If you are one of the millions of people who suffer from histamine intolerance, you know how challenging it can be to find foods that don't contain histamines. Histamines are chemicals that are released by the body in response to certain stimuli, such as allergies, stress, or infection. For people with histamine intolerance, these chemicals can cause a variety of unpleasant symptoms, such as headache, nausea, diarrhea, and skin rash. In this blog post, we will provide a comprehensive low histamine shopping list so that you can easily find foods that don't contain histamines!
The Benefits of Eating Histamine-Free Foods
Histamine is a chemical that is produced when the body digest food. Histamine can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Some people who are sensitive to histamine may find that they have difficulty digesting certain foods, specifically those that contain histamine. There are many foods that contain histamine and it is important to be aware of which ones may be problematic for those with sensitivities. Eating histamine-free foods can help to reduce the risk of experiencing an allergic reaction and improve digestion.
A List of Low Histamine Foods
Produce:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those that are low in histamines, such as bananas, apples, grapes, carrots, celery, and cucumbers
- Low histamine canned fruits and vegetables
- Frozen fruits and vegetables
- Dried fruits (limit to once a day)
- Fresh herbs (limit to once a day)
- Olive oil, grapeseed oil, and avocado oil
- Low histamine condiments, such as salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, and salsa
Beverages:
- filtered water
- herbal teas (limit to twice a day)
- black coffee (limit to once a day)
- carbonated water
- unsweetened almond milk
- low histamine wines and beers
Grains, Cereals, and Breads:
- gluten free grains, such as quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, and buckwheat
- gluten free breads and cereals
- oatmeal (limit to once a day)
- rice cakes (limit to once a day)
Proteins:
- fresh meats, such as chicken, beef, pork, and lamb
- fresh fish
- tofu
- eggs (limit to one per day)
- low histamine deli meats and cheeses
Snacks:
- fresh fruits
- fresh vegetables
- gluten free crackers
- rice cakes
- popcorn (limit to once a day)
- nuts and seeds (limit to one serving per day)
- unsweetened dried fruit (limit to once a day)
We hope that this low histamine shopping list will help make your life a little bit easier! Remember to always check the labels of foods to make sure that they are histamine-free.
For more information download the the Ultimate Guide to the low Histamine diet here.
Medically reviewed by Onikepe Adegbola, MD PhD DipIBLM
