Histamine intolerance can manifest in various unpleasant symptoms, prompting many individuals to seek dietary solutions. A low-histamine, anti-inflammatory diet aims to alleviate these symptoms by reducing histamine intake and supporting the body's natural ability to break down histamine. This article provides a detailed overview of this dietary approach, including food choices, practical tips, and recipe ideas.
Understanding Histamine and Its Role
Histamine is a vital immune chemical that also plays numerous other roles in the body. It is naturally produced in the body and is also consumed through diet, especially in fermented, aged, and processed foods, which tend to have particularly high levels of histamine. Problems arise when the body overproduces histamine, when a person consumes high levels of histamine-rich foods, and/or when the body fails to break down histamine sufficiently. In such cases, histamine levels can rise and trigger a range of symptoms.
Following a low-histamine diet, which involves selecting foods lower in histamine and, in some cases, even those with anti-histamine properties, may help alleviate some of these symptoms.
Practical Tips for Managing Histamine Levels in Food
Besides opting for foods with inherently lower histamine levels, consider adopting these practical tips:
- Choose whole, unprocessed foods: Select foods in their whole, unprocessed form.
- Prioritize Freshness: Buy and eat fresh foods rather than those that have been stored or preserved. Freshness is essential, as histamine is created when bacteria break down the amino acid histidine, meaning aging, fermented, and improperly stored foods are major histamine culprits.
- Cook from Scratch: Prepare meals from scratch to control ingredients and minimize histamine buildup.
- Freeze Leftovers: Freeze leftovers rather than refrigerating them to slow down histamine production. It’s so important that you have the right containers on hand. In these situations, having individual portion style containers that are freezer friendly is very helpful.
Low-Histamine Food Choices
Quantifying histamine levels in foods can be challenging because even the same food may have varying levels depending on storage and preparation. Individual tolerance to histamine is also unique and can change over time.
Read also: Understanding the Low Histamine Diet
Foods generally reported as having lower histamine levels include most fresh produce, fresh meat, certain fresh/frozen fish, eggs (including quail eggs), and most fresh herbs.
1. Fresh/Frozen Meat
Choose fresh or frozen meat like beef, veal, chicken, and turkey. The cooking method can influence histamine levels; frying or grilling may increase the histamine load, so boiling or poaching is preferable.
2. Fresh/Frozen Fish
Histamine levels in fish depend on the species and freshness. Histamine is produced when bacteria break down histidine, an amino acid found in fish skin, gills, and guts. Some fish, like mackerel, herring, and tuna, contain higher levels of this amino acid and are generally best to avoid. Species thought to be lower in histamine include plaice, carp, trout, and hake. Select the freshest fish possible or use frozen, keeping in mind that histamine levels can increase during thawing.
3. Eggs
Fresh eggs are generally considered low-risk. Simple cooking methods are often best. Egg whites, especially uncooked, were once thought to act as histamine liberators, but more recent findings suggest this may not be the case. If in doubt, cook eggs thoroughly.
4. Mozzarella
Some lower-histamine cheese options include mascarpone, mozzarella, and cottage cheese, as well as some plain soft cheeses without additives like thickeners or stabilizers. Cheese made from pasteurized milk is considered lower risk than that made from raw milk.
Read also: Exploring the Low-Histamine Carnivore Diet
5. Ricotta
Like mozzarella, ricotta is an unaged cheese with a lower histamine content.
6. Quinoa
Pseudo-grains like quinoa are a useful base for pilafs, tabbouleh, or salads. Combine with fresh vegetables and serve with chicken or eggs. Prepare only the amount needed to avoid storing leftovers.
7. Tapioca
Tapioca can be used to create low-histamine snacks.
8. Asparagus
For those experiencing symptoms, simple meals are best. Asparagus can be a tasty and simple seasonal side dish.
9. Artichokes
Artichokes are rich in luteolin, a flavonoid that helps stabilize histamine-storing cells.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide: Low-Histamine Recipes
10. Beansprouts
Legume sprouts like beansprouts are a good source of diamine oxidase (DAO), the enzyme involved in breaking down histamine. Sprouted beans may offer significantly higher DAO activity than non-sprouted seeds.
11. Broccoli
Broccoli, rich in sulforaphane and vitamin C, may have anti-histamine effects.
12. Cauliflower
Most fresh vegetables, including cauliflower, are low in histamine.
13. Celery
Celery is a versatile, low-histamine ingredient suitable for salads, soups, or as an accompaniment.
14. Courgette
Courgette can be combined with anti-histamine ingredients like onion and fresh herbs.
15. Cucumber
Cucumber is low in histamine and a refreshing addition to salads.
16. Fennel
Fennel is flavorful and low in histamine, capable of enlivening a dish.
17. Onions
Onions, regardless of type, possess anti-histamine properties.
18. Parsnips
Parsnips combined with fresh thyme, known for its potent anti-histamine action, make a good combination.
19. Sweetcorn
Sweetcorn is a low-histamine vegetable that can be combined with other compatible ingredients.
