Low-Histamine Food Items

The Low-Histamine Diet

On this site, I’ve created what I think is the most comprehensive histamine intolerance food list. But what if you are new to all this, and you want an overview of histamine intolerance and diet? You’re in the right place. As always, check with your practitioner before starting any new diet or supplement regime.

The Three-Day Easy Low Histamine Diet

Here’s a great test. Avoid some main high-histamine culprits for three days, and see if you start to feel better.

Broadly speaking, you want to avoid for three days;

  • Fermented foods

  • Avocados

  • Chocolate

  • Fish

  • Leftovers

  • Citrus

  • Cheeses

  • Alcohol

Head over to the easy-to-use Low-Histamine Food List page, complete with emojis, and avoid the foods in red. Just eat the foods in green for three days. Don’t worry if it seems quite a restrictive list, as you can always reintroduce certain foods later on. And see how you go. If you want to really ramp up this test, you could even take a supplement to help reduce your histamine levels at the same time, like Quercetin. Again, consult with your practitioner before starting any new regime.

Those foods in more detail…

Fermented foods

Definitely steer clear of these. The very way that they are created using bacteria means that’s something that could increase your histamine bucket – you don’t want that. Fermented foods include sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha and many others.

Avocados

Avocados, you are joking, right? We had always presumed that avocado was pretty much the healthiest food I could possibly eat. High and good fats, low in carbs and absolutely delicious at the same time. Use it in salads, eat it by itself, you can even make avocado cheesecake. But not if you’re histamine intolerant, because, it is very unfair, isn’t it? But avocados are out.

Chocolate

Unfortunately, histamine intolerance means that some of the most delicious foods out there are out. But don’t worry, because once you lower your histamine bucket and empty out some of that bad stuff, it doesn’t mean that you can never have these foods. Only that you start to have more control around them. And let’s face it, if you feel great, that is a major incentive to avoid all these foods. We love all the foods on this list pretty much, but we love feeling good a lot more.

Chocolate is one of the items most people say you should avoid. Some say that cacao in its raw state seems to be okay in terms of histamine. They can’t quite work out why cacao is okay but chocolate is not.

To us, that sounds dodgy and I think we should stick with the fact that cacao and chocolate is out. Sorry!

A good substitute to chocolate is carob and you can buy some delicious carob bars from your local health food store. However, wait for it, some sites say that carob is also high in histamine. As always, it’s really important that you do your own research. Because this list will not be conclusive for everybody. For some people, they’ll be fine with chocolate while for others, they won’t be. Unfortunately, the only way to work it out is to test it yourself.

Fish

Most fresh organic, pasture-raised meats seem to be okay, but fish does seem to be high on histamine. It is something about how the bacteria grows in the fish, once it’s being caught. If the fish is caught and frozen immediately, that can be better. But you’ll find most fish appears on histamine banned lists. There are certain fish that are better than others. But for the most part, fish and histamine don’t go together, and are not happy bedfellows.

Leftovers

Previously, there was nothing I used to love more than having a massive cook up on a Sunday, and then sorting out all my food for the week. Lots of lovely portions waiting for me in the fridge every morning. I didn’t have to think about food until Friday. Unfortunately, that’s out when it comes to histamine. Because leftovers increase in bacteria and histamine the more they’ve been left. There is a way round this and that is; when you cook your food and you’d like to eat leftovers afterwards, put them straight in the freezer compartment. When you’re ready to eat, defrost thoroughly and then heat up, obviously within safety guidelines.

Citrus

For some reason, citrus is out. It seems unfair, doesn’t it? So many delicious things on this list. But as always, test. If you are okay with citrus, then that’s fine. You’ll soon know once you start tuning in on what makes you intolerant and what doesn’t.

Cheeses

Most cheeses are extremely high in bacteria and histamine, they have to be avoided. Some people (like me) tolerate soft cheeses such as mozzarella and ricotta just fine though. Remember, this is not forever. The idea is you reduce your histamine levels, and then cautiously start to reintroduce foods, paying careful attention to the ones that suit you best.

Alcohol

Alcohol and histamine don’t normally seem to go together. But hey, we don’t want to deny ourselves all the great pleasures in life. If you do still fancy the odd drink though, all is not lost. Thankfully there are some alcohols that seem to work better than others.

First the ones to look out for. Red wine, and in fact, wines of all description, seem to be the worst. Yes that includes prosecco.

Thankfully since then, some of the wonderful people in the histamine community have offered some suggestions on how best to enjoy the odd glass of something alcoholic, and feel okay the next day. Be warned, we are just talking about a measured glass or two of something nice. Many suggested tequila, but I have found a certain clean vodka seems to work better than just about anything else. It’s called Tito’s vodka, and seems to be particular popular in the USA. Should I be recommending alcohol on a site dedicated to health and histamine? Well all the usual caveats about sensible drinking apply. If drinking this or other alcohol, check out the supplements page for ways to enjoy it and feel good the next day too.

So what can you eat?

Loads - it is actually very healthy and tasty, and I love it. Check out my full A-Z histamine food list here. And there is lots more on diet and my own personal experience with histamine and food in my Masterclass. I go into this whole area above in way more depth and help you through the whole process with 11 video modules.