Low Histamine Foods
Vegetables: Onion, sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, beets.
What is the most powerful natural antihistamine? Researchers haven't yet established any natural product as the “best” or “most powerful.” Natural antihistamines with the most research backing their use include stinging nettle, vitamin C, quercetin, butterbur, bromelain, and probiotics.
Drinking plenty of water every day is essential for all bodily functions, including the regulation of histamine levels. Water does aid in the removal of histamines from the body as more that 95% of excess histamines are removed from the body through the urine.
Citrus fruit, such as oranges and lemons, may also be beneficial to allergy sufferers due to their high Vitamin C content. Some studies have shown that Vitamin C may also have a natural antihistamine effect, helping to break down histamines faster once they've been released in the body.
FAQ About Bananas & Histamine
Bananas are not directly high in histamine, but many people have reported that bananas are still a trigger for their histamine intolerance symptoms. Such a food is known as a “histamine liberator,” and should therefore be treated like a high histamine food.
Some foods don't contain high levels of histamine, but they are “histamine liberators” that promote the release of the chemical in our body. These include: Pineapples. Bananas.
Foods rich in histamine and other biogenic amines include some fresh foods (spinach, eggplant, and tomatoes), most fermented foods and drinks (beer, sauerkraut, yogurt, sausage, etc.), and many canned or processed foods (fish, tomato paste, etc).
Eggs are likely suitable for a low histamine diet. Egg yolks are low histamine, and egg whites, while traditionally thought of as being histamine liberators, are likely friendly for a low histamine diet as well.
Broccoli contains allergenic proteins, including lipid transfer proteins, thaumatin-like proteins, and cruciferin. These proteins can trigger an immune response in susceptible individuals, leading to the development of allergic symptoms.
Seasonal allergies are often the cause of histamine production in the body, but foods can also contain this chemical.
Chocolate itself is relatively low histamine; however, it may act as a histamine liberator. In other words, it triggers the release of the body's existing histamine. Chocolate also contains other biogenic amines, tyramine and phenylethylamine, which slow degradation of histamine.
Helps Fight Allergies: Red Apples
An apple a day keeps the allergist away. Red produce like apples contains a compound called quercetin. This compound is responsible for the red color and works as a natural antihistamine in your body. It helps to calm down the cells that react to allergens in the air.
Coffee contains histamines in low amounts, but for people who are sensitive to them, it contains plenty to get a reaction out of them. While the natural histamine content in coffee is low, some coffee processes can increase histamine levels.
Most yogurts have histamine raising probiotic strains. Research has shown that the probiotic strains Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus bulgaricus raise histamine levels . These histamine producing strains are in almost all yogurt for fermentation. And fermentation also increases histamine levels.
Cucumber is low in histamine and a refreshing addition to a salad. We've combined it with other low-histamine salad vegetables like radish, celery and anti-histamine onions in our radish and cucumber salad.
Food triggers (histamine liberators) are foods rich in biogenic amines (canned food, wine, beer, and cheeses), as well as alcohol.
“Fruity vegetables” like tomatoes are high in vitamin C and a good choice for the sneezing season. Studies show tomatoes can build your tolerance against asthma and respiratory issues. Vitamin C is an immune system booster and natural antihistamine, which suppresses swelling.
Summary. Honey has been used for medicinal purposes around the world for thousands of years. It may help some people manage their allergy symptoms, but there isn't enough evidence to show that it can replace antihistamines and other standard allergy treatments.
All that said, there are foods that are really useful because they act as natural anti-histamines, inhibiting the action of histamine – these include onions, apples and blueberries.