How Histamines Affect You

Last Updated on November 25, 2023 by Cathy

Histamines help the body’s response to allergens such as animal dander, dust, or pollen. It helps alleviate symptoms like runny nose or sneezing. If you don’t have environmental allergies it’s possible that histamines still affect you by what you eat.

My husband and son have severe allergies. Spring is my son’s worst time of year and late summer is my husband’s worst time. I’m lucky because I don’t suffer from this type of allergy – or so I thought.

I never really paid attention to a low histamine diet for myself until recently. A couple of years ago my face started breaking out in a rash every 4-5 days. I couldn’t figure out why and tried all kinds of different things from avoiding food to supplements.

Then my functional medicine doctor mentioned it could be histamines. I immediately started eating a low histamine diet and FINALLY, my face stopped breaking out in a rash. 

What are histamines?

When your body encounters an allergen it sends a signal to mast cells to wherever it’s needed. Your blood, lungs, gut, mouth, nose, or skin. Histamines are in the mast cells, when they leave they trigger inflammation. This causes your immune system to go into action to push out whatever is threatening. 

Histamines help get rid of whatever is bothering you.

For example, every spring my son’s eyes tear up, his nose runs, gets severe headaches, and more. He is miserable for about two months until whatever is blooming has stopped. For most people, these allergens don’t cause a problem. 

For others, their body sees it as a threat and responds. If it’s pollen, like my son, histamines cause his nose to make more mucus causing a runny nose. The mucus can also run down your throat causing a sore throat or for you to cough.

Histamines in Food

My problem wasn’t due to an environmental trigger, it was due to food. Typically, your body has enough histamines to do its job. However, some foods are higher in histamines causing a build-up. When your body has too much histamine it can cause intolerance.

Histamine intolerance symptoms:

• Bloating
• Diarrhea 
• Digestive issues
• Gas
• Headaches/migraines 
• Itchiness 
• Rash/hives
• Sinus issues

My functional medicine doctor did recommend a test, but it was very expensive. Instead, I removed foods that are high in histamines, and that worked! I never thought histamines were my problem since I didn’t have the typical symptoms of a runny nose or sneezing.

Low Histamine Diet

A low histamine diet consists of removing foods that have higher levels of histamine. Some foods are naturally higher while other foods could be from the way you cooked them. Pay attention to your body for any kind of reaction after eating food.

Once I started a low histamine diet it didn’t take me long to realize that’s what was causing my rash. I removed all foods higher in histamines for one week then ate some chicken liver and the rash was back. It wasn’t the chicken liver itself, it was because I fried it. 

Foods high in histamines:

• Aged cheese
• Avocados 
• Canned vegetables 
• Chocolate/cocoa
• Cured meats (bacon, ham, jerky, sausage, etc.)
• Dairy
• Dried fruit
• Eggplant 
• Fermented foods/beverages (kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, etc.)
• Grapes
• Milk
• Mushrooms
• Nuts (cashews, walnuts)
• Smoked meats
• Some fish (anchovies, mackerel, mahi-mahi, sardines, smoked fish)
• Vinegar

These don’t contain histamines but they could cause a problem so you should limit them:

• Bananas and plantains
• Citrus fruit
• Papaya
• Pineapple 
• Shellfish
• Spinach
• Strawberries 
• Tomatoes 

What is DOA?

Some foods can block the enzyme called diamine oxidase (DOA). DOA keeps histamine levels from getting too high. Some people may have a deficiency that allows histamines to build up that can affect them. Bacterial overgrowth, leaky gut, and some medications can also block DOA.

Foods to avoid that block DOA production:

• Alcohol 
• Black tea
• Green tea
• Mate tea

How You Cook and Store Your Food Matters

Unfortunately, you could be creating histamines in your food by the way you cook or store it. It’s the bacteria in the food that naturally produces histamines. Food already high in histamines becomes extremely high. As meat ages the more histamine builds up, so eat meat that is as fresh as possible. When you buy grass-fed meat in a grocery store you don’t know how long the meat was there. Ask your butcher what day of the week they put fresh meat out. 

I buy grass-fed meats from a local rancher that freezes the meat as soon as possible. To find a local rancher/farmer in your area check out eatWILD. You can also use an online store such as ButcherBox or US Wellness Meats that freezes their meats. Also, how you cook meat can increase histamines which can affect you. Avoid charred, fried, or grilled meats and fish. Canned or smoked meats or fish also increase histamines.

Avoid:

• Canned or smoked
• Charred 
• Grilled
• Leftovers

Probiotics 

Multiple sclerosis patients have more bad bacteria in their gut than healthy people. The fix for this is to eat fermented foods however, fermented foods are higher in histamines.

This is when probiotic supplements help. There are so many probiotics to choose from it makes it hard to know which one to choose. If you’re not used to taking probiotics you should start with a lower amount of live cultures. Look for one with 15 billion live cultures.

A study found a probiotic induced an anti-inflammatory response. As well as decreasing HLA-DR which is a genetic predisposition for MS. 

“…probiotic supplementation may have beneficial effects on reducing the risk and preventing and delaying MS.”
– PubMed 

MS patients have a higher level of bad bacteria specifically Akkermansia and Methanobrevibacter. Researchers found VSL#3 probiotics used for irritable bowel syndrome beneficial for MS. They found as patients took the probiotics their guts looked more like healthy people. Unfortunately, this is an extra-strength version that is available by prescription only. Fortunately, there is an over the counter basic formula.

Always talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements.

How Histamines Affect You 

It may feel like you’re removing every food from your diet but this is only temporary until you heal your gut. As your gut heals you will be able to add these back into your diet.

Healing your gut should be your main priority to better health overall.

Histamine intolerance is rare, you don’t need to remove these foods if they don’t affect you. However, if you can’t seem to find what’s bothering you, try removing these foods for 1-2 weeks and see how you feel.

Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!

Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6868771/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6868771/

How Histamines Affect You