Low Histamine Foods List

 

Low Histamine Foods List Key:

* = Has been noted as higher histamine, but contains high amounts of histamine lowering nutrients that can balance

Italics = particularly high in histamine lowering nutrients, Emphasize these

![Food Name] = High in pesticide residue – buy organic

-L = Lectin: may trigger those with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

-O = High Oxalate: may trigger those with Oxalate issues, quantities given after the O are for those watching oxalates. DO NOT go low oxalate cold turkey – this can make you very ill. If you have oxalate issues, be sure to work with a qualified Heath Care Practitioner 

Grains & Carbs: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Foods

Any Gluten free grains:

o    Amaranth – O

o    Buckwheat – O, L

o    Rice – O, L 

o    Millet – O 

o    Oats– O, L 

o    Quinoa– O, L 

o    Rice, black – O, L 

o    Rice, brown – O, L 

o    Rice, white – L 

o    Sorghum, Black – O 

o    Sorghum, Popped– O (limit to 1/2 cup popped for lower oxalate)

o    Sorghum, White – O 

o    Plain gluten-free pasta and crackers – likely O, L

Resistant Starches to feed good gut bacteria (Avoid with SIBO): 

o    Cassava flour – O (Otto’s tested lower oxalate) 

o    Tiger Nut flour (Gemini Organics) – O 

o    Flax meal 

o    Hi-Maize resistant starch Fresh Coconut Meat 

o    Miracle Noodles, Miracle Rice 

o    Blanched Almond Flour – O (very high oxalate) 

o    Hazelnut Flour – O 

o    ![Potatoes] – O, L 

o    Sweet Potatoes – O (very high oxalate)

o    Sweet Potato Starch and Sweet Potato Starch Noodles (the starch is     low oxalate, the flour is high oxalate)

o    Rutabagas 

o    Turnips, greens or root

Higher Histamine Foods – Limit These!

Foods made with:

o    Anise

o    Artificial colors

o    Artificial flavors

o    Bleached flour

o    Cheese

o    Chocolate

o    Cinnamon

o    Cloves

o    Cocoa

o    Margarine

o    Preservatives

o    Restricted fruits

o    Some jams, jellies

o    Foods with or cooked in oils with hydrolyzed lecithin, BHA, BHT

o    Commercial pie, pastry, and fillings

o    Baking mixes

o    Dry dessert mixes

o    All packaged rice and pasta meals

Gluten

![Corn]

 

  

Vegetables: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Vegetables

All pure fresh and frozen vegetables and juices except those listed below

Especially:

o    Artichokes – O 

o    Arugula 

o    Asparagus 

o    Basil 

o    Beets – O (very high oxalate)

o    Bok choy 

o    Broccoli 

o    Broccolini 

o    Brussels sprouts 

o    Butter lettuce 

o    Butternut squash – L

o    Carrots 

o    Cauliflower 

o    ![Celery]

o    Chinese cabbage 

o    Chives 

o    Cilantro 

o    Collards 

o    Cucumber – L 

o    Daikon radishes 

o    Dandelion greens 

o    Endive 

o    Escarole 

o    Fennel 

o    Garlic 

o    Green and Red cabbage 

o    ![Kale] – Curly – O 

o    ![Kale] – Lacinato or Dinosaur 

o    Kohlrabi 

o    Leafy greens 

o    Leeks 

o    Mesclun 

o    Mint 

o    Mustard greens 

o    Napa cabbage

o    Onions – any kind 

o    Parsley, curly – O 

o    Parsley, flat 

o    ![Peppers, bell or hot] – L 

o    Purslane – O (very high oxalate) 

o    ![Potatoes] – O, L

o    Radishes 

o    Red and green leaf lettuce 

o    Rhubarb – O (very high oxalate) 

o    Romaine

o    Rutabaga 

o    Scallions 

o    Squash, Winter – L 

o    ![Squash, Summer]– L 

o    Swiss Chard – O (very high oxalate)

o    Turnip 

o    Watercress

Higher Histamine Vegetables – Limit These!

