5 Foods to Avoid with a Histamine Intolerance
While many people are familiar with common intolerances such as lactose or gluten, one intolerance that has been garnering more attention recently is histamine.
Histamine intolerances can be quite painful, disrupting your day-to-day routine. However, certain changes to your diet can help you manage those symptoms.
Whether it be swapping out high histamine foods from your diet or avoiding products that disrupt your ability to clear histamine from the body, there’re plenty of ways to alleviate painful histamine intolerance symptoms.
In this article, we’ll explore what a histamine intolerance is and its causes, as well as how you can create your own low histamine diet at home.
What is a histamine intolerance?
Your body produces many chemicals every day, which includes histamine. In the main, histamine helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle and cognitive function. However, it also helps to flush out any allergens your body sees as a threat. To do this, it triggers those key allergy symptoms – sneezing, teary eyes, and itchy skin.
Since a histamine reaction can be similar to that of an allergic reaction, it can easily be confused for exactly that. As a result, it is sometimes referred to as a ‘pseudo allergy’ because of all the similarities between histamine intolerance symptoms and allergy symptoms.
However, histamine intolerance is a condition in its own right and is separate from allergies. In fact, a histamine intolerance is where your body builds up and then can’t get rid of an excess of histamine. This can cause high histamine symptoms, such as:
Itchy skin.
Runny nose.
Rash or hives.
Flushed face.
Headache.
Nausea or vomiting.
Swollen throat, lips, or tongue*.
* As with any reaction you can get minimal swelling to various membranes (those in the oral pathway included). Any oral airway swelling (lips, tongue, throat) should be viewed as an emergency, and you should seek immediate support from a clinician.
Histamine intolerance symptoms can present differently from person to person, and symptoms are sometimes confused with other conditions like food poisoning or food allergies. Additionally, women may experience particular painful periods as a histamine intolerance symptom too.
As such, it’s important to see to your primary care clinician if you’re worried about any of the above histamine intolerance symptoms. They’ll be able to help diagnose the cause and work out a management plan that suits you.
What causes a histamine intolerance?
While there’s no one direct cause of a histamine intolerance, there are a few common causes to be aware of, so you know when to consult your primary care clinician. These common causes include:
Lack of diamine oxidase: Your body uses an enzyme called diamine oxidase (DAO) to break down the histamine in your system, so if you have low levels of this enzyme it can trigger a histamine reaction. While it is not completely clear what causes a lack of DAO, there are some factors that can increase your risk of developing the condition.
Genetics: Some studies have shown a histamine intolerance can have a genetic origin. Certain genes can cause a lack of DAO or ineffective DAO enzymes, which can be passed down through shared DNA. As a result, people who have a family history of histamine intolerance may be more likely to develop one themselves.
Gut conditions: Medical conditions that impact your guts’ natural bacteria can change the way your body breaks down certain chemicals – histamine being one of them. This means pre-existing gastrointestinal disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can lead to difficulties with histamine reactions.
Certain medications: Some medications such as antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and phlegm reducers can also stop DOA from functioning properly, or even prevent the body from producing it at all. However, not all types of these medications can cause a histamine intolerance, so it’s best to speak to your GP to be sure you’re on the right medication for you.
5 foods to avoid with a histamine intolerance
While seeking medical advice is always the best route, there are certain steps you can take at home to alleviate uncomfortable histamine intolerance symptoms.
By eliminating high histamine foods, you can create a low histamine diet to help reduce the histamine levels in your body. But not everybody’ll react the same to high histamine foods, so keeping a food diary can help you determine which foods you should and shouldn’t include in your own low histamine diet.
We’ve listed five of the top foods to avoid when creating your low histamine diet.
1. Alcohol
While some alcoholic drinks contain lower levels of histamine, it’s best to avoid alcohol as much as possible within your low histamine diet.
