Episode 50- Living Beyond MCAS: Histamine, Gut Health & Healing with Tess Hilmo

Tess Hilmo on MCAS Recovery, Low Histamine Nutrition, and Building Consider This Nutrition BarsTess Hilmo, founder of Consider This Nutrition Bars, joins Dr. Stephanie Peacock to share the personal health crisis that led her to create low histamine bars for people with MCAS and histamine intolerance. This conversation covers her diagnosis journey, the role of gut health and nervous system regulation, and how she built a product grounded in lab testing and ingredient transparency. We also discuss why many low histamine food lists are outdated, how to use the SIGHI list more effectively, and what Tess has learned about reducing flares without over-restricting food.Key topicsTess shares how COVID triggered severe MCAS symptoms for her, including asthma, dysautonomia, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, brain fog, bradycardia, and halted speech.In this episode, Tess outlines her recovery foundations: low histamine eating, 30 plant points per week, nervous system work, trigger avoidance, and careful supplementation.Tess breaks down why many histamine food lists are outdated and why the SIGHI list is the most science-based, current resource for food ratings.Tess goes deep on how her bars are formulated with low moisture ingredients, independent lab testing, histamine and tyramine checks, and ingredient sourcing that avoids mold risk and heavy metals.Tess talks about how the bars are meant to support microbiome diversity, with 8 to 10 plant ingredients per bar and nearly 40 percent of daily fiber in some varieties.She discusses the nicotine patch therapy that helped her brain fog, energy, and nervous system stability, and how a microdose GLP-1 has further improved her baseline.Stephanie and Tess discuss mindset during flares, including the idea that healing is a ladder, not a straight line, and that progress should be measured over time.Timestamps0:00 — Opening / casual intro and setting the tone1:08 — Utah, California, and moving for family/work6:16 — Tess’s personal journey and why she was drawn into this work10:09 — Introduction to Tess and Consider This Nutrition Bars10:53 — MCAS onset and the early health crisis13:30 — Getting the MCAS diagnosis14:22 — What “halted speech” means15:15 — The anniversary trip that sparked the company idea17:04 — 30 plants a week and gut support19:12 — Dreaming up the bar and starting the business20:39 — How the product was formulated with expert help22:37 — Other foundational supports that helped Tess improve25:09 — Nicotine patch therapy and how it helped32:22 — GLP-1 microdosing and inflammation support39:59 — Histamine food lists and the SIGHI list48:28 — What makes the bars different50:07 — Plant diversity, fiber, and why the bars support the gut51:07 — Moisture content, mold risk, and shelf stability57:19 — Ingredient sourcing, testing, and heavy metals61:58 — Advice for handling flares and staying hopeful70:49 — Final takeaways and encouragement71:17 — Where to buy, coupon code, and what’s coming nextUse code NEWFRIEND for 20% off these bars!Tess's links:Website: https://www.considerthisnutrition.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/considerthisnutrition/?hl=enStephanie's links:Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drstephpeacockInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drstephpeacock/Website: https://stephaniepeacock.com/Substack: https://substack.com/@holistichubcommunityRetreat in November: https://www.vitalresetretreat.com/