Histamine is a molecule that plays an important part in your body. It can be produced from food or from bacteria in your body. Certain foods like pineapple, kiwi and chicken, as well as too much alcohol can cause a reaction that releases histamine.
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Limit your intake
Limit your intake of histamine-rich foods. If you have a food intolerance to histamine, it’s best to avoid these foods altogether until your symptoms lessen. Many people with histamine intolerance find that their symptoms improve after they’ve been avoiding these foods for some time.
Take probiotics every day to help reduce histamines produced by bacteria in your gut. Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed regularly in small amounts. These good bacteria can help restore healthy levels of good bacteria in the gut after taking antibiotics or other medications that kill off too much good bacteria along with bad ones.
Eat fresh food
Histamine is produced by bacteria in the body, so eating foods that have been processed or cooked can increase the amount of histamine in your system. This means that fresh fruit and vegetables are good for reducing histamine levels.
Avoid alcohol
Alcoholic beverages can cause histamines to rise because they contain histamines themselves. More importantly, alcohol reduces blood flow to the liver, which means you won’t be able to break down histamine as quickly as normal. That’s why people who drink alcohol often experience allergic reactions after drinking alcohol.
Eat foods high in salicylate
One of the main ways to clear histamine from the body is by limiting your intake of foods that are high in salicylates.
Salicylates are natural anti-inflammatory compounds found in many fruits and vegetables, especially those that grow on trees. They’re also found in some herbs, spices and other foods like berries, cherries, peaches and plums. Salicylate-rich foods have been shown to lower histamine levels by increasing the production of enzymes that break down histamine in the body
The best way to avoid getting too much salicylate is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables instead of processed ones. If you have food sensitivities or allergies, you’ll want to be especially careful with this step because many processed foods contain high amounts of salicylates.
Eat foods high in amines
Histamine is a chemical that is naturally produced by the body. It’s involved in many processes such as inflammation and immune response. Histamine levels go up when you have food allergies, take certain drugs, or are exposed to allergens like pollen, dust mites, or pet dander.
There are several ways to reduce histamine levels in your body:
Eat fewer foods high in amines (amino acids). Amines are chemicals that react with histamine to form an allergic reaction. Examples of foods high in amines include tomatoes, spinach, eggplant, chocolate and cheese. There are some foods that are high in both amines and histamines. These include citrus fruits (e.g., oranges), pineapple, strawberries and bananas.
Avoid foods that contain tyramine (a type of amine) or phenyl ethylamine (PEA). Tyramine is found in aged cheese, fermented meats like salami or pepperoni; red wine; soy sauce; pickled vegetables; figs; broad beans; fava beans; avocados; almonds and walnuts; peanuts; pistachio nuts; cashews and pecans; cocoa powder; dark chocolate bars; yeast extracts such as Marmite™
Professional advice
Histamine is a naturally occurring substance in the body, and it’s what causes most allergic reactions. It’s also produced by some foods, such as aged cheeses, fermented foods and alcohol.The best way to reduce your histamine levels is to follow a low-histamine diet for several weeks. This will reduce your symptoms and help you find out if histamine intolerance is the cause of your problems.
If you cut out all foods containing histamine, you could be missing out on some essential nutrients. For example, there are some anti-inflammatory properties in red meat and fish that come from the amino acid called L-carnitine. You need this amino acid for energy production, but it can be found in other foods such as avocados, spinach and tomatoes.
It’s important not to cut out any essential food groups without professional advice first as this could affect your overall health unnecessarily. You should always seek medical advice before starting any new diet regime or cutting out any food groups completely – even if you suspect they might be causing an allergic reaction or intolerance
Cut down on stress
Stress is one of the biggest contributors to histamine levels in the body. When you’re under stress, your body produces more cortisol, which is an enzyme that breaks down amino acids and releases them into your bloodstream. This increases the amount of histamine that gets released into your system. To reduce stress levels and lower histamine levels, consider meditation or other relaxation techniques such as yoga and deep breathing exercises.
Take an antihistamine
If you have histamine intolerance, a condition where your body creates too much histamine, you may find that taking an antihistamine before going to bed can help with sleep.
You can get antihistamines from your doctor or over the counter (OTC).
There are some things to consider before taking an antihistamine for your histamine intolerance:
- It may not work immediately. You may need to take it every day for several days or weeks before you see results.
- You may experience side effects such as drowsiness or dry mouth. If you find that these side effects are too severe, talk to your doctor about other options.
- You should not drive or operate heavy machinery while taking an antihistamine.
Conclusion
The treatment of histamine intolerance is controlled by the symptoms rather than the underlying cause. In order to be free from its symptoms, it is essential that a person learns about the foods that cause them, as well as how to reduce histamine levels in the body. This article will help you to understand what you should do in terms of histamine intolerance.