List of Foods High in Histamine and Other Amines (Updated 2024)

GUIDELINES TO CONSIDER WHEN FOLLOWING A LOW-HISTAMINE DIET

Foods consumed during a histamine intolerance process should preferably be fresh and minimally processed.

Packaged or fermented foods contain higher levels of histamine.

It’s important to carefully read labels of minimally processed products to detect ingredients that may contain histamine.

Avoid packaged sauces and condiments.

Animal Protein

The general requirement for animal protein is freshness.

Avoid purchasing packaged products.

Most cases of histamine poisoning occur from spoiled foods or canned animal proteins, especially fish.

Furthermore, food quality matters.

Choose organic meats, fish, or eggs.

When it comes to red meat, opt for poultry, but if you consume beef, choose grass-fed.

Avoid slow cooking.

Avoid marinating.

Avoid leftovers, unless they are frozen immediately and thawed and reheated quickly, such as directly from the freezer in a pan or in the oven.

Meat
Can be safe if organic, fresh, or rapidly frozen.
Avoid purchasing ground meat; it’s preferable to grind it at home.
Avoid consuming offal.

Eggs
Organic with a numerical code of 0 or 1.
Always cooked, and avoid raw or undercooked egg whites, where amines are found.
It’s preferable not to make mayonnaise or aioli, as raw eggs are used.
Don’t crack the egg on the same plate where it will be beaten later, nor use the same fork, nor reuse the plate where the raw egg was beaten.

Fish
The safest way is to buy fresh fish of the day, gutted; you can order it at the fish market to plan the purchase.

Dairy
Check the list for cheeses with low histamine content. Fresher cheeses have less histamine. The more fermented and aged the cheese, the more histamine it will contain.
Although we now find A2 cow’s dairy (milk and yogurt), I recommend choosing preferably goat or sheep.

Maintaining Good Hygiene in the Kitchen

Wash hands before handling food and after handling raw foods like chicken, fish, etc.

Clean kitchen utensils and cutting boards thoroughly.

Proper food storage is essential to ensure food safety.

It’s also advisable, in addition to having hygiene in food handling, to clean the refrigerator and freezer approximately every three months.

Preferably, place already cleaned and/or well-packaged foods in the refrigerator, thus avoiding contaminating both surfaces and other foods. Additionally, histamine levels increase as days pass in foods containing this amine, especially in protein-rich foods such as fish, meats, or cheeses.

Vegetables and fruits must be washed with water and disinfected thoroughly, whether they will be consumed with or without skin, as peeling can carry microorganisms inside.

If you buy pre-washed bagged salads, there’s no need to wash them again.

Fish should be gutted before refrigerating and preferably consumed on the same day, as the longer it takes to consume, the higher the histamine content will be.

Kitchen Utensils

Avoid cooking with plastic utensils. Cook with BPA, phthalate, and PFOA-free utensils such as iron, stainless steel, glass.

Avoid storing food in plastic containers.

Do not heat plastic containers or plastic food containers in the microwave. Do not use aluminum or non-stick molds for baking. Replace with glass, ceramic, or stainless steel.

Avoid slow cookers, smoked, or marinated foods.

Avoid burning food.

Choose cosmetics and hygiene products with a high percentage of natural ingredients.

OTHER TIPS You Might Find Useful

How to Cook Legumes?
Legumes are a good source of protein and fiber, although within these proteins, we also find lectins.

Lectins are also known as phytohemagglutinins due to their ability to agglutinate red blood cells.

Lectins protect legumes from predators like us, and although we may be able to digest some lectins, much of it resists passage through the stomach, reaching the intestine where it binds to receptors on the intestinal epithelial cells, interfering with nutrient absorption. Once attached to the digestive tract, lectin can cause damage to the epithelium, altering functionality, absorption, and causing inflammation.

Legumes should not be cooked at low temperatures as lectins are not destroyed. Therefore, if you are going to cook them at home, it is important to soak them for a minimum of 24 to 72 hours to reduce hemagglutinating activity and then boil them at 100 degrees for 10 minutes.

Do not reuse soaking water.

How Can Arsenic Content in Rice Be Reduced?
Brown rice may contain more arsenic. This is because this compound is not only deposited in the endosperm, which is the white rice grain as we know it, but also accumulates in the outer layers, which form the bran.

It is advisable to buy organic rice locally and avoid consuming it in large quantities daily.

It is also recommended to soak all types of rice overnight, wash it, and cook it with plenty of water, always discarding the cooking water.

And a Final Tip: Organize the Refrigerator

Temperature fluctuations can harm food preservation.

Properly storing food ensures more food safety, thus avoiding the growth of pathogenic bacteria and the elevation of histamine levels.

The lower part is the coldest, so it’s the best place to put gutted meats or fish. If they won’t be consumed shortly, it’s better to freeze them.

If you have 2 drawers, use the other for vegetables, and store them without plastics.

In the middle shelf: yogurts and cheeses.

On the top shelf or the door is the warmest zone: eggs or beverages.

Eggs are very sensitive to temperature changes, and going from cold to heat can facilitate the entry of microorganisms through the shell into the interior. They can be washed before immediate consumption, but not stored washed.

For frozen foods, it is advisable to thaw them in a glass container in the refrigerator. Do not leave them to thaw at room temperature.