Red wine, for some, is one of the worst alcohols for triggering histamine intolerance symptoms. That’s because the fermentation process causes a build-up of histamine. Similarly, the carbonation process of sparkling wines and champagne means they also count as high histamine foods as well.
While it’s best to follow an alcohol-free diet to help best manage histamine intolerance symptoms, there are certain wines that are safe in moderation for a low histamine diet. You can try still natural white or rose wines, as these contain less additives and typically also have less histamine.
2. Aged cheese
Limiting the amount of aged cheeses you eat can be beneficial for a low histamine diet as well.
Aged cheeses, such as blue cheese or parmesan, go through a lengthy ageing process. As the cheese ripens, the amino acids in it form histamine, meaning the older the cheese, the higher the histamine.
To avoid this, you can replace aged cheeses for milder, softer ones in your low histamine diet. As they don’t go through an ageing process, cheeses like mild cheddar, mozzarella, and soft cheese generally contain lower levels of histamine, and are less likely to cause a histamine reaction.
Similarly, vegan cheeses go through a shorter ageing process too, and they also typically contain fresher ingredients, which can be safer for a low histamine diet.
3. Sauerkraut
While sauerkraut is a great food to include in a diet to promote gut health, it’s not so good for a low histamine diet.
Similar to cheese, it’s the lengthy fermentation process that makes sauerkraut and other fermented products, such as kimchi, a histamine food to avoid. However, some leafy greens used in sauerkraut and kimchi can also boost your DOA levels, helping your body break down histamine.
As such, while it’s best to stay away from fermented foods to avoid worsening any histamine intolerance symptoms, you can make a low histamine diet version of sauerkraut. Simply use red cabbage and carrots, and as they can increase the histamine it’s best to leave out any vinegar or animal products in your low histamine food recipe.
4. Cured meat
Cured meats like salami, dried sausage, and aged beef are more examples of high histamine foods to avoid in your low histamine diet.
As with certain cheeses, the ageing process for cured meats increase their histamine levels. For the same reason, it’s also best to avoid packaged sandwich meats as well.
However, meat contains lots of nutrients for the body, including protein, so try to find ways to include it in your low histamine diet. For example, some studies have shown boiling meats instead of grilling or frying them can decrease the histamine levels. Additionally, meats like lamb and chicken naturally contain lower levels of histamine and are a safe low histamine diet alternative.
5. Shellfish
While shellfish contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids for a healthy brain, they are also a high histamine food as well.
Shellfish is known as a histamine liberator, meaning it causes your body to release histamine and speed up the formation of new histamine too. Similarly, canned, smoked, and dried fish can have the same effect, so are best avoided in a low histamine diet.
Instead try to incorporate freshly caught fish or fish frozen straight after being caught. That’s because these typically contain lower amounts of histamine, and as such may be more suited to your low histamine diet.
How else can I manage a histamine intolerance?
In addition to avoiding certain foods, there are plenty of small lifestyle changes you can make to help alleviate histamine intolerance symptoms, which include:
Drinking water: Dehydration can trigger a histamine reaction, so drinking water is actually an effective way to help manage a histamine intolerance. In general, the NHS recommends a minimum of six to eight glasses a day as part of a healthy diet.
Taking antihistamines: While antihistamines alone won’t have much of an effect on histamine intolerance symptoms, they work well when taken as part of a low histamine diet. You can see your GP about prescription antihistamines with a higher dosage, as these may be better suited than over the counter tablets.
Taking vitamins and supplements: Certain vitamins can help the DAO enzymes in your system function better, as this enzyme is essential for breaking down the histamine in your system. To help manage histamine intolerance symptoms, consider adding vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium to your low histamine diet.
Eating healthily is a great way to boost energy levels, care for your mental health, and alleviate those discomforting histamine intolerance symptoms. But a diet shouldn’t be a replacement for appropriate medical care, and you should always speak to your GP or primary care clinician should you be worried about histamine intolerance symptoms.
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Medically reviewed by Cheryl Lythgoe in August 2024.
