High histamine foods include fermented foods, alcohol, processed meats, aged cheeses, and more.
Histamineis a chemical in the body typically associated with causing allergic reactions to substances like pollen and animal dander.
Histamine intoleranceis not proven to be a true medical disorder.
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High-Histamine Foods
High histamine foods are often those that are aged, fermented, or soured.
These kinds of meats are high in histamines.
Thats because, during the aging process, proteins break down into histamine.
These cheeses include:
Alcohol
Alcoholis a high-histamine beverage.
These microorganisms may be naturally present in foods.
Vegetables that contain histamines include spinach and eggplant, which is anightshade food.
While not necessarily high in histamine, they may trigger the production of histamines in your body.
Citrus fruits include:
Legumes
Legumesare different than tree nuts.
Instead of growing from trees, they grow in pods as edible seeds.
Fish that are more prone to causing histamine toxicity, include:
What Is Histamine?
Histamine is a natural molecule in our body that sends messages between cells.
While high histamine foods don’t cause an allergic reaction, foods do contain this substance.
Histamine Intolerance
Histamine intolerance is also called foodhistaminosisand hypersensitivity to food histamine.
Can water flush out histamine?
No, water is not likely to clear out histamine.
However, it doesn’t hurt to drink plenty of water since it helps your body function properly.
Diagnosing Histamine Intolerance
There is no definitive way to diagnose histamine intolerance.
Elimination diet:Your healthcare provider may also suggest following an elimination diet for 14 to 30 days.
Skin prick test:This is an allergy scratch test.
DAO is an enzyme.
Colonoscopy:Your provider can measure histamine and DAO levels in your colon.
Summary
High histamine foods are those that contain high levels of histamines.
These chemicals may be naturally present, or they may occur during processing.
Some foods are not high in histamines, but they may affect histamine levels in the body.
Histamine intolerance is not a verifiable medical disorder, but some people choose to avoid high-histamine foods anyway.
Most people are likely better off eating a non-restricted, balanced diet.
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