Guide to the Minimally Histamine Eating Plan
Understanding the Low Histamine Diet: A Medical Approach for Managing Histamine Intolerance
The low histamine diet is a specialized eating plan designed for individuals who have been formally diagnosed with histamine intolerance. This diet requires close monitoring by a dietitian to protect against malnutrition, as it is not a one-size-fits-all approach but adapts alongside a person's individual circumstances.
The diet is exclusively for those who have undergone extensive GI and allergy workups and have been diagnosed with histamine intolerance. People with a history of disordered eating or diagnosed eating disorders are discouraged from following the low histamine diet.
The low histamine diet is not about eliminating all histamine from the diet, but rather about limiting exposure to give the enzymes a chance to break some of it down. Foods to avoid include alcohol, aged or processed meat, certain cheeses, fermented foods, canned, marinated, salted, dried, smoked, or pickled foods, certain vegetables, tropical fruit, fish or shellfish that isn't fresh-caught or frozen, strawberries, nuts and peanuts, legumes, soy products, licorice, chocolate, additives, and certain canned and shelf-stable foods.
On the other hand, the main components of the daily diet for a person with histamine intolerance include fresh, histamine-low foods such as fresh meat (chicken, turkey), fresh fish (not canned), fresh eggs, and plant-based protein sources like quinoa and buckwheat. Fresh vegetables like broccoli, kale, and other cabbages, as well as low-histamine carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, and pasta, are also important. Meals should be prepared fresh, not reheated, eaten mindfully, and leftovers cooled quickly or frozen to avoid histamine buildup.
Cooking your own food is important on a low histamine diet because it allows you to control the preparation techniques. Storing food in a way that minimizes bacteria production (refrigeration and freezing) is also crucial. Keeping a food diary is important to track what you eat, how much of it you eat, and any symptoms you have throughout the day.
In people with histamine intolerance, the body has a problem with enzymes that break down histamine. Histamine is a chemical substance in the body that helps the immune system respond to allergy triggers. However, in the case of histamine intolerance, the body produces too much histamine, or the enzymes that break it down do not function properly.
The low histamine diet is a medical treatment designed to reduce symptoms associated with histamine intolerance, such as diarrhea, nausea, headache, runny or stuffy nose, shortness of breath, itching, rash, hives, painful menstrual periods, low blood pressure, arrhythmia, and swelling of the lips, tongue, or throat. It's important to have a dietitian or healthcare provider monitoring a person on a low histamine diet to ensure they are not at risk for malnutrition or malnourished.
It's worth noting that histamine intolerance is a rare condition, affecting about 1% of the U.S. population, but the numbers may be higher due to the variability of histamine levels. The low histamine diet is based on reducing histamine intake to allow faulty enzymes a chance to catch up and break down excess histamine, easing uncomfortable symptoms and improving quality of life.
Lastly, it's essential to remember that the low histamine diet is not a weight loss plan. It is a medical treatment for a specific condition, and it's crucial to approach it with the guidance of a healthcare provider.
