Managing histamine intolerance often involves understanding and adjusting your diet, particularly by being mindful of High Histamine Foods. This guide, crafted by foods.edu.vn’s culinary experts, aims to provide a comprehensive overview of high histamine foods and how to navigate them to better manage your symptoms.
Person choosing fresh produce, illustrating dietary management for histamine intolerance by selecting low histamine foods.
It’s important to remember that food lists related to histamine intolerance, including the one provided here, should serve as guidance. The dynamic nature of food science means ongoing research continuously refines our understanding of food intolerances, including histamine intolerance (HIT). These lists are not definitive authorities, as individual sensitivities vary significantly. Many individuals with HIT also experience multiple intolerances, making self-guided elimination diets without professional medical and dietary advice potentially problematic. Consulting with a doctor and a registered dietitian is crucial before making significant dietary changes, especially when considering an elimination diet.
When followed judiciously, a dietary approach focusing on low histamine foods can lead to noticeable improvements in symptoms, often within about four weeks of an elimination diet. Individuals with HIT have varying tolerance thresholds for histamine. After a successful elimination phase, the next step involves identifying your personal threshold. This process aims to gradually increase tolerance levels over time, expanding dietary options while managing symptoms effectively.
For those who have carefully considered these points and consulted with healthcare professionals, embarking on a histamine-conscious diet can be a significant step towards improved well-being and a better quality of life. A key principle is to consume foods that are low in histamine, always respecting your individual tolerance level. It’s also vital to acknowledge that a truly “histamine-free diet” doesn’t exist. The goal is management and reduction, not complete elimination, which is often unrealistic and unnecessary.
Here are some general guidelines to consider regarding histamine in foods:
- Minimize or Avoid Canned and Ready-Made Meals: These often contain higher histamine levels due to processing and preservation methods.
- Limit Ripened and Fermented Foods: This category includes aged cheeses, alcoholic beverages, yeast-containing products, and improperly stored fish. These foods naturally accumulate histamine during their processing or storage.
- Histamine Levels Fluctuate: The histamine content in food isn’t static. It varies based on ripeness, maturity, and hygiene standards during production and storage.
- Prioritize Freshness: Whenever possible, opt for fresh produce and products. Fresh foods generally have lower histamine levels compared to older or processed counterparts.
- Proper Food Storage is Key: Avoid leaving food, particularly meat products, at room temperature for extended periods. Histamine can form rapidly if food is not refrigerated promptly.
- Maintain Kitchen Hygiene: A clean food preparation area is essential, though excessive sterilization is not required. Good general kitchen hygiene practices are sufficient.
- Understand Your Personal Threshold: Everyone’s tolerance to histamine is different. Identifying your individual threshold is a crucial part of managing HIT.
- Seek Professional Dietary Advice: Consult a certified dietitian to develop a balanced diet plan that caters to your specific needs and histamine intolerance. They can provide personalized guidance and ensure nutritional adequacy.
- Embrace Home Cooking: Learning to cook from fresh ingredients is a valuable skill. It gives you greater control over the ingredients and freshness of your meals, and can be an enjoyable and empowering process.
Foods Generally Considered Lower in Histamine:
- Fresh Meat: Consume meat that is fresh, cooled, or frozen. Freshness is key to minimizing histamine accumulation in meat.
- Specific Fresh or Frozen Fish: Hake, trout, and plaice are generally considered lower histamine fish when fresh or properly frozen.
- Chicken: Similar to meat, opt for fresh, cooled, or frozen chicken to ensure lower histamine levels.
- Eggs: Eggs are generally well-tolerated on a low histamine diet.
- Most Fresh Fruits (Excluding Plantains): With the exception of plantains, most fresh fruits are considered low in histamine. However, some fruits are histamine liberators (see list below).
- Most Fresh Vegetables (Excluding Tomatoes, Eggplant, Spinach): Most fresh vegetables are suitable, but tomatoes, eggplant, and spinach are often listed as higher in histamine or histamine-releasing.
- Grains and Grain Products: Rice noodles, white bread, rye bread, rice crisp bread, oats, puffed rice crackers, millet flour, and pasta are generally low histamine options.
- Fresh Pasteurized Milk and Milk Products: Fresh pasteurized milk and certain milk products may be tolerated.
- Milk Alternatives: Goat milk and sheep milk can be suitable alternatives for those sensitive to cow’s milk.
