Toast your Christmas recipes with a touch of originality to enjoy low-histamine options.

When December arrives, one of the most frequently asked questions is how to manage the Christmas holidays if you have DAO deficiency. We know that these dates are especially complicated for all those people who are following some type of diet. However, it is essential to put it into perspective and think that these are only a few specific days and these are not going to represent the diet for the entire year. Furthermore, food is not the only factor to highlight, but everything that happens around us: appreciating the quality family moments, the long conversations and the magical atmosphere which is created with the little ones at home.

As we mentioned in this article, depending on the phase of the low-histamine diet that wherever you are, food choices may be more or less flexible; in any case, we always suggest arriving at the holidays with the lowest histamine levels as possible. Likewise, having the DAO enzyme supplementation as a support to help metabolize possible dietary histamine is interesting.

A key factor is to anticipate the most important days of the year and let our imagination fly to come up with low-histamine recipes. You can organize them according to are starters, first course, second course and dessert. Here are some options:

Starters:

• White asparagus tips with rosemary flavored oil
• Sweet potato and artichoke chips
• Green and black olives
• Fig and candied pear canapés

If you are in a second or third phase, you can add some semi-cured cheese.

First course:

• Broth with galets (pasta shapes)
• Escarole, pomegranate and desalted cod salad
• Mushroom and leek cream
• Endive wafers with tapenade, fresh goat cheese and oregano

If you are in a second or third phase, you can add smoked salmon in the salad.

Second course:

• Meat cannelloni with vegan béchamel sauce (made with chickpea or whole wheat flour, vegetable drink, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and a little nutmeg)
• Roasted chicken or duck with dried apricots and pine nuts
• Baked sea bass with mashed potatoes and provençal herbs
• Baked cod with sweet potato

If you are in a second or third phase, you can make the classic béchamel sauce of cannelloni.

Dessert:

• Baked apple
• Dates with sesame cream
• Soy yogurt with carob syrup and raspberries
• Mango and coconut sorbet

If you are in a second or third phase, you can add cinnamon to the baked apple or dark chocolate shavings in the sorbet.

As you can see, planning for these dates is a great ally to be able to enjoy the holidays even if you have a DAO deficiency. Having ideas can facilitate the logistic and the organization of meals so that they can be low-histamine and original.

The AD Dietistas team wishes you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2024!