If you google histamine intolerance or low histamine diet you’ll get dozens of different suggestions and half the time there are items that contradict each other. We had to do a lot of trial and error to see what we could and could not tolerate. However, we found that this food list from Histamine Intolerance Awareness was a good staring base for us to navigate from (see link below). Hope you find help and direction from it as well!
Low histamine level foods:
- Fresh meat (cooled, frozen or fresh)
Freshly caught fish
Chicken (skinned and fresh)
Egg yolk
Fresh fruits – with the exception of strawberries, most fresh fruits are considered to have a low histamine level (also see histamine liberators below)
Fresh vegetables – with the exception of tomatoes
Grains – rice noodles, yeast free rye bread, rice crisp bread, oats, puffed rice crackers, millet flour, pasta (spelt and corn based)
Fresh pasteurised milk and milk products
Milk substitutes – coconut milk, rice milk
Cream cheese, butter
Most cooking oils – check suitability before use
Most leafy herbs – check suitability before use
Most non-citric fruit juices
Herbal teas – with the exception of those listed below
High histamine level foods:
Alcohol
Pickled or canned foods – sauerkrauts
Matured cheeses
Smoked meat products – salami, ham, sausages….
Shellfish
Beans and pulses – chickpeas, soy beans, peanuts
Nuts – walnuts, cashew nuts
Chocolates and other cocoa based products
Vinegar
Ready meals
Salty snacks, sweets with preservatives and artificial colourings
Histamine liberators:
Most citric fruits – kiwi, lemon, lime, pineapple, plums…
Cocoa and chocolate
Nuts
Papaya
Beans and pulses
Tomatoes
Wheat germ
Additives – benzoate, sulphites, nitrites, glutamate, food dyes
Diamine Oxidase (DAO) blockers:
Alcohol
Black tea
Energy drinks
Green tea
Mate tea
Debatable:
Yoghurt – depends on the bacteria culture used
Egg white – it is a histamine liberator only when in its raw state
Other:
Yeast – even though it does not contain histamine as such, yeast serves as a catalyst for histamine generation during manufacture. There is no yeast in the end product.
Leave a Reply