This lower histamine vegetable broth is a staple in my kitchen. From soups to stews to sauces, this key ingredient will uplevel your lower histamine cooking game!
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Table of Contents
Who is Betsy Leighton?
I’m a writer, blogger, and healer dedicated to helping individuals reconnect with their innate peace and wholeness by healing nervous system dysregulation. My personal experience with chronic illness called Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) shapes my work, and my content offers tools to empower those with chronic illness to improve their well-being and take charge of their health.
I created the Sacred Self-Healing Method and am a trained and certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider, an author, blogger, and A Course in Miracles Teacher. I hold a Master of Divinity in Spiritual Counseling and am a trained spiritual mentor, with certificates in sound healing, aromatherapy, nutrition, and Sacred Deathcare. I offer a self-study certificate program in the Sacred Self-Healing Method, provide spiritual counseling and coaching, courses, and supported subscriptions for the Safe and Sound Protocol.
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. It can cause severe, disabling symptoms every day, including potentially fatal anaphylaxis.
The common triggers for MCAS are infections, toxic exposures including mold exposure and EMFs, trauma, concussions, and stress.
MCAS often occurs with other chronic conditions like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Managing MCAS is challenging because many healthcare providers are unaware of it, and diagnostic tests can be unreliable. Treatments include antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers in the form of medications and supplements, along with avoiding triggers. Check out this post on managing MCAS.
Ingredient notes for lower histamine vegetable broth
This is a super versatile recipe for vegetable broth. Use it in soups, stews, sauces, and anywhere you want to add some liquid to a savory dish.
As I cook, I try to save and freeze the peelings, vegetable ends, and slightly too-ripe parts of zucchini, carrots, celery, fennel, onions, garlic, asparagus, and fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, rosemary, and sage. Use any other tolerated vegetables you like, though use caution with veggies from the brassica family (cabbage, broccoli, kale, etc. ), which may impart a sour flavor to the broth. When you have about 6 cups of frozen veggies, it’s time to make stock! You can also use fresh veggies or a combination of frozen and fresh ones.
Key tools for this recipe
A 6-quart Instant Pot is an ideal tool for making vegetable broth for MCAS. It cooks quickly so that you can avoid excess histamine building up in the food. You can use the “Soup/broth” function on the Instant Pot, which cooks for 40 minutes. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can also use a stock pot on the stovetop.
Release the pressure
Once the program finishes (or when your pot has cooked for 40 minutes on the stove), manually release the pressure, allow it to cool for a few minutes, and then strain your broth into glass containers for freezing. Leave an inch or so of headspace on each jar so there is room for expansion when the liquid freezes. By cooking the broth quickly and freezing it right away, you minimize histamine buildup.
The bucket theory
The bucket theory simplifies understanding symptom reactions with MCAS. Imagine your body as an empty bucket you don’t want to overflow. Reactions to various stimuli fill the histamine bucket at different rates, forming the total histamine level (how full your bucket is). More histamine means more symptoms. By managing triggers, reducing exposures, and taking medications and supplements, you can control your bucket’s level.
Know your typical symptom progression
Understanding your symptom progression during a flare is key to developing your rescue plan. This post discusses how to recognize symptom progression so you can be prepared to address them.
Get my free ebook, symptom log, and meal plan!
Want a tool to easily track your symptoms?
Leftovers
- Serve this dish immediately or freeze leftovers right away.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Here’s the recipe for lower histamine vegetable broth!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Place frozen vegetables into the pot along with the spices and water to cover. Don't fill above the "max fill line" on your Instant Pot. You want at least three inches of headspace at the top for the liquid to boil.
- Start the "Soup/Broth" program on the Instant Pot (it should cook for 40 minutes once it reaches pressure). Or, if using a stock pot on the stove, heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer, then reduce the heat to maintain a low boil. Cook for 40 minutes.
- Unplug the Instant Pot and release the pressure manually, (Or turn off the heat). Cool for five to ten minutes, then strain out the veggies and ladle it into clean mason jars leaving 1.5 inches of headspace for expansion. Freeze and use in soups, stews, etc.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Check out these circadian health tools!
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Sign up for the SSP!
I’ve found the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) to be the most helpful bottom-up healing strategy if your nervous system has been overloaded with toxic exposures, including mold or non-native EMFs, chronic infections, concussions, stress, or trauma. The SSP is a passive listening therapy that helps heal nervous system dysregulation. Many people with MCAS and other chronic conditions have nervous system dysregulation stemming from infections, toxic exposures, concussions, and trauma. The SSP is an easy-to-use app that lets you listen to specially filtered music for 30 minutes each day as part of a 5-hour cycle. Studies show the SSP has a profound effect on mental health and chronic conditions. Here’s a short podcast describing the Safe and Sound Protocol.
You can sign up for the SSP here!
Heal your mind!
While the SSP is a bottom-up, somatic therapy for healing the nervous system, the Sacred Self-Healing Method I offer is a top-down nervous system-healing modality that focuses on cognition, attention, perception, and emotion, using the mind’s higher functions. The SSP and the Sacred Self-Healing Method complement each other and together produce lasting results. Here’s a short podcast on my self-healing practice.
I provide one-on-one in-person and remote chronic illness and caregiver coaching, as well as Sacred Self-Healing Sessions based on the Sacred Self-Healing Method, a proven, novel co-creative healing modality detailed in my Books.
Order my books!
Here’s a short podcast highlighting my five books.
My latest book, Living In The Light: Healing with Forgiveness, Sound, and Light, is all about the tools that have been most helpful for me to heal: forgiveness, sound, through nervous system retraining using the Safe and Sound Protocol, and light, through entraining my circadian rhythm with the energy of the sun. Living In The Light is available here!
Rocks and Roots chronicles my solo backpacking journey on the Superior Hiking Trail and my efforts to overcome nervous system dysregulation, gut dysbiosis, and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome symptoms to complete the 328-mile hike successfully.
The Sacred Self-Healing Method ebook is available here and in most ebook retailers!
The Sacred Self-Healing Workbook is available for purchase here!
Betsy’s first book, Sacred Self-Healing: Finding Peace Through Forgiveness, is available here
Companion Recordings
The companion audio recordings of chants, guided meditations, and sound healing demonstrations that accompany the Sacred Self-Healing Method are available for free on my YouTube channel here
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Disclaimer
The preceding material does not constitute medical advice. This information is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, cure, or treatment.
