Red wine. Aged cheese. Citrus fruits. Sauerkraut. Bacon. These foods are frequently consumed by those on a healthy whole foods diet, and are often found in a variety of Paleo-friendly recipes and meal plans. Even conventional doctors frequently recommend including many of these seemingly unrelated foods daily as part of a healthy diet. After all, even a raw vegan probably wouldn’t argue against eating foods like oranges, spinach, or cinnamon.
It may surprise you to learn that these and other popular foods are capable of causing numerous symptoms in certain people, including migraines, hives, anxiety, heartburn and GERD, and nasal congestion, just to name a few. If you’re experiencing strange reactions to certain foods that most would consider healthy, you may be suffering from a little known but not uncommon cause of food intolerance and disease: histamine intolerance.
Still having strange symptoms on a real food diet? You could be suffering from histamine intolerance.
Never heard of histamine intolerance? You’re not alone. This food intolerance is difficult to diagnose, has a multifaceted symptom profile, and is often confused with a variety of other conditions. Many doctors and nutritionists have never even heard of histamine intolerance, and often treat the symptoms without ever addressing the underlying cause. In my practice, I see it especially with headaches and migraines, skin problems and mental health issues. It’s a fairly common, yet poorly understood, food sensitivity.
Histamine Intolerance: Not Your Typical Food Allergy!
Deficiency in the DAO enzyme system, found in the intestinal mucosa, has been suggested as the most probable cause of histamine intolerance. (2) There are likely genetic variations in individual enzyme function, but when activity of either of these enzymes is insufficient, the resulting excess of histamine may cause numerous symptoms resembling an allergic reaction. Common symptoms of histamine intolerance include: (3)
- Pruritus (itching especially of the skin, eyes, ears, and nose)
- Urticaria (hives) (sometimes diagnosed as “idiopathic urticaria”)
- Tissue swelling (angioedema) especially of facial and oral tissues and sometimes the throat, the latter causing the feeling of “throat tightening”
- Hypotension (drop in blood pressure)
- Tachycardia (increased pulse rate, “heart racing”)
- Symptoms resembling an anxiety or panic attack
- Chest pain
- Nasal congestion, runny nose, seasonal allergies
- Conjunctivitis (irritated, watery, reddened eyes)
- Some types of headaches that differ from those of migraine
- Fatigue, confusion, irritability
- Very occasionally loss of consciousness usually lasting for only one or two seconds
- Digestive upset, especially heartburn, “indigestion”, and reflux
Histamine intolerance is unlike other food allergies or sensitivities in that the response is cumulative, not immediate. Imagine it like a cup of water. When the cup is very full (high amounts of histamine in the diet), even a drop of additional water will cause the cup to overflow (symptoms activated). But when the cup is less full, it would take more water (histamine) to cause a response. This makes histamine intolerance tricky to recognize.
In addition, histamine intolerance is closely related to SIBO and dysbiosis, which suggests that curing the latter may alleviate the former. Many integrative practitioners, including myself, believe that a primary cause of histamine intolerance is an overgrowth of certain types of bacteria that make histamine from undigested food, leading to a buildup of histamine in the gut and overwhelming the body’s ability to catabolize the excess histamine. This causes a heightened sensitivity to histamine-containing foods and an increase in symptoms that are commonly associated with allergies.
For more detailed information on histamine intolerance, including causes, symptoms, and treatment, check out this article by Dr. Janice Joneja, a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology and former head of the Allergy Nutrition Program at the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre.
