Along with salicylates, histamine is an omnipresent chemical naturally found in food. It’s impossible to completely avoid it nor is that our goal. Sometimes, foods high in histamine can be healthy and desirable.
Our aim is to minimize histamine consumption from everyday food, while giving in quota for healthy choices which also happen to be high in histamine.
The art lies in balance and choice.
High-histamine Load | Low-histamine Substitutes |
Meat, poultry, fish | |
|
|
Dairy | |
|
|
Fruits | |
|
|
Vegetables | |
|
|
Seasonings | |
|
|
Others | |
|
|
General pointers to high-histamine load:
- Extent of ageing, fermentation in food processing (e.g. soy sauce, alcohol)
- Degree of microbial activity in food (e.g. stored meats)
- Degree of ripeness of fruit
- Picking, brine-curing processing
- Folic acid increases histamine levels
- Medications that interfere with DAO activity
- Constipation means food fermentation in the gut
- Mental and physical stress
General pointers to improve histamine levels:
- Avoid bacteria that promote histamine formation: Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Opt for histamine-degrading bacteria (probiotics): Bifidobacterium strains, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, or soil-based probiotics
- Supplement specific nutrients for histamine breakdown: quercetin, vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium, and copper
- Avoid alcohol and stimulants that block DAO activity
Note: Like the food chemical salicylates food guide, this list is also one part of the entire equation in reversing eczema through dietary means. An effective eczema recovery program must include both dietary and non-dietary aspects.