Histamine intolerance

Histamine is a chemical found in cells. Sometimes the immune system can be hypersensitive and produce histamine in response to non pathogenic substances such as food, dust, fur, pollen etc.

We naturally always have some histamine in the body but too much histamine can cause symptoms such as a runny nose, itching, headaches, digestive problems and more. People who already have allergies as well as a histamine intolerance (build up of histamine(can experience more serious allergic reactions.

Symptoms of high histamine levels;

headaches or migraines
nasal congestion or sinus issues
fatigue
rashes
digestive issues
bloating
gas
asthma
dizziness

What you can do to reduce them;

1. Avoid canned food, particularly fish and meats

2. Avoid precooked and pre prepared ready meals, the older the food the more histamine it can produce.

3. Avoid fermented foods such as aged cheeses, cultured vegetables, yeast products (yeast serves as a catalyst for histamine production).

4. Avoid food additives such as preservatives, azo dyes, flavorings (salicylates, aspartame), preservatives (benzoates, nitrites, sorbic acid), antioxidants (hydroxytoluene, sulfite, gallate) as these can mediate the release of histamine.

5. Where possible buy and eat fresh products.

How to combat histamine intolerance

Reduce high histamine and amine foods:

Cheeses like camembert, stilton, brie, gruyere, cheddar and parmesan

Citrus fruits, pineapples, peach, nectarines, plums, strawberries, cranberries, dates, dried fruit, berries, bananas, pearsTomatoes, avocados, eggplant, capsicum, spinach

Soy products like tempeh, tofu, soy sauce and miso

Fermented foods such as kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles Olives Tomato ketchup, tomato paste, mustard

Herbs and spices – nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise, all spice, chai, paprika

Alcohol

Vinegar

Smoked meat and fish products – salami, ham, sausages, smoked salmon Shellfish

Beans and legumes – chickpeas, soy beans, peanuts

Nuts – especially walnuts and cashew nuts

Chocolate and cocoa/cacao based productsSnacks and lollies with preservatives and artificial colourings

Bone broth (the longer the cooking process the higher the amines)

Reduce Diamine Oxidase (DAO) blockers:

Alcohol

Black tea

Coffee

Energy drinks

Green tea

Matcha

Chai Mate tea

Reduce histamine liberators:

Citrus fruits – kiwi, lemon, lime, pineapple

Papaya

Tomatoes

Cocoa and chocolate

Nuts

Beans and legumes

Wheat germ

Food Additives – benzoate, sulphites, nitrites, glutamate, food dyes

Eat low histamine and amine level foods:

Fresh fruits

Fresh vegetables

Fresh meat (frozen is ok)

Chicken (providing it is freshly cooked)

Egg yolks (egg white – is a histamine liberator only when in its raw state)

Fresh fish

Grains

Fresh milk and milk products

Coconut milk

Rice milk

Ricotta

Cream cheese

Butter

Most cooking oils

Most herbs

Most non-citrus fruit (except pineapples, strawberries, bananas)

Herbal teas (except chai, green, matcha)

Eat anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory foods:

Watercress

Onions

Garlic

Holy Basil

Thyme

Nettle

Peppermint

Ginger

Apples

Supplements and medications.

Increase your fat intake

Reducing the amount of Omega-6 in your diet - the kind found in processed foods and vegetable oils - while increasing the amount of Omega-3 fatty acids (including fatty fish, seafood) you eat has been shown to moderate inflammation and reduce symptoms of histamine intolerance. Olive oil in particular has been shown to increase the the release of the DAO enzyme into the bloodstream.

Supplements and OTC meds that increase DAO levels include:

Vitamin C

Vitamin B6

Pancreatic enzymes

Benadryl

Supplements and meds that inhibit DAO:

Alcohol

Curcumin (turmeric)

Cimetidine – an antihistamine

Probiotics:

Decreases histamine – B infantis, B lognum and L plantarum

Increases histamine – L casei, L reuteri and L bulgaricus.

Get to the root cause

There is increasing evidence that histamine intolerance all starts in the gut.

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