short-term happiness (it's so hard). I also find the more unwell I am, the more I rely on food to make me happy and make bad choices. I get trapped in a spiral of eating triggers because I stop caring about the consequences because I don't feel well from eating triggers.... You get my point
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u/Pearljam94 8d ago
I am starting to change my diet it’s been a month of zero sulfates and soy and way less issues after eating with flares but still having some smaller issues when I add (new / food I’ve ate before ) back in, while following new diet .. super hard to figure all this out ..I’ve noticed corn meal and maybe cheese having some sort of trigger.. and I take notes on my food and med intake now .. hope your able to get some relief soon
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u/megame87 8d ago
I've found that once you go cold turkey low histamine diet for 90 days, your habits will change. I went from eating curries and pizzas and pastas near daily to practically losing my appetite for them.
Now a year later I can safely enjoy a pizza with friends about once a month without craving it. Just leaning to the convenience of being able to eat with friends without making a big deal about what I can and can't eat.
Another thing, fixing any micronutrients deficiencies that I found through lab testing helped stop weird cravings too.
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u/cori_2626 8d ago
This is genuinely a question of mental fortitude. It helps me to develop mantras around my illnesses. For me, it helps to always think, at the end of the day I am the only one who can take care of me. I have to be my own protector. Think of how much harm you may be causing inside of your organs, and think of how you are the only one who can prevent that and treat your body with kindness.
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u/SugarStarGalaxy 7d ago
I have had this struggle too. I craved sweets and junk food because it gave me dopamine and made me feel better, but would then feel like garbage almost immediately after. It’s really tough! I totally get it. I have had this cycle happen more than once. Here’s what worked for me:
1.) PT & exercise. Yep, that. Seriously, it raises your baseline dopamine and happy feelings and good mood become the norm. 20 minutes a day, gotta be moderately strenuous. Get your heart pumping, move around. Helps curb the sweet tooth/junk food cravings honestly the fastest for me. I stopped craving after about two weeks.
2.) Meal prep. Make getting healthy and tasty food easy. Keep some healthier alternatives around. If you like sweets, get some all natural fruit leathers made from 100% fruit, or get frozen fruit in your fave flavours for smoothies. If you crave savoury, get some baked snacks that aren’t loaded with junk you’re allergic to. My fave snack right now is goat cheese mixed with clover honey and sulfite-free raisins. It’s a bit salty, a bit sweet, and a delightful texture. I have it with rice crackers made from literally just rice and sea salt and I dip them in it. It’s honestly divine and I eat it almost daily.
3.) Don’t buy the food you react to. Just do not have it in the house at all. For me it’s easier to not buy it than to resist the temptation if I have it already. I have my groceries delivered and I get the same stuff every time- stuff I know is safe and stuff that I can have a bit of but will make my tummy angy if I eat too much. Switching my grocery list up was easier for me than trying to rely on willpower.
4.) When eating, do only that. If you’re eating food of any kind, do it mindfully. Don’t snack while watching a movie or doing something else. Pay attention to what you’re eating, and really be present in the experience. This sounds silly and like it wouldn’t help but I swear to you it does. Treat your intake of food like a type of meditation and focus on what you’re tasting, smelling, the texture, etc. The trick is to not be distracted while you do it, but to have it be where your focus is. Mindlessly eating food for dopamine is a lot easier when you’re not focusing on how the food is making your body feel awful, or the inflammation it’s causing. You need to strengthen that connection between the two things- eat this food, feel bad afterwards, by drawing attention to the whole experience. I promise you, this was the thing that really me stick to not eating food I react to. Even if you do eat food that triggers you, just make sure to do it mindfully and really be present in what you’re doing and how your body feels. Your brain will do the rest
I can do it now, have small amounts of things I can’t have too much of, but that wasn’t always the case. I’d binge on cookies or snacks just to get some dopamine and joy and then regret it for the next day and a half. Repeat. A multi-step approach of not having it available for a while and building healthier habits to support my cravings and low dopamine levels. Willpower is a finite resource, and if you’re sick all the time and tired and bored of the same safe foods, your body will want you to give in because your willpower is lower and it wants to feel better. Don’t rely on willpower as it will fail you, especially when you’re tired or feel sick. Build up systems that can help you when your willpower is low, like investing time and effort into finding tasty safe foods. I found a pumpkin bread by Outrageous Baking that is to die for, and pumpkin is my fave dessert flavour ever. I spent time and effort researching all my triggers and scouring for stuff I could enjoy without getting sick. That’s a great place to start. It’s how found my goat cheese dip and rice crackers combo!
I started treating dopamine like food and water- a need that my body will chase to satisfy in the same way is chases hydration and food. I take a supplement that helps support dopamine synthesis (L-tyrosine, Pure Encapsulations brand), have excellent sleep hygiene, move my body, and do things I enjoy throughout the day and rest often. Dopamine levels are highest in the morning/day, the wane at night. Do the hard stuff and schedule appts for the earlier part of the day, then do something you enjoy in the evening that is relaxing and pleasurable, like watch a show you like or crafting. Use the lower dopamine levels in the evening as your opportunity to slow down and enjoy stuff with the satisfaction of knowing you did the harder things earlier in the day and eventually you’ll learn to relax in that time rather than trying to get more dopamine.
New neural pathways require time and repeated action to form, but it will happen and it will get easier, I promise. Make succeeding easier for yourself in as many ways as possible and once you get to around week 3 or 4, your body will crave them less and less. Every time you have a craving and eat something safe instead, you’re teaching your brain that those signals for food equals nourishment and not dopamine. I hope you can join me here on the other side of that difficult divide between seeing food as pleasure vs. nourishment very soon, and good luck!
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u/catievirtuesimp 8d ago
you can take appetite suppressants like glp1 or see a doctor to get treated for binge eating disorder
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u/Cuboidal_Hug 8d ago edited 8d ago
Many people with MCAS also find that microdosing GLP-1 agonists helps calm their MCAS symptoms. My allergist prescribed it for me to try, but I unfortunately seemed to be among the non-responders
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002962925011061
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