Low Histamine Snacks
Finding quick easy low histamine snacks can be a bit of a challenge.
‘Can you suggest some low histamine snacks?’
This is one of the most common questions I get asked in my clinic as well as through my social media channels.
For this article, I’m going to discuss histamine, histamine intolerance & the histamine bucket. I will also provide suggestions of ways to add yummy low histamine snacks into your day.
What is histamine?
Histamine is an important neurotransmitter created in our hypothalamus and stored in mast cells. We also ingest histamine via food, and it is produced by some of the bacteria that live in our gut. Mast cells reside in most tissue of the body, but especially in places where external invaders might attack the body, e.g, the skin, eyes, respiratory system, mouth, and digestive tract. This is where we most commonly see symptoms. We need histamine, but not too much!
What causes histamine intolerance?
Diamine oxidase (DAO) enzyme in the gut is responsible for breaking down histamines in our diet and produced by bacteria in our gut. Leaky gut can also lead to histamine, bacterial, and food particles to move from our gut into our bloodstream. If DAO and histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) enzymes are unable to degrade histamine fast enough, we get histamine excess and the symptoms known as histamine intolerance.
Who would benefit from eating low histamine snacks?
People who have a known histamine intolerance would benefit from these low histamine snacks.
Likewise, if there are any of the following symptoms below. Then they may also benefit from low histamine snacks.
- skin rashes, eczema, itchy skin, hives
- itchy watery eyes
- excess heat, skin flushing or redness especially on the ears, face, and throat
- year-round seasonal allergies
- gastrointestinal issues like bloating, IBS, diarrhoea, or constipation
- reflux or heartburn
- migraines or headache
- palpitations
- difficulty breathing, sneezing, excess mucous, runny nose, or asthma
- inflammation
- brain fog
- fatigue
- fibromyalgia
- PMS
- other unexplained symptoms
Ways to add snacks into your day:
Low histamine snacks can be:
- added to your daily plan
- included in children’s lunch boxes
- suggested to friends if they are unsure of snacks to provide for social gatherings
- or taken to parties or social gatherings if you are asked to bring something along
Histamine Bucket and why it matters
It can be quite confusing working out what to eat on a low histamine diet. As well as the types of food to include for snacks too. Especially because sometimes it is about the amount of histamine.
I like to think about histamine like a bucket. If you already have a lot of histamine in your body from trigger happy mast cells, mould exposure, stress, and allergies, then your bucket may already be almost full. Adding high histamine food on top can cause your bucket to overflow, and symptoms to occur. This is why we can feel fine and then symptoms occur with seemingly no reason or single obvious trigger. It also can take time for histamine to build up and degrade, so symptoms often do not appear up to 3 days later
There are two ways to include low histamine snacks in your diet:
I have summarised the snack suggestions into two categories:
1. Simple Low Histamine foods
When eating this way, the foods can be eaten as they are. No recipes or preparation is required! This is a great way to start to add low histamine snacks into your day. This gives you minimal preparation and the comfort of knowing that what you eat, is low in histamine.
Simple Low Histamine Foods
Fruits:
- Apples, pears, peaches & apricots
- Blueberries or cherries
- Mangoes, pomegranate or dragonfruit
Vegetables:
- Celery, carrot, or cucumber sticks. (with dips below 👇)
Nuts & Seeds:
- Chia seeds, pumpkin seeds
- Macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts
Other:
- Popcorn
2. Easy and yummy snack suggestions.
These options below combine the low histamine foods from the low histamine food list to make recipes. Grab your copy here: http://hwh.luannehopkinson.net/hwhfg
Check out these recipes for some easy delicious snack suggestions:
Ginger Carrot and Apple Muffins
If you are looking to include low-histamine snacks in your nutrition plan, then start slow. Eat the foods as they are, like fruits and nuts and seeds, etc, and then as you get more comfortable, get more creative with things like smoothies, baking, dips, popsicles, etc.
Need more ideas?
Recipes just like this are in the Ultra-Low Histamine Meal Plan along with many more. Your low histamine elimination diet made easy, with 4-weekly meal plans, over 55 recipes, and prep guides and shopping lists for each week.
Luanne x