- Certain Dairy Products: Cream cheese, mozzarella, and butter (ensure it’s fresh and without rancidity) are often tolerated.
- Most Cooking Oils: Check individual suitability, but most cooking oils are generally low histamine.
- Most Leafy Herbs: Again, check individual suitability, but many leafy herbs are acceptable.
- Most Fruit Juices (Non-Citrus): Opt for fruit juices made from low histamine fruits, avoiding citrus fruits.
- Herbal Teas (With Exceptions): Most herbal teas are acceptable, excluding those listed below as DAO blockers.
Foods Generally Considered Higher in Histamine:
- Alcohol: All types of alcoholic beverages are high in histamine and can also block the DAO enzyme.
- Eggplant: Eggplant is frequently listed as a high histamine vegetable.
- Pickled or Canned Foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, and other pickled or canned foods are high in histamine due to fermentation and preservation processes.
- Aged Cheeses: Mature cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, and aged Gouda are significantly higher in histamine than fresh cheeses.
- Smoked Meat Products: Salami, ham, sausages, and other smoked meats are high in histamine due to processing and aging.
- Shellfish: Shellfish, including shrimp, crab, and lobster, are generally high in histamine.
- Beans and Pulses: Chickpeas, soy flour, and other beans and pulses can be higher in histamine for some individuals.
- Long-Stored Nuts: Peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pistachios, especially if stored for extended periods, can accumulate histamine.
- Chocolate and Cocoa Products: Chocolate and other cocoa-based products are known to be high in histamine and can also act as histamine liberators.
- Seitan: Seitan, a wheat gluten product, is sometimes listed as high histamine.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar and other fermented vinegars are higher in histamine than white vinegar in some lists.
- Ready Meals: As mentioned earlier, ready meals are often higher in histamine due to processing and storage.
- Salty Snacks and Sweets with Preservatives and Artificial Colorings: These often contain additives and preservatives that can contribute to histamine intolerance issues.
Foods Reported to Release Histamine (Histamine Liberators):
- Most Citrus Fruits: Lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruit are common histamine liberators.
- Cocoa and Chocolate: In addition to being high in histamine, they also release histamine.
- Walnuts and Peanuts: These nuts can trigger histamine release in some individuals.
- Certain Fruits: Papaya, pineapples, plums, kiwi, and bananas are often listed as histamine-releasing fruits.
- Legumes: Certain legumes can act as histamine liberators.
- Tomatoes: Tomatoes are both high in histamine and histamine-releasing for some people.
- Wheat Germ: Wheat germ is reported to be a histamine liberator.
- Most Vinegars: Most vinegars, especially fermented ones, can trigger histamine release.
- Certain Additives: Benzoate, sulphites, nitrites, glutamate (MSG), and artificial food dyes are known histamine liberators.
Foods Reported to Block Diamine Oxidase (DAO) Enzyme (DAO Blockers):
- Alcohol: Alcohol is a significant DAO blocker.
- Black Tea: Black tea can inhibit DAO enzyme activity.
- Energy Drinks: Certain components in energy drinks may block DAO.
- Mate Tea: Mate tea is also listed as a potential DAO blocker.
Debatable Foods:
- Yogurt: Histamine levels in yogurt can vary depending on the bacterial cultures used in fermentation. Some yogurts are tolerated better than others.
- Egg White: The theory that egg white is a histamine releaser has been largely dismissed by recent findings.
Other Considerations:
- Yeast: While yeast itself may not contain histamine, it can facilitate histamine production during food preparation, especially in leavened products. The relevance of yeast for HIT sufferers is still debated. Note that there is typically no yeast in the final baked product itself.
- Yeast Extract: Yeast extract is reported to be very high in biogenic amines and a DAO inhibitor, making it generally unsuitable for a low-histamine diet.
Elimination and Personal Threshold:
An elimination diet typically lasts around 4 weeks. By this time, many individuals report feeling significantly better. Following the elimination phase, it’s crucial to determine your personal histamine threshold through careful reintroduction of foods under guidance from a healthcare professional.
Sources:
- Food Intolerances, Histamine, FODMAPs & IBS Guide; online app by BALIZA
- nmi-Portal, (english Version: Food Intolerance Network)
- Maintz L, Novak N: Histamine and histamine intolerance, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2007
- Jarisch, R. “Histaminunverträglichkeit”, Thieme Verlag, 2nd Edition