What to Do If You Have Histamine Intolerance
Histamine intolerance can be a challenging diagnosis to manage, since many foods contain histamine and for some patients, their gut bacteria is producing the excess histamine that is causing the symptoms. Fermented foods are some of the biggest culprits, since even beneficial bacteria produce histamine during fermentation. In fact, reacting to fermented foods is a classic sign of histamine intolerance, especially if probiotic supplements are well-tolerated. Other foods that are high in histamine include:
- Seafood: shellfish or fin fish, fresh, frozen, smoked or canned
- Eggs
- Processed, cured, smoked and fermented meats such as lunch meat, bacon, sausage, salami, pepperoni
- Leftover meat (After meat is cooked, the histamine levels increase due to microbial action as the meat sits)
- All fermented milk products, including most cheeses
- Yogurt, buttermilk, kefir
- Citrus fruits – eg. oranges, grapefruit, lemons, lime
- Most berries
- Dried fruit
- Fermented foods: sauerkraut, kombucha, pickles, relishes, fermented soy products, etc.
- Spinach
- Tomatoes- including ketchup, tomato sauces
- Artificial food colors and preservatives
- Spices: cinnamon, chili powder, cloves, anise, nutmeg, curry powder, cayenne
- Beverages: Tea (herbal or regular), alcohol
- Chocolate, cocoa
- Vinegar and foods containing vinegar such as pickles, relishes, ketchup, and prepared mustard
Individual sensitivity varies tremendously. I have one or two patients that cannot tolerate any amount of histamine in food, and others that are only sensitive to the foods highest in histamine.
In order to improve your tolerance to histamine-containing foods, it is crucial to heal the gut and address any dysbiosis or SIBO issues that may exist. I recommend working with a qualified practitioner who can help you address any bacterial imbalance and create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs.
Like what you’re reading? Get my free newsletter, recipes, eBooks, product recommendations, and more!
What Can You Eat on a Low-Histamine Paleo Diet?
You may be feeling overwhelmed by the list of foods to avoid – I don’t blame you! It can be especially challenging to eat low-histamine foods on a Paleo diet. There aren’t many resources available for this condition, and everyone reacts in their own unique way to excess histamine and certain high histamine foods. For example, a person may do fine eating berries and citrus fruits, but they may have horrible reactions to wine or sauerkraut. If you’re dealing with histamine intolerance, you will need to determine your own trigger foods, and reduce or eliminate them accordingly.
For help figuring out what to eat, those with histamine intolerance may want to check out my Paleo Recipe Generator. It contains over 600 Paleo-approved recipes, and allows you to exclude many high histamine foods from your meal plan, including fermented dairy, eggs, tomatoes, eggplant, fruit, certain spices, vinegar, alcohol, and seafood.
Of course, you’ll have to pay attention to whether or not the recipe contains cured meats like bacon or sausage, other spices like cinnamon or cloves, and certain fruits and vegetables like citrus and spinach. Some of these issues can be addressed by excluding fruit and pork from the meal plan, which isn’t necessary but can help make your low-histamine recipe search a little easier. You’ll still need to double check the ingredients of each individual meal, but this search function makes it much easier!
Once you’ve made your selections for foods to exclude, you can plan meals for a full day, a week, or simply find a recipe for a single meal. Even with a histamine intolerance, you can still enjoy many delicious Paleo recipes: Lamb Roast with Fennel and Root Vegetables, Beef Brisket with Mushrooms, Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes, and even Chicken Pot Pie, just to name a few.
There are few other online resources for low-histamine meal plans, and most are not Paleo compliant. The Low Histamine Chef has a “Low Histamine Diamine Oxidase Boosting Recipe Book” which some people may find helpful, though many of the recipes contain less-than-desirable ingredients such as grains, legumes, and sugar. It’s important to focus on healing the gut and identifying your specific trigger foods in order to reduce symptoms without indefinitely following a strict low histamine diet. Just remember, individual results will vary!
Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.
Close the nutrient gap to feel and perform your best.
A daily stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs.
Anyone have time for a read? Hi Chris!
Thanks so much for your comment on my first effort, the low histamine diamine oxidase support book. It was my attempt to introduce those with histamine intolerance and mastocytosis to a diet healthier than the standard american diet.
