Too much histamine? Prohibited and allowed foods

For the diagnosis of histamine intolerance the presence of two or more of the typical symptoms is evaluated: itching and runny nose, redness on the skin, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches… A low histamine diet should reverse all symptoms.

When you eat foods high in histamine, it reacts with your bacteria and considerably increases its blood levels. In a person without problems, the DAO enzyme, which is the main enzyme responsible for catabolizing histamine, restores normal levels of histamine in the blood. If there is a decrease in quantity or quality of this enzyme, it is when the symptoms due to excess histamine occur.

Some medications increase your blood histamine levels

Before starting a low histamine diet you should do an initial fast of 48-72 hours and then, achieved an improvement, gradually introduce food allowed.

Allowed foods:

The starches: potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals. The vegetables: lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, radicchio, corn salad, cucumber, carrot, garlic, pumpkin, cardoon, peppers, mushrooms, radish, rhubarb, asparagus, zucchini and onion. The fruit (peeled when possible): apple, pear, peach, plums, cherries, cantaloupe, blueberries, citrus, kiwi, strawberries, pineapple, and papaya. Vegetable oil and vinegar. olives. Nuts: skinless and unroasted.

Foods to avoid:

Fish in general and canned. shellfish. Meat. Birds. Sausages. Eggs. Alcohol. Dairy (especially cured cheeses). Fermented like sauerkraut. Soybean derivatives. Chocolate. Vanilla.

After 5-6 days of changing the diet, they usually respond and notice the improvement. It should be kept at least 4 months and then reintroduce the removed foods one by one. In general, it is advisable to choose fresh food and canned, processed and highly elaborate dishes are discouraged.

Disadvised medications

If the symptoms are associated with a medication, it must be avoided and alternatives must be sought; some drugs block the DAO enzyme.

Analgesics: morphine, pethidine, NSAIDs, ASA and metamizole. Anesthetics: thiopental. Local anesthetics: prilocaine. antiarrhythmics: propafenone. antibiotics: cefuroxime, isoniazid, pentamidine and acid. clavulanate, chloroquine. antidepressants: amitriptyline and MAOIs. antihypertensives: verapamil, alprenolol and dihydrazine. antihistamines: cimetidine. bronchodilators: aminophylline. Cardiotonics: dobutamine and dopamine. Cytostatics: cyclophosphamide. diuretics: amiloride. mucolytics: ambroxol and acetylcysteine. Muscle relaxants: pancurorium, alcuronium and D-tubocurarine.

Always read the package insert. Sometimes, after a while, he can go back to taking that medicine, but with caution, in case the symptoms return.