Over the spring, hummus became my new favorite food to make in batches and freeze. The ingredients— chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and a touch of lemon juice— are all histamine-friendly (you can switch lemon for lime or pomegranate juice) and freezable.
If you're wondering if hummus is low histamine, the answer is... kind of… Although most of the ingredients in hummus are tolerable by many histamine intolerance sufferers, traditional hummus does still contains a few ingredients such as lemon that may set off a histamine reaction!
Chickpeas – low histamine, high lectin. Paprika – high histamine, medium oxalate. Tahini – made from sesame seeds which are low histamine, low lectin, but high oxalate.
All the many forms of sesame seeds histamine levels are low, including hulled & unhulled seeds, sesame seed oil, and tahini (sesame seed butter).
This is great news for any peanut butter lovers out there, as the pure peanut butter (nothing but crushed peanuts and a bit of sugar or oil) is a low-histamine food that some would argue tastes better than the processed version. Of course, that's a call you'll have to make on your own.
Is mayonnaise low histamine? Mayonnaise likely isn't suitable for a low histamine diet as it typically contains higher histamine foods such as white wine vinegar, lemon juice and mustard.
Looking for what might be a low-histamine food? Think "fresh." This list includes fresh meat or poultry, fresh fish, eggs, gluten-free grains, dairy substitutes, pure peanut butter (usually tolerated even if peanuts are not), fresh herbs, mango, pear, watermelon, apple, kiwi, cantaloupe, grapes, and cooking oils.
Balsamic vinegar generally contains moderate levels of histamine and is also a histamine liberator. Every person has unique dietary triggers.
1. Apple and almond butter: Apple and almond butter is a good low histamine snack because they are low in histidine and do not contain any fermented foods. Almond butter is also a source of protein that is low in the amino acid histidine.
Avocados are naturally very high in histamine and such high levels can be problematic for people with histamine intolerance. If you suspect that you may have histamine intolerance, it is best to avoid foods high in histamine, such as avocados.
Low Histamine Foods
Fruit: blueberries, apricots, cranberries, apples, mango, peaches. Vegetables: Onion, sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, beets.
Carrot is likely low in histamine and other amines and does not trigger release of the body's natural histamine. Every person has unique dietary triggers.
Rich in anti-inflammatory ingredients. The classic ingredients involved in making a traditional hummus like chickpeas, sesame seeds and olive oil have beneficial properties including being anti-inflammatory.
White Bread is likely suitable for a low histamine diet. White Bread is likely low in histamine and other amines and does not trigger release of the body's natural histamine.
Alliums like garlic and onion are generally well tolerated on a low histamine diet in small amounts. Every person has unique dietary triggers. Your reaction to alliums may be different than someone else's.
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.
Sourdough, a fermented bread, can be moderately high in histamine and other amines like tyramine.
Broccoli is likely suitable for a low histamine diet. Broccoli is likely low in histamine and other amines and does not trigger release of the body's natural histamine.
Cancer-Fighting Properties: Cauliflower and histamine intolerance actually go very well together (unless you have a sulfite sensitivity), as in cauliflower histamine content is very low, and it's overall a very healthy food.
Histamine counts have been brought down to minimum levels that are not harmful for consumers. Typically nowadays, histamine levels in canned tuna are within the range of 1 ppm to 30 ppm. Within these ranges tuna is perfectly safe to consume. Food regulations in most countries allow counts up to 50 or 100 ppm.
This means that mashed potatoes are low histamine, but only if made from fresh potatoes rather than potato flakes (see below). If you fry potatoes, histamine levels rise. It makes no difference what color of potato you purchase: white, red, blue, Idaho, russets, or otherwise, as all potatoes are low histamine.
Sweet potato: Sweet potatoes are always an excellent choice when looking for a histamine intolerance recipe, as they are naturally low in histamine (1).