But I’m afraid you’re mistaken in saying that the book’s recipes contain sugar. If you refer to the whole fruits in that book’s recipes, absolutely, I am a firm believer (as is my nutritional role model Dr Fuhrman), that fruit’s phytonutrients are beneficial to the health and a wonderful substitute for processed sugar, in addition to being an excellent source of histamine-lowering vitamin C and quercetin.
Histamine disorders are so personal, and influenced by so much more than what we ingest, that even the most comprehensive food list could not cure us. This is why a food diary with additional potential trigger listing became my most powerful tool – I basically threw out the food lists and made my own diet (which is what my next few books are based on). But, it would be amazing if you could help spread the word that food is not the only culprit, and that we must be aware of other histamine triggers so that we don’t drive ourselves insane wondering why we react to everything we eat. Heat, cold, stress, vibration, altitude, beauty/bath products, perfume and nail polish are all triggers (readers please visit the Mastocytosis Society website for a full list of triggers). As you know, the very act of digestion itself releases histamine, a fact that many who struggle to understand their adverse reactions to all food, might not be aware of.
Most who write to me are still struggling with the concept that their nutritional choices affect their histamine issues, and even once they do, are finding it hard to wean themselves off said poisons. While many are happy to tell me that they absolutely will not include the odd highly nutritious, slightly higher histamine ingredient (fresh tomato, red pepper), they feel totally justified in “cheating” with store bought frosting, foods containing high fructose corn syrup, food dyes and pizza (this is just a sample from the hundreds of people I correspond with). It certainly doesn’t help that even the doctors who diagnose and treat histamine disorders like histamine intolerance, mast cell activation and mastocytosis, for the most part do not even acknowledge the role of diet. It’s for that reason I’m truly excited to find someone as highly respected as yourself writing about histamine.
My newest book (low histamine on the go) was the result of my understanding that there was a need for a book to bridge the gap for those not ready to jump ship from junk food to my personal diet. I’m afraid it seems that even this book was too hardcore for many, and I continue to be flooded with requests for more accessible recipes that can be shared by the whole family. My three upcoming books will feature the antihistamine and anti inflammatory foods I’ve devoted the last two years to researching (this ex-CNN/BBC journalist LOVES research), their effects on histamine intolerance and mastocytosis, as well as my personal diet which is high nutrient, low animal fat, modified paleo, with every bite having either antihistamine or anti inflammatory properties.
I realise not all my books suit everyone – the idea is to allow those affected by histamine disorders to choose their recipes based on their personal nutritional ideology. I do not dictate, nor discriminate, I try to cater to every (high nutrient) need in order that everyone who desires it, can find a book to help them stop being a victim of their appetite. And I’m living proof that a strict (paleo, modified paleo, whatever, just high nutrient!) diet and attention to non-alimentary triggers works. I’ve gone from unemployed, bed bound with full blown mastocytosis symptoms, to traveling the world at least six months of the year and running two successful businesses, while on no meds at all. I wish everyone the very best of luck in building their own safe food list (one list never fits all!) and in finding the right diet, no matter what it’s called.
I look forward to your future histamine-related posts!
What about medicines with histamine or those that cause histamine release? For example, I just had surgery, and Vicodin (which causes histamine release) and my sinuses are completely swollen shut for days….I’ve been suffering from this for about a year. Ambien did it to me at first. Please let me know!
Chelsea,
I don’t tolerate most medications (especially in the two classes you mention above) and haven’t for a long time before I even discovered the histamine issue. I avoid them. Most medications are not necessary once one learns how to use natural means of care. I’ve learned many coping techniques and at this point I don’t miss the bulk of meds. I’ve never been able to take any opiates either…since I was a child.
The histamine issue shined a new light on my intolerance for (most) medications.
I thought I would add my experiences with Histame (DAO enzyme) in case it helps anyone.
I find that any level of histamine gives me major gut inflammation and associated symptoms, so I started trying out Histame.
Rather than taking it as suggested (when eating high histamine foods, because I just don’t), I started using it as a daily supplement.
