One of the challenges faced by people with histamine intolerance is the removal of high histamine ferments, but fortunately, a wide range of low histamine foods nourish the gut.

However, we do not need to eat sauerkraut to have a healthy gut biome.

 

Dietary Diversity

Dietary diversity is the single biggest driver of the health of our microbiome.

Polyphenols (often identified by the bright color in foods, including quercetin and luteolin) combined with complex carbohydrates for fiber nourish the gut microbiome.

They stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria (including lactobacilli and bifidobacteria), inhibit pathogenic bacteria, increase species diversity, and improve blood sugar control. Fortunately, they are abundant in many low-histamine foods.

 

Nourishing Your Gut On A Low Histamine Diet

Based on this research, my approach to rebuilding an antibiotic-decimated gut biome is to eat:

A whole food, minimally processed diet rich in fiber

Emphasizing polyphenols-rich foods (the darker the color, the better!)

With moderate fat (focusing on polyphenol-rich olive oil)

Rich in variety (I try to aim for up to 40 different whole foods a week).

 

 

Over 50 Low Histamine Foods That Nourish Your Gut

Don’t know where to start? Here is a list of low histamine foods to get you started:

Low Histamine Foods Rich In Polyphenols

Black elderberries

Black or red mulberries

Blackcurrants

Blueberries

Blackberries

Red apples

Pomegranate juice

Peach

Apricot

Purple, red, or orange carrots

Purple or orange-fleshed potatoes

Red cabbage

Red onions

Red lettuce

Curly Endive

Chicory

Flaxseed meal

Chestnuts

Black or red rice (if not gluten cross-reactive)

Whole grain rye bread (if not gluten cross-reactive)

Olive oil

Peppermint

Oregano

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Basil

Lemon verbena

Parsley

Marjoram

Capers (in salt)

Turmeric

Ginger

 

Low Histamine Foods Rich in FOS

Jerusalem artichokes

Garlic

Onions

Leeks

Asparagus

Globe artichokes

 

Low Histamine Foods Rich in GOS

Legumes

Rutabaga (Swede)

Cauliflower

Turnips

Red Cabbage

Fresh beans

Beetroot

Rye sourdough (moderate, if gluten tolerated),

Sunflower seeds

Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

LSA mix

Low Histamine Prebiotic Foods

Brown Rice

Carrots

Blackcurrants

Raw Cacao Powder (1 tablespoon – if on a moderate threshold)

 

Low Histamine Resistant Starch

Sweet Potato (preferably purple or orange)

Cassavas

Cashew Nuts

Green Banana Flour (uncooked – if cooked, it’s just starch!)

Potatoes (cooked and cooled)

Legumes (preferably purple, red, or orange).

Conclusion

When we have histamine intolerance, we are tempted only to eat a few safe foods. This, however, is not the solution.

Removing foods long-term alters our gut biome by dropping diversity and the beneficial microbes that feast on those foods.

The objective has to be to eat as diverse a diet as possible, including finding your histamine thresshold while working on the underlying cause of histamine intolerance.

What if your symptoms were due to what you were not eating, not simply what you were?

 

You can learn more in my FREE Course, The Roadmap To Resolution of Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to continue the conversation.

 

Additional Reading

Coman, Maria Magdalena, et al. “Polyphenol content and in vitro evaluation of antioxidant, antimicrobial and prebiotic properties of red fruit extracts.” European Food Research and Technology(2017): 1-11.

Zeevi, D., Korem, T., Zmora, N., Israeli, D., Rothschild, D., Weinberger, A., Ben-Yacov, O., Lador, D., Avnit-Sagi, T., Lotan-Pompan, M., et al. (2015). Cell 163, 1079–1094.

Tuohy, Kieran M., et al. “Up-regulating the human intestinal microbiome using whole plant foods, polyphenols, and/or fiber.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 60.36 (2012): 8776-8782.

Jones, Kathryn, and Yasmine Probst. “Role of dietary modification in alleviating chronic fatigue syndrome symptoms: a systematic review.” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (2017).

Hawrelak, J. A. “Prebiotics, Synbiotics, and Colonic Foods.” (2013).

Hanhineva, Kati, et al. “Impact of dietary polyphenols on carbohydrate metabolism.” International journal of molecular sciences 11.4 (2010): 1365-1402.

Leja, Maria, et al. “The content of phenolic compounds and radical scavenging activity varies with carrot origin and root color.” Plant foods for human nutrition 68.2 (2013): 163-170.

Ramdath, D. Dan, et al. “The glycemic index of pigmented potatoes are related to their polyphenol content.” Food & Function 5.5 (2014): 909-915.

Wu, G.D., Chen, J., Hoffmann, C., Bittinger, K., Chen, Y.Y., Keilbaugh, S.A., Bewtra, M., Knights, D., Walters, W.A., Knight, R., et al. (2011). Science 334, 105–108.