Histamine-Containing & Releasing Foods

When histamines need to be reduced, avoiding them comes in two ways. Some foods have them, others cause our bodies to release stored histamine. Both need to be avoided to reduce your histamine load. That is, reduce the amount of histamines circulating in your body and causing you to feeling so lousy.

Histamine-rich foods

  • Fermented Alcoholic Beverages: especially wine, champagne, and beer
  • Fermented Foods: sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, kombucha, fefir,
  • Vinegar-containing foods: pickles, mayonnaise, olives
  • Cured meats: salami, bacon, pepperoni, most lunch meats, hot dogs
  • Soured foods: sour cream, sour milk, buttermilk, soured bread
  • Vegetables: avocados, eggplant, spinach, and tomatoes
  • Aged cheese
  • Dried fruits
  • Most citrus fruits
  • Avocados
  • Aged cheese
  • Dried fruits
  • Eggplant
  • Fermented foods and dairy products, such as yogurt and sauerkraut
  • Processed or smoked meats
  • Shellfish
  • Spinach

Histamine-releasing foods

  • Bananas
  • Beans
  • Chocolate
  • Citrus fruits
  • Food dyes and other additives
  • Raw egg whites
  • Shellfish
  • Pumpkin
  • Nuts (specifically walnuts, cashews & peanuts)
  • Kiwi
  • Pineapple
  • Raspberry
  • Beans and legumes
  • Papaya
  • Tomatoes
  • Wheat germ