The initial results were amazing, with perfect sleep, normalised BMs, great energy and so on. But after about a week of taking 2 caps morning and night, my digestion crashed and I ran out of energy. I assume the digestion problem was because histamine is part of the HCL production cycle in the stomach, and the energy something to do with the adrenals.
So I waited to recover then tried again with one cap morning and night. Same again. Now I’m down to 1/2 cap every other day, and this seems to be more sustainable. Although the results aren’t as radical, the side effects aren’t as major either (although still present).
I’m going to drop to a 1/2 cap every 3 days and see if that gives me a positive effect without the downsides. We’ll see what happens.
Roger,
Are you saying a DOA supplement will reduce your acid production? I’m wondering because I am going to try it in a few days. Also how does it mess with adrenals?
I hope the lower dose works for you. I was hoping for a magic pill.
HI Marsha – as I said in my comment, I assume the Histame reduced my acid production as I was taking too much of it. I cannot say that is definitely the reason, although normally my digestion is fine. I don’t know how histamine is involved in the adrenal system, just that the fatigue I got was profound and felt like I was seriously lacking adrenal response. This has happened 3 times now. The first time was the worst as it lasted several days. Subsequent times have been one day, and I’m starting to be able to refine my approach with the histame. Now, when my BMs get too perfect, I know it’s time to back off the Histame. Well, you did ask 😉
Histamine vs. Migraine vs. Tension headache . . .
I get sneezing fits (lasting 5 minutes) from eating several items on the high-histamine list.
However, I wonder about the relationship & over-lap of tyramine rich foods which are what migraine sufferers frequently are asked to avoid.
I dramatically reduced my migraine frequency (which I had for 20 years) from 24 per year to about 2 per year.
However, for the last 2 years I’ve been having “tension headaches” (hate that name). It’s when there’s a crushing vice-grip like pain in the scalp and neck muscles. During these episodes, My eyes get red and painful (which I thought were associated with the histamine stuff).
Anyway, does anyone have any thoughts on migraines vs. tension headaches vs. histamine reactions?
Thanks,
Mike
After suffering from severe facial acne for the past 2 years and hand eczema for 12, I had an allergy test done-lots of food allergies with the main ones being Dairy, Wheat and Beef. After avoiding them for a year, along with taking probiotics, my acne has disappeared as well as my ezcema. However I have devoloped other itchy areas on my neck and arms, and also still have continual nasal swelling (I can hardly ever smell) along with brain fog and sometimes strange headaches…now after reading this, wondering if it’s histamine. Eventhough some of the foods listed are not said to be some of my allergens, I know I have reactions when I eat them-wine, avocados. Not sure what to eat anymore as there are so many things to avoid with my allergies, I eat a lot of the foods on the histamine foods list! If anyone can identify with this or have recommendations on what they can actually eat and feel good about it, please let me know 🙂
I’m assuming whey protein would still be ok – if anyone has thoughts on this, I’d love to hear them.
Would high dose niacin have a particular affect in someone with this problem, or perhaps be useful diagnostically? Just a thought, as the “niacin flush” is due to histamine release
Hi Trina,
According to the following study, histamine release in not involved in the flushing-effect of niacin (nicotinic acid): http://tinyurl.com/ateurhc
Wow I can’t believe the timing of this article! Thanks so much chris.
We have been trying to get to the bottom of our 18mo daughters excema, nappy rash and hive reactions which she’s been prone to her whole life. (Despite a paleo pregnancy, being fully breastfed and being slowly introduced to paleo foods). We had just had the idea that histamine might be a problem since we noticed she reacted strongly to avocado, tomatoes and sauerkraut. It’s such a shame we’d been purposefully including lots of fermented foods in her diet!
A couple of questions-
Does bone broth/ slow cooked meat contain a lot of histamine?
Does anyone know if histamine passes through breastmilk?