Eggplant – L, O 

Green Beans, String Beans – L

Peas – L

Pumpkin – O 

Sauerkraut 

![Spinach] – O (very high oxalate) 

![Tomato] and all tomato products – L 

Mushrooms 

All vegetables prepared with restricted ingredients

 

Fruits:

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Fruits

![Apple]
Apricot – fresh
![Blackberry] – O
![Blueberry]
![Cherry]
![Cranberry], fresh
Currant, fresh
Cantaloupe (rock melon)
Figs, fresh
Honeydew
Kiwi – O
Lemon – 1/2 tsp (not always
tolerated in elimination)
Lime – 1/2 tsp (not always
tolerated in elimination)
Mango
![Nectarine]
![Peach]
Pomegranate – O
![Pear], Bartlett or Bosc
![Pear], other variety- O
Plantain – O
*![Raspberries] (limit to 1/4 cup) O
Watermelon
Fruit dishes made with allowed ingredients

Higher Histamine Fruits – Limit These!

Dried fruit
Avocado
Banana
Date
Grapefruit
![Grapes] (often have mold)
Loganberry
Orange and other citrus
![Papaya] – O
Pineapple
Prunes
Plums
Raisins
![Strawberries]
Fruit dishes, jams, juices made with restricted ingredients

 

 

Meat, Poultry, & Fish: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Meats

All pure, freshly cooked, unaged meat or poultry (not ground):

o    Chicken

o    Turkey

o    Quail

o    Ostrich

o    Duck

o    Goose

o    Bison (only if unaged)

o    Beef (only if unaged)

o    Pork

o    Lamb

Frozen Salmon, gutted and frozen within 30 minutes of catch (like Vital Choice Fish King Salmon*)

Higher Histamine Meats – Limit These!

Aged Beef or Bison (99% of all beef and bison is aged)

All other fish and shellfish

All processed meats

All leftover cooked meats

Ground Meats

Cured meats: bacon, salami, pepperoni, luncheon meats and hot dogs 

Eggs: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

***Many people don’t tolerate eggs. Unless you have run an Egg Zoomer test, you should avoid them in the Elimination phase.

Lower Histamine Eggs

***All plain, pastured cooked eggs (if tolerated)

Higher Histamine Eggs – Limit These!

All prepared with restricted ingredients

Raw egg white (as in some eggnog, hollandaise sauce, milkshake)

Legumes: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Legumes

Lentils, especially black (legumes are higher lectin, use in moderation) – soaked overnight in water and pressure cooked – L, O

Freshly cooked beans (kidney, black, navy, garbanzo/chickpeas, etc.)
(pressure cooked is best) – L, O

Garbanzo/chickpeas are medium oxalate

Higher Histamine Legumes – Limit These!

Peanuts – L, O

Canned beans or lentils, L, O

 

Nuts & Seeds: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Nuts & Seeds

Blanched Almonds – O (very high oxalate)
Almonds with Skins – L, O (very high oxalate)
Brazil Nuts (only 3-4 nuts/day max) – O
Chia Seeds – O
Coconut Meat, Fresh
Coconut Milk, 100% Coconut Milk only (no additives)
Flax
Hazelnuts – O
Hemp Protein Powder – O
Hemp Seeds – O
Macadamias – O (if over 1/4 cup)
Pecans – O (if over 1/4 cup)
Pine Nuts – O
Pistachios – O (if over 1/4 cup)
Pumpkin Seeds – L
Sesame Seeds – O
Sunflower – L

Higher Histamine Nuts & Seeds – Limit These!

Walnuts – O
Cashews – L, O
Peanuts– L, O

Dried Coconut

 

 

 

Fats & Oils: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Fats & Oils

Grass Fed butter
Ghee from Grass Fed Cows
Cold Pressed Avocado Oil
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Sesame oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin palm oil
(unprocessed)
Cold Pressed Flax Oil
Macadamia Oil
MCT Oil

Homemade salad dressings with allowed ingredients

Fresh meat drippings

Higher Histamine Fats & Oils – Limit These!

Fats and oils with color and/or preservatives
Hydrolyzed lecithin
Margarine
Prepared salad dressings with restricted ingredients

 

  

Spices & Herbs: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Spices & Herbs

o    Basil

o    Chives

o    Cardamom

o    Caraway

o    Cilantro

o    Cumin – O

o    Dill

o    Garlic

o    Ginger

o    Lemongrass

o    Oregano

o    Peppercorns, Pink – O

o    Peppermint

o    Turmeric – O

o    Rosemary

o    Sage

o    Saffron

Curcumin powder can replace turmeric if oxalates are a
concern

Salt – unrefined like Real Salt, Celtic Sea Salt, Himalayan Sea Salt

 

 

 

Higher Histamine Spices & Herbs – Limit These!

