Low Histamine Diet Plan-General Rules For A Healthy Diet To Lower Histamine (Beyond Low Histamine Foods)
How To Reduce Histamine In The Body With Vitamins, Minerals And Other Nutrients
How To Reduce Histamine In The Body With Herbs
Other Ways To Reduce Histamine In the Body– With Better Sleep, Stress Management, And By Avoiding Toxic Chemicals.
A few other related articles I wrote: here I cover the many roles of histamine for brain, gut, immune system, inflammation and more, its connection with allergies, MS and other conditions.
In this article I looked at the best prescription meds and histamine receptors. I checked them out simply because I wanted to find their equivalent in natural medicine. You will see that the best options are anti histamine substances (anti-H1) and mast cell stabilizers. Targeting H3 receptors would also have great therapeutic potential, but we have limited research or knowledge on these.
There are powerful ways to decrease excess histamine in the body as you will see below:
Low Histamine Diet Plan Part I
I’ve seen a lot of super restrictive low histamine diets. At the first glance they make sense. You feel sick even from eating an apparently harmless food (ie raspberries) and the natural reaction will be to eliminate a lot of foods just to feel better. These diets may work for some, but only short term. These very restrictive diets should not be kept more than a few weeks because:
They stress you out and stress is one of the most potent promoter of histamine release from mast cells
These diets weaken and reduce the diversity of the gut microbiome — which has to be in top shape to deal with histamine excess
They lack other principles of a good healthy diet (hint: it’s not just about the food group you eat, but also the quality of food, and the way you eat it and much more)
Low Histamine Diet Plan I — Specific Foods That Promote Excess Histamine In The Body
Reducing/eliminating high histamine foods is just a small piece of the low histamine diet, but I know you are looking for this list. I reviewed a few of them, and the one proposed by SIGHI (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance) makes the most sense to me. Use it as a guideline, as you may not react to all the foods from the no -no list, while you may be sensitive to others.
There are a few ways how excess histamine accumulates in the body (see below). Just an example, histamine intolerance can have different causes with different underlying mechanisms, not just problems with low DAO. Allergies are Ig E mediated, while food intolerances are IgG or IgM mediated, and both are characterized by excess histamine.
I.Histamine-containing Foods:
Reduce or eliminate histamine containing foods : fish (if not freshly caught or frozen), meat, if no longer fresh (sausages, dry-cured, smoked meats), matured cheese, processed cheese (histamine increases with maturity), any fermented food, e.g. sauerkraut, kombucha; alcohol, vinegar and pickled foods;
Other histamine containing foods: tomatoes, spinach, eggplant, avocado, soy sauce, Worcestershire and other popular sauces, yeast extract.
My thoughts: While fermented and pickled foods are high in histamine, be aware that they are also rich in vitamin C/ other nutrients with antihistamine qualities. So overall, they aren’t that bad. While I do not recommend them during late spring and summer, pickled and fermented foods can safely consumed by many people with histamine issues- as long they are consumed in small amounts during cold seasons (fall, winter).
Re: cheeses, yogurt, dairy. Healthy options (in small/moderate amounts): soft goat, sheep and buffalo cheese, yogurt and kefir ; stay away from cow’s cheese, especially the matured, processed cow’s milk, yogurt, kefir and cheese.
II.Other Biogenic Amines
Besides histamine, there are many other biogenic amines. Technical: some amines share the same main degradation pathway with histamine and can cause histamine- like symptoms: The DAO actually prefers other amines before it break down histamine.
Treatment: Medication (don’t recommend meds, but it’s an option): H1 antihistamines, DAOSIN.
Try to reduce/avoid foods rich in these biogenic amines:pineapple, banana, pears, peanuts, grapefruit, raspberries ,legumes (lentils, beans, soy products), kiwi, oranges, papaya, wheat germ.
Some thoughts : Same comment as above- many of these foods are also rich in vitamin C and flavonoids that have potent anti histamine qualities. Experiment with low amounts and see if you tolerate the fruits, veggies and legumes from this list. Legumes may be safe for some (in low amounts, pressure cooked, along with cooling spices). I would stay away completely from peanuts and wheat germs.
III. Histamine Liberators
The foods and additives below promote the release endogenous histamine from mast cells (this release does not depend on of lack of DAO, by the way). Even healthy people (not just those with histamine intolerance/MCAD) can react to liberators if they are consumed in high amounts.
Treatment: Medication (don’t recommend meds, but it’s an option): H1 antihistamines, sodium cromoglicate or cromolyn sodium, ibuprofen.
Try to reduce/eliminate foods and meds that work as histamine liberators: alcohol its by product acetaldehyde (especially red wine, but white wine too, beer and champagne), strawberries, nuts (walnut, cashews), seafood, shellfish, crustaceans: e.g. mussels, crayfish, crabs), chocolate/cocoa, tomatoes (including ketchup, tomato juice), citrus fruits and certain active substances and additives in meds.
IV Diamine Oxidase (DAO) Inhibitors
The foods and additives below are or contain DAO inhibitors that can block the breakdown of histamine by the DAO. The activity of histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) can also be inhibited by chemicals, but we know very little about those.
Treatment: Medication ( don’t recommend meds, but it’s an option): H1 antihistamines.
Reduce/avoid DAO Inhibitors Foods and Meds: alcohol and its by product acetaldehyde, certain biogenic amines- see above list, theobromine, mate tea, some meds
V.Increased Intestinal Permeability (Leaky Gut)
Certain substances affect the intestinal permeability, making the gut lining leaky. This means that some food substances from the digestive tract will enter the body (which under normal condition would not happen). Leaky gut increases the risk of allergies and autoimmune conditions.
Treatment: Medication (don’t recommend meds, but it’s an option): mast cell stabilizers, H1 antihistamines
Reduce/eliminate foods that increase leaky gut: alcohol, hot spices (pepper, chili, ginger).My note: there are many other foods that promote leaky gut, these are just two major ones.
For a detailed list of foods- well tolerated vs maybe risky vs foods to avoid check out this handout.
Do you want to know the meds that create excess histamine in the body? Many drugs increase histamine release or inhibit DAO- muscle relaxants, painkillers, antihistamine H2 cimetidine, drugs used for high blood pressure and heart disease and more — a complete list here.
If you really want to lower the histamine in your body, look beyond this list of foods — and check out this article.
What do you think about my approach to treating excess histamine naturally? I can tell you there is a lot more than what I wrote here. Do you have questions or do you need personalized consultations via skype? If so, use the “contact” page of this blog.