Julia, I’d like to know about bone broth, too. I had a terrible episode of “the itchies” a few weeks ago, and I thought it was due to red meat allergy, which was my theory until I read about HIT. I had had some beef chili with a lot of tomato sauce in it, and I rarely eat beef or tomato. That meal was an unusually large dose of both for me. I had also made a smoothie with a little beef gelatin in it. I had just discovered the therapeutic qualities of gelatin powder, but had been making chicken bone broth for a long time. The reaction was one of the worst I’ve ever had.
I’d like to know if bone broth from poultry can cause histamine reactions, but I suspect it can. Looking forward to an answer from someone who knows.
for those of us with acute sensitivities slow cooking is problematic it seems…histamine increases the longer things cook…and since i’m not able to tolerate meat at all…bone broths are most certainly out too…
from what I”m gathering once one heals more foods can be eaten…at least on occasion…
I’ve had to radically alter my diet in the last two months and am finding that I’m much less symptomatic totally vegetarian…wow…it’s a trip to say the least.
also my blood sugar has totally stabilized and I’ve learned that histamine, when one is sensitive, increases insulin resistance…not surprising since it causes inflammation…
so that meant once I got my histamine levels down but blood sugar went down too and now I tolerate legumes when before I did not. I actually have the best blood sugar levels I’ve ever had in my life now…
again, WEIRD. and not what I would have expected prior to this piece of the puzzle.
Highly suspect the tomato sauce I used to cook with tomato sauce all the time, made homemade tomato sauce, and chili all the time and had terrible time sleeping at night, Nightmares etc..
I used to have terrible back pains as well. Went to an orthopedic surgeon and one of the clients in the waiting room told me to stay away from nightshade vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants. Gave us the tomato sauce and my back pain went away..
Sleeping much better as well without the spices and tomato sauce.
Also watch out for anything with citric acid in it !
Chris,
I’m really surprised you made no mention in this article of the methylation cycle and its role in histamine balance, especially since you’ve just brought out a new range of supplements to assist with methylation. Diet and gut health are just two factors affecting histamine production, the methylation cycle is the other main one.
There isn’t a great deal of information out there in scientific journals so I’m linking to the website of a respected clinical nutritionist from Australia: http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/articles-content.php?heading=Major%20Mental%20Illness%20Biochemical%20Subtypes
You touched on mental health complications from histamine imbalance, the link above goes in to more detail about that for anyone interested. There are doctors that treat this sort of thing quite regularly with good success. Listings for doctors can be found at the back of Nutrient Power by Bill Walsh: http://www.amazon.com/Nutrient-Power-Heal-Biochemistry-Brain/dp/1620872587
Hi Allison, your first link won’t work for me. Do you have another link to the same site?
Speaking of quercetin supplements, I’m wondering now about the bromelain in the Super Quercetin or taking bromelain separately since it’s derived from pineapple. Anyone have experiences with sensitivity to it? I may try going back to straight quercetin for a couple weeks and see if there’s a difference.
Thank y!’ I started the 21 day sugar detox two weeks ago and my throat swells up every night and I’m very gassy – I have ibs-c and lactose egg allergies but this is new. The only change I made was eating a lot of coconut oil and saurkraut and have not had any fruit. I thought it was the candida dying off!
I forgot to mention that I was taking Quercetin and it obviously didn’t help me. I still had allergy symptoms, itchy eyes, sneezing, etc. and then the not so lovely hives came along!