Allspice
Anise
Cinnamon O
Chili Powder
Cloves
Curry powder
Cayenne
Mace
Mustard
Nutmeg
Paprika
Seasoning packets with restricted ingredients
MSG
Peppercorns – Black, Green, White – may need to limit to small amounts – O

Foods labeled “with spices”

Foods labeled “natural flavors” or “artificial flavors”

 

 

 

Sweeteners: Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Stevia, Monk fruit, and Inulin are your best choices. Sugar raises histamine levels, so limit your sugar intake.

Lower Histamine Sweeteners

These don’t affect blood sugar:
Stevia
100% Monk Fruit – no fillers
Inulin

Use sparingly, avoid in elimination:
Coconut Sugar

Homemade sweets with allowed ingredients

o    Higher Histamine Sweeteners – Limit These!

Anything that raises your blood sugar will increase histamine levels:

o  Sugar

o  Honey

o  Molasses

o  Maple syrup

o  Corn syrup

o  Icing sugar

o  Pure jams, jellies, marmalades, conserves made with allowed ingredients

Flavored syrups
Prepared desert fillings
Prepared icings, frostings
Spreads with restricted ingredients
Cake decorations
Confectionary
Commercial candies
Artificial Sweeteners

Miscellaneous: 

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Miscellaneous Foods

Baking powder
Baking soda
Cream of tartar

Homemade relishes with allowed ingredients

Leftovers – freeze right after cooking

Cocoa butter (white chocolate with no additives)

 

Higher Histamine Miscellaneous Foods – 

Limit These!

All other chocolate and cocoa
Gelatin
Collagen
Mincemeat
Prepared relishes and olives
Soy sauce, coconut aminos, Bragg’s liquid aminos
Miso
Commercial ketchup
Gherkin pickles
Most commercial salad dressing
Vinegars, including white, champagne, and balsamic;
apple cider vinegar is lowest and tolerated by some at 1tsp
Leftovers not frozen immediately after cooking

 

High Histamine Additives:

o    Carrageenan

o    Sodium Benzoate

o    Potassium Sorbate

o    Lecithin

o    MSG

o    Citric Acid

o    Sodium Triphosphate

o    Potassium Triphosphate

o    Sodium Nitrite

o    Maltodextrin

o    Malic Acid

o    Guar Gum

o    Calcium Chloride

o    Xanthan Gum

o    Food colorings

o    Smoke Flavoring

o    Yeast and Yeast Extract

 

 

Beverages:

Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Beverages

Plain and carbonated mineral water

Filtered water with fresh squeezed lemon or lime (if
tolerated)

Herbal teas, except those listed below

Coffee – preferably avoid caffeine. If you must drink
coffee, then only lower histamine, mold free brands like
Purity Coffee*

Pure freshly squeezed juices of allowed fruits and vegetables – limit fruit juice due to sugar

Higher Histamine Beverages – Limit These!

Flavored milks
Fruit juices and cocktails made with restricted ingredients
All other carbonated drinks
All black, green, white, rooibos tea
All drinks with “flavor” or “spices”
Beer
Wine
Cider
All other alcoholic beverages
Kombucha

Best tolerated Alcohol: top shelf plain vodka, gin, white
rum, silver tequila – avoid until Phase II due to
blocking of histamine degrading enzymes

 

 

Milk & Dairy - Lower Histamine and Higher Histamine

Lower Histamine Milk & Dairy

***These dairy products are technically low histamine. But many people have casein and lactose issues. Start with only ghee in Phase I: Elimination. If you test negative for dairy sensitivities on a Dairy Zoomer, then you can try adding the others.

Plain A2 milk, goat milk, sheep milk
Ricotta cheese (from grass fed cows)
Cream cheese (from grass fed cows)
Cream (from grass fed cows)
Grass fed butter
Ghee from grass fed cows

Higher Histamine Milk & Dairy – Limit These!

All prepared dairy products made with restricted
ingredients
All other cheese
All yogurt and kefir
Buttermilk