Many of us experience seasonal allergies. Allergy symptoms result from histamine, a necessary chemical that signals potential bacteria and triggers the body’s defence mechanisms. However, when histamine levels are too high, allergy symptoms are often triggered by harmless substances such as dust and pollen. Antihistamines block histamine activity, reducing these negative symptoms. Thankfully, there are many natural anti histamine foods that can reduce your allergy symptoms!
Incorporating these natural anti histamine foods into your diet can be preferable to using over-the-counter or prescription antihistamine medications. These medications can frequently cause unpleasant side effects, such as nausea or drowsiness.
In this article, we will explore five of the very best foods for a low histamine diet and five histamine-increasing foods that you should avoid!
Five Anti Histamine Foods to Eat
1. Bell Peppers
Whether red, yellow, orange, or green, bell peppers are a natural source of two highly-effective antihistamines—vitamin C and quercetin.
The health benefits of vitamin C are well-documented. This vitamin is known to boost the immune system, strengthen teeth and bones, prevent iron deficiency, and more health benefits to name. One often-overlooked benefit of vitamin C is its proven anti histamine properties. Unlike medications and supplements that attack histamine after it has been produced, vitamin C reduces the amount of the chemical produced in the first place, making it a vital part of a histamine-reducing diet.
Luckily, bell peppers are extremely versatile and can be added to a huge variety of dishes, from salads and pasta dishes to curries and soups!
2. Onions
Like bell peppers, onions are also a widespread ingredient in many meals, so they are easy to incorporate into your diet!
The main anti histamine in onions is quercetin, a plant pigment known as a “flavonoid” that also appears in various fruits, buckwheat tea, and even red wine (however, the negative effects of alcohol make red wine a less effective antihistamine than these other options)! Like vitamin C, quercetin inhibits histamine release by stabilizing mast cells, reducing allergy symptoms such as coughing, itching, and a runny nose.
While boiling onions leads to an approximately 30% reduction of quercetin levels, other forms of cooking such as microwaving result in less
chemical loss. Besides, onions are so versatile, it is always easy to add more to your diet!
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is well-known for being an extremely plentiful source of iron, which is vital for maintaining healthy skin, hair, nails, and immune system functioning. One lesser-known advantage of broccoli is its ability to act as a natural antihistamine!
Including high levels of both quercetin and vitamin C, broccoli is a powerful addition to a low histamine diet, whether you fry it, steam it, or even use broccoli oil. Similarly, cauliflower is also a great source of both vitamin C and quercetin.
4. Grapes
Red grapes are rich in vitamin C and quercetin. Although other berries like strawberries and raspberries also offer substantial amounts of these natural antihistamines, they are classified as “histamine liberators,” meaning they can stimulate the production and release of histamine in the body.
Thankfully, grapes provide the natural anti histamine benefits without also increasing histamine, making them a much safer bet for a low histamine summer picnic than strawberries or raspberries. Even when turned into wine, grapes retain their anti histamine properties—although, of course, it’s healthier to eat them as nature intended!
5. Apples
Many fruits can be unpredictable in regard to their effects on histamine production. For example, citrus fruits, berries, and pineapple all contain the natural anti histamines’ vitamin C and quercetin, yet they are also linked to increased histamine production!
If you are looking for a fruit that provides all the anti histamine benefits without this complication, apples are a great choice. With particularly high quercetin levels in the peel of an apple, they are a good addition to a low histamine diet.
Five High Histamine Foods to Avoid
1. Cheese
Unfortunately for cheese lovers, any kind of cheese is best avoided if you are looking to reduce your body’s histamine levels. Not only are dairy products typically high in histamine (milk is also not ideal for a low histamine diet), but fermented foods are also linked to the production of histamine. With cheese being a fermented dairy product, it is the worst of both worlds!
However, that isn’t to say that you have to avoid all cheeses entirely. The worst types of cheese for a low histamine diet are older and/or higher in salt content, such as Parmesan, gouda, and gorgonzola. Cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, and cottage cheese can most likely be enjoyed in moderation as part of a low histamine diet.
2. Dried, Smoked, or Cured Meats
Although it is possible to incorporate fresh meats into a low histamine diet in moderation, meats such as ham, bacon, and bologna are probably best avoided. This is because the processes of drying, smoking, and curing meats all increase histamine levels.
If you are a meat lover looking to reduce your histamine levels while still benefitting from the protein found in meat, choosing fresh meats (ideally poultry such as chicken or turkey) is preferable to cured or highly-processed meats. When cooking meat, boiling rather than grilling is preferable for a low histamine diet.
3. Tomato
This may seem a surprising one! Tomatoes have traditionally been considered something of a “superfood”, as they are high in various vitamins and fibre. However, despite these health benefits, tomatoes are unfortunately notable for their histamine liberating effects.
Although tomatoes are not high in natural histamine content, they stimulate the release of histamine by the body. Whether eaten raw, cooked, or as part of a sauce such as tomato ketchup, tomatoes are not ideal for a low histamine diet.
4. Avocado
Despite the avocado becoming a trendy fruit (yes, it is technically a fruit and not a vegetable!) in recent years, it is far from ideal if you are trying to avoid excess histamine.
Although avocados are a plentiful source of various vitamins (including the anti histamine vitamin C), magnesium, potassium, and omega-3, they are unfortunately also incredibly high in histamine levels!
5. Pickled Vegetables
Fermentation is a process that can result in various histamine-producing bacteria, which is why fermented foods and drinks are best avoided or minimized if you are looking to maintain a low histamine diet.
In addition to this, vinegar is particularly high in histamines, meaning that pickled vegetables such as cabbage, sauerkraut, and kimchi are some of the worst dietary choices if you suffer from histamine intolerance!
If you are looking to get plenty of vegetables in your diet, fresh vegetables (especially broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and onions) are a far better choice than any pickled vegetables.
In Conclusion
Balancing the advantages and drawbacks of different foods can be complicated enough without having to factor in histamine levels! If you suffer from histamine intolerance, maintaining a balanced diet can be even trickier.
While we have detailed the best foods for a low histamine diet, and those best avoided entirely, most foods will fall somewhere in the middle. In addition to this, everyone is different and foods can affect different people in different ways. If you are in any doubt about any aspect of your diet, it is always best to consider consulting a dietician!
When you are planning a low histamine diet, it can be extremely useful to keep a food diary to help keep you on track! If you are wondering what kind of meals you could prepare to get the most of these natural anti histamine foods, check out some of our low histamine recipes for inspiration!