Hi Chris,
Amazing timing for this article to appear in my in box! I recently began a 30 day AIP and on the third day I broke out in hives. I always thought hives were an immediate response as opposed to something that was accumulated. So, that was eye opening! As with all of the other sufferers, limiting or avoiding these foods stinks! I too have been paleo for two years now and thought I healed myself after being a vegetarian for many years. Now it seems like my gut is still not healed. I do not have GERD or anything like that, so I thought all is well. I’m going to have to look into SIBO and Gut Dysbiosis information, which I always avoided since I didn’t think I had any more problems, until the case of the hives came along! In this day and age, aren’t there any tests to check for this? A recent trip to my doctor’s office suggested some allergy testing, but I think they are just going to do some kind of blood test. I know we all want to do what’s right for our bodies so that we don’t end up with inflammation and disease, but sometimes it feels we take one step forward and then two steps back again. Thank you again Chris for the timely information. I’ve found your articles to be the most informative and we really appreciate all that you do for us! I recently have been discussing hives with Paul Jaminet from The Perfect Health Diet and he was quite helpful as well. Others were commenting on recent outbreaks of hives and I found this interesting article as well: http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/04/11/histamine-intolerance/
Janis
HI Janis
Do you have a link to your discussions with Paul Jaminet? I’m trying to gather as much info as possible on this problem, as it is quite an issue for me,
Thanks
Hi Roger,
Here it is: Janis January 6, 2013 at 9:09 am
Hi Paul,
Thank you so much for your reply. I was eating potatoes prior to my AIP, but eliminated them (nightshades) for 30 days. Do you feel that they contribute towards arthritic pain? I also eat plenty of protein at each meal, so my cravings are not that bad, just a habit I think at dinnertime! Ah, those pesky habits! Thank you so much for the information regarding the 5-HTP and melatonin. I had no idea about that. May I ask, what did you think regarding the hives issue? I suppose it could be anything. An allergic reaction or releasing toxins? Our bodies are amazing! Do you recommend CO-Q10 or ubiquinol or are these better attained through food as well. I’m also taking Quercitin and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid and maybe I shouldn’t be taking that either. I ordered your book and like I said before, I’m sure the answers to my questions will be in there! Thank you so much for your help!
Janis
Paul Jaminet January 6, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Hi Janis,
Arthritis can have a variety of causes and one of them is food sensitivities or food toxins. It’s possible therefore that in some people potatoes contribute to the disease. However, I’d be surprised if that was a major or common cause.
The trouble is that all plant foods have toxins, so if you exclude potential contributors, you can quickly get a malnourishing diet. I think it’s worthwhile removing a category for a month to see if you feel better, but if you don’t notice a difference then I would restore those foods.
Hives I take to indicate a vicious circle of an inflammatory immune response combined with oxidative stress; white blood cells produce reactive oxygen species to destroy threats, but oxidative stress reacts with omega-6 fats in cell membranes to create inflammatory molecules that promote immune activity. So some combination of an immunogenic agent (such as an infection or food sensitivity) and an antioxidant deficiency is usually involved. You can try taking NAC, vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc, copper, selenium, and other antioxidants to help. But the key thing is to resolve whatever is underneath.
CoQ10 is fine to supplement. In people with high oxidative stress it is probably beneficial. Not sure about quercetin and lipoic acid.
Janis January 21, 2013 at 10:00 am
Hi Paul,
Some recents comments have sparked my interest concerning hives and histamine intolerances and found this interesting article: http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/04/11/histamine-intolerance/
I also submitted a comment to you about a recent case of hives (which I think I can say after reading this article, could have been from fish that I ate) and you were kind enough to explain a reason for this outbreak. After reading this article though, it did mention that NAC may block intestinal DAO. You recently recommended it for me as well as other antioxidants. I believe that I have a histamine intolerance, especially to red wine, which I (used to) love, all of those fermented foods we are supposed to be eating, but upon learning more information about histamine, perhaps I shouldn’t be taking the extra NAC 600 mg. Oh yes, and plus I just started taking MK7, that is fermented. What are your thoughts? Thank you!
Janis
Reply
Janis January 22, 2013 at 8:30 am
Hi Paul,
As per my question above, I am wondering if I am doing more harm using the NAC, MK7 and fermented foods, which really don’t agree with me any way. Should I continue with these supplements? Thank you for your time.
Janis
Reply
Paul Jaminet January 22, 2013 at 8:58 am
Hi Janis,
I think dropping the NAC and fermented foods may be good ideas. I’d be reluctant to give up the MK-7 which I believe is safe and important.
