Low histamine diet and weekly menu to eliminate it from the body

If you suffer from allergies, the word histamine is probably familiar to you. Histamine is an essential substance for the proper functioning of the body, but when it is generated in excess due to an allergic reaction or accumulates because the body cannot eliminate it, it causes inflammation and a series of discomforts.

what is histamine

Histamine is an amine that the body synthesizes from the amino acid histidine, which we get from food.

The main cells that carry out the manufacture of histamine are mast cells and basophils, which store it inside. Neurons in the hypothalamus, stomach, and connective tissue also form histamine.

It fulfills important functions:

It is a neurotransmitter which prolongs wakefulness and reduces sleep, acting in the opposite way to melatonin (which is why antihistamine drugs make you sleepy). In the digestive system, stimulates the production of stomach acids necessary to digest and is involved in appetite control. But histamine, first of all, regulates inflammatory processes, allows the repair of tissues that have suffered damage and facilitates the action of immune cells against pathogens.

High histamine or histamine intolerance

Once its function is fulfilled, histamine is broken down in the liver thanks to the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which breaks down histamine from food. If, for whatever reason, it is not manufactured in sufficient quantity, a excess histamine in the body.

When this occurs there may be allergy-like symptoms, but with the difference that in this case it is not related to an immune response (it is not measured by IgE antibodies, as occurs in allergies). In these cases, it is then considered that there is a histamine intolerance.

A healthy digestive system makes enough dao enzyme, but if you suffer from an infection by parasites or viruses, or an imbalance in the digestive mucosa or in the microbiota, our intestine can stop manufacturing this enzymewhich favors the accumulation of histamine and causes problems.

The histaminosis or excess histamine It is not a disease, but a set of symptoms that can be very diverse, such as migraines and headaches, muscle contractures, itching, rosacea, hives, atopic skin, digestive discomfort such as gas, diarrhea or constipation, menstrual pain and cycle disorders. , hair loss or infertility.

How to remove histamine from the body

To reverse excess histamine in the body and the symptoms it causes, you have to make sure that you are not suffering from an infection by parasites or viruses in the intestine. In that case it would be necessary to treat it and then begin to regenerate the intestinal wall, mucosa and microbiota so that the production of DAO becomes optimal.

When the tests reveal insufficient levels of the DAO enzyme in the blood or the symptoms indicate an excess of histamine, it is necessary to prescribe a low histamine diet.

The elimination of histamine from the body is thus composed of three phases:

In a first phase, In addition to removing foods rich in histamine and those that favor its formation, it may be necessary to prescribe a DAO supplement.In a second phase, the intestine has begun to regenerate and the symptoms are reduced, but you still have to be careful and it is essential to start the reintroduction of food very progressively and always in small quantities. in the third phase of the process, the patient has improved significantly, so he has every time more scope to add different foods and you don’t need a DAO supplement.

Now let’s see what that low-histamine diet of the first phase would be like, which would soften in the second phase.

Low histamine diet

To follow a low histamine diet first you have to eliminate or reduce foods with histamine or that favor its production for a more or less long period of time.

It’s important to put attention on this limited diet cannot be sustained in the long term, since it is too restrictive. Treatment to improve histaminosis should be done under the supervision of a nutritionist to ensure that there will be no nutrient deficits and that certain phases in the evolution of treatment are followed.

1. Foods with histamine to avoid

Among the foods to avoid because they are foods with histamine or that induce the body to produce more histamine, the following stand out:

fermented (sauerkraut, vegetable pickles, kimchi, kombucha).blue fish and shellfishespecially canned.Products ultra-processed. Meat and sausages.Dairy productsespecially cured cheeses.Wine and beer.Made with wheat.sugars. Chickpeas, soybeans or kidney beans. citrus.spinach and nightshade (tomato, eggplant, pepper and potato).Pistachios, walnuts and almonds.

In general, it is also advisable to avoid or reduce to a minimum the consumption of foods that have been stored for a long time.

2. Foods that should be included in a diet to eliminate histamine

Some foods not only do not contain histamine or are low in it, but can even help eliminate it or take care of the intestine as is required at this time:

The fresh vegetables that reinforce the intestinal microbiota should be placed at the base of the diet. simple cooking (steamed or in water for a few minutes). They will be welcome in our day to day apples, pears, grapes, figs, coconut or mango. All the cruciferous family (cabbages, arugula, turnips, radishes, mustard) is indicated. are allowed courgettes, pumpkins, fennel, carrots, onion and leeks. As for legumes, they are well tolerated lentils or the adzukis.The brazil nutsthe cashews and the macadamias they are fit on a low histamine diet.

3. Help the liver

Several studies have been able to show that excess estrogen and excess histamine are related and they feed back.

Excess estrogen causes fibroids, fibrous breasts, endometriosis, shallow sleep, fluid retention, premenstrual syndrome, muscle contractures, low libido, and excess vaginal discharge.

To control histamine and estrogen levels it is essential to support the liver, which favors the elimination of both substances.

Food and plants with cleansing properties will be of great help:

Carry out a low histamine diet will also favor a decrease in estrogen. In this video we tell you how liver function is favored on an anti-estrogen diet, which will also help you in the case of a low-histamine diet:

It is also accurate eliminate sweeteners, alcohol and refined floursand avoid exposure to estrogenic contaminants such as pesticides in food and substances found in plastics and cosmetics.

Low histamine weekly menu

This downloadable weekly menu is not only a low histamine menu, but also helps the liver and is designed to help reduce inflammation and regenerate the intestine.

Includesrecipes with foods without histamine that provide all the nutrients and encourage the intestine to produce the DAO enzyme again.

As you will see, this weekly menu allows you to follow a varied and balanced diet low in histamine. In it you will find proposals for very nutritious low-histamine breakfasts and proposals for cleansing low-histamine lunches and dinners that support the fundamental work of the liver in this process.