20. Watercress
Watercress can replace high-histamine spinach. Some studies suggest that a plant compound in this leafy green may help prevent histamine release from mast cells.
Recipes and Meal Planning
Adopting a low-histamine diet doesn't mean sacrificing flavor or variety. Here are some recipe ideas and planning tips to help you create delicious and satisfying meals:
Low-Histamine Breakfast Recipes
- Consider low histamine breakfasts that are great for eating at home or on the go.
- Tiger Nut Muffins: Tiger nuts are tubers, not tree nuts, making them a suitable option.
- Homemade Oat Milk: Oats are a low-histamine ingredient, but store-bought oat milk may not be suitable.
Low-Histamine Lunch Recipes
- When packing items such as tacos for your lunch, a bento-style lunch box can be helpful. It will allow you to nicely divide the ingredients so you can easily build your taco at lunch time.
Low-Histamine Recipes for Dinner
- For a tasty turmeric dinner idea, oven roast carrots in maple, turmeric, and parsley, then place that on top of quinoa.
Low Histamine Recipes for Snacks
- Whilst not everyone needs snacks, here are some options if you’re one of the people who needs them.
- Sweet Potato and Tapioca Balls: These are gluten-free and made with low-histamine ingredients.
Low Histamine Options for Desserts
- A lot of desserts call for high histamine ingredients. Here are four amazing desserts you can enjoy.
Meal Planning Tips
- Think of meals as components: Vegetable + protein + carb. By breaking your meals down into components, you can quickly see ways to save time.
- Batch Cooking and Freezing: Freeze foods in individual portion sizes. This allows you to easily grab only what you need and not worry about refreezing leftovers.
- Utilize the Right Tools: Purchase tools and small appliances that will make your life easier. If you’re not sure where to start, assess your low histamine recipes and see if there’s a particular cooking method used again and again. If so, make sure you have the best tool(s) for the job. Additionally, as you cook, take note of what takes you a LONG time, or processes that frustrate you.
Foods to Avoid
While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some common foods you’ll want to avoid if you don’t have histamine tolerance:
- Fermented foods
- Aged cheeses
- Processed meats
- Alcohol
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
Common Histamine Liberators to Avoid
Also not an exhaustive list, but this will give you an idea of what some common histamine liberators are:
- Citrus fruits
- Chocolate
- Shellfish
- Strawberries
Addressing Common Questions
- Can I still have roast chicken when following a low histamine diet? People following a low histamine diet all have different levels of tolerance. What that means is you should follow a very strict low histamine diet when you’re starting out. Rabbit is a great alternative to chicken should you find it’s not a good option for you.
- Are ginger and garlic low histamine foods? No, both ginger and garlic are not low histamine foods.
- Is turmeric a low histamine food? Yes! The great news is that turmeric is one of many low histamine foods that you can stock in your kitchen.
- Is honey a low histamine food? Generally speaking, honey is considered a low histamine sweetener, along with maple, stevia, and cane sugar in all its forms.
- Is yeast a low histamine ingredient? Generally, yeast isn’t considered a low histamine ingredient. However, some MCAS patients are able to bake with it at home.
- Are oats low histamine? Yes! Yes, oats are a low histamine ingredient you can enjoy. However, oat milk will need to be homemade, not store bought.
- Is butter low histamine? Cow’s milk butter, as long as it’s pure butter without any fermentation is considered a low histamine food. Dairy free butter on the other hand, you’d have to work really hard to find a safe option because most of them have at least one high histamine ingredient.
- Are blueberries low histamine? If you were to look at the SIGHI list, you’d see that blueberries are considered a low histamine fruit. The thing is, a histamine intolerance diagnosis comes on a spectrum, as no two people are the same.
- Are nuts low histamine? Nuts in general will vary by type. Macadamia nuts tend to be an accepted nut for those following a low histamine diet.
- Are broccoli and cauliflower low histamine? Yes! The great news is that both broccoli and cauliflower are compatible with a low histamine diet.
The Importance of Fresh Foods
Fresh meat, for example, is very important if you’re following a low-histamine diet. As meat ages, there’s a natural release of histamine, and that can cause symptoms. The same is true of leftover cooked meat, that at it ages, the amount of histamine increases.
Individual Tolerance Levels
It’s important to remember, no two people are the same. People who follow a low-histamine diet each have personal histamine tolerance levels. To better understand your personal limits, keep a food journal/food diary for at least the first two months of your new diet. As you go about avoiding high-histamine foods, your overall histamine load should decline and you should start to see a reduction of the symptoms of histamine intolerance. However, if you’re not feeling any symptom relief (or very little relief), absolutely follow up with your health care provider.
Elimination Diets and Histamine Intolerance
There are several health conditions that benefit from an elimination diet. In the case of someone with mast cell activation syndrome, as an example, the excess histamine is one of the root causes of all of the symptoms. Their elimination diet will probably be a four day food rotation in combination with eliminating histamine-rich foods. Their goal would be to have lower histamine levels, along with symptom relief. If they respond positively to the diet, their doctor(s) will continue to advise them on which foods to eliminate etc.