Reply
Janis January 22, 2013 at 9:02 am
Hi Paul,
Ok, thank you. That’s what I needed to know. I don’t want to make the situation worse. Should I be taking the MK-7 everyday or every other day?
Janis
Reply
Paul Jaminet January 22, 2013 at 9:36 am
Daily is good.
Janis January 21, 2013 at 10:03 am
Plus, there was an update on histamines as well if anyone was interested.
http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/11/14/histamine-intolerance-update/
Reply
Amy M. January 21, 2013 at 11:14 am
Thank you Janis,
I was wondering about the NAC and histamine issue as well.
I too have a histamine intolerance and so many of the foods that are recommended for paleo (eggs, dark chocolate, wine, yogurt, fermented veggies, bananas, nuts) are off limits. Since paleo eating is restrictive anyway this makes things more complicated. And when you are trying to heal gut infections the fermented foods are supposed to be so important.
I am playing with digestive enzymes and maybe it will take a while to see the effects. Thanks again for the links!
Reply
Janis January 21, 2013 at 11:25 am
Hi Amy,
You are very welcome for the links, I’m glad that I found them as well and that I could pass on the information. I love all of the foods you mentioned and I am too now finding them to be off limits. It’s kind of a rude awakening after all these years to finally to note of what my body doesn’t really like, especially after being a vegetarian for so long as well. (paleo 2 years and for the most part, it’s been better for me) But, knowing that there are people, like you Amy, that are out there, who are facing the same dilemma. Thank you for responding to my comment! I appreciate it.
Janis
Reply
Katie Grunhard January 21, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Hey Janis, Amy,
I took a food sensitivity test and histamine foods were listed like eggs, pineapple, yeast, mushroom. So I think I have some of those issues too. do probiotics from a pill have histamine issues. I seem to crave these histamine foods but also have issues with eating them.
Reply
Amy M. January 21, 2013 at 5:06 pm
Hello Katie,
Someone else on this site suggested this link: http://lowhistaminechef.com/
and there is a link on the page that addresses the histamine and probiotics issue. Very interesting. Apparently some strains increase and others decrease histamine levels. I am currently experimenting with yogurts (24 hour homemade).
Hope some of that helps!
Thanks a lot Janis
Thanks for this article Chris! You helped me solve yet another piece of the puzzle!
I have a question, though. I usually watch what I eat during the week(no wheat, sugar, alcohol), and then eat allot more liberally on the weekends(social gatherings)
I get allot of the symptoms from histamine foods described(anxiety, reflux) I thought it was only glutton, and it does play a role, but, I always noticed it happening when I would revert back to eating fish, meats, vege’s fruits during the week, but, only in the beginning part of the week. The fish I ate was canned salmon, and I also pre cooked my meats for the week.
My question is, could having a lowered calorie intake, and a raised level of omega 3’s negate the negative effect of histamines or increase your own tolerance?
This article is so interesting! I have read Joneja’s article before.
I have extremely high total IgE levels and have for the past 4 years since my CFS has been severe, would this equate to high histamine levels?
This may explain why my reactions to ‘healthy’ foods occur and can be quite random in nature. I cannot tolerate cacao, having too much leaves me in bed with heart palpitation for hours. Possibly the stimulants as well. I have recently taken a break from fermented foods as I instinctively felt they were not agreeing with me. I do not have dairy, alcohol, citrus fruits or night shades but have plenty of fish (fresh, canned), berries, olives, spinach, spices, egg yolks, ACV and leftover lamb. Joneja mentions pumpkin and avocado too which I have all the time! Could be worth an experiment!
Hi — I’ve got a daughter who does have food allergies, but we’re strict about keeping them out of her diet. However…she does get diarrhea when she has a lot of orange juice, oranges or vinegar. Not all the time, but only when she really consumes a lot of it. Could the the diarrhea be part of the gastrointestinal symptoms?
Thanks!
Chris, what about food sensitivities from other chemicals found in a paleo-style diet, like vasoactive amines in general (there are plenty besides histamine including tyramine, serotonin, tryptamine, dopamine), salicylates, glutamates, sulfites, glykoalkaloids, and saponins just to name a few? Thyroid health may also be involved in addition to gut health from what I’ve read.
I’m VERY interested in this point as well. I’m very appreciative of Chris’s posts about histamine lately. I’ve been primal/paleo for 3 years, and tried Whole30 twice, and the GI and scalp symptoms plus fatigue and brain fog have not improved. I suspect sulfites, but I can’t tease out whether it’s sulfites, or histamines, or both, or other things as well. And the idea of doing paleo plus the avoid nightshades immune protocol plus avoid all histamines/sulfites/tyramines, etc. is just overwhelming. Some kind of general intro road map to understanding this, and the relation to gut health and thyroid health. I’m pretty sure the problem is not SIBO, but does one still prioritize gut health first? (GAPS?) Thyroid? My allergist has me on daily antihistamines and ranitidine, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea in the long term… even though it does control the GI anaphylaxis-type symptoms. Sigh, confusion… although I’m very happy to see more information about this subject. Thanks!
Good article. I’m one of the folks who turned to a paleo approach to eating only to find it unearthed my histamine intolerance within just a few months. I’m still paleo, but a low histamine version. I’ve never considered paleo a big effort/pain, but let me tell you, it’s hard not to complain about histamine restrictions! No comparison – would be a dream to simply eat a ‘traditional’ (if I could put it that way) paleo diet.
looks like I’m headed that way too Sarah. Just going paleo isn’t enough for me as I’m still covered in hives.
a few have mentioned that their dao levels are fine and histamine levels and another marker was fine…HOW are you finding this info out!? is it a blood test that can be ordered? from what I can see its only research facilities that routinely do this?
I’m with you there Sarah, I don’t know at this point how to go about finding this out. Any doctor I’ve mentioned HIT to (albeit few as I’m rarely with doctors) doesn’t appear to know anything about it – even the naturopath I was seeing at one point. I need to research this more. But at this point, I find my situation manageable so I’m not sure how far I’ll go down that road.
Did you folks find out how to test for DAO and histamine levels?
Sarah Brown, what does a low histamine Paleo diet look like? Since meat and fish are problematic, I can’t figure that out. but I’d like to try it.
What is a good brand of Quercetin? Can it be ordered in Canada?
I’m trying out Bluebonnet Super Quercetin, recommended by a friend — it has quercetin, bromelain and vitamin c in it. Don’t know if it is available in Canada. I’ve also taken plain quercetin and bromelain separately.
Thought I would add that I went back to plain quercetin, finding it’s easier to tolerate than the Super Quercetin, in case that’s helpful for anyone.
I wasn’t saying that by eating fruits and veggies of any kind that I am better off than eating meat. I understand that there are lots of fruits and veggies I will need to limit as well. Just that there is high histamine levels in meat unless you eat it the second it’s slaughtered. And you can’t eat leftover meats. As you can imagine on a Paleo diet and being a full time working mom…I don’t have all the time in the world to be making food.
I’m just wondering how a Paleo style eating plan can work with Histamine avoidance. I certainly don’t want to be vegetarian. I adore animal protein! I am going to be seriously missing bacon. UGH.
I have an app for my iphone that gives a list of foods that contain histamine which is really good. It’s called Food Intolerances or if you search in itunes for histamine it should come up with it.
Hi, I’m not sure that’s exactly right about fresh meat. If you can cook the meat without browning it (eg. boil), it might be possible to freeze meals ahead for a short time. There are tips on lowering amines in your meat if you look up the failsafe diet – maybe start with the wordpress site on minimising amines. I think chicken is the easiest, as long as you don’t eat the skin. good luck, Etta.