Spring is finally here, which means the sun is shining, the weather is warming up and the flowers are blooming. We are embracing the season not only with open arms, but also with stuffy noses, itchy eyes, and general discomfort.
While your headaches, itchy eyes and sneezing fits could definitely be triggered by pollen in the air, there’s another factor that may be contributing to these springtime struggles: histamine intolerance.
Histamine is the same chemical that is involved in the body’s allergy response, but the thing is, if we do not break it down efficiently, it can lead to symptoms such as brain fog, hives, feeling flushed or fatigued.
This lesser-known condition can often be overlooked or misdiagnosed because it mimics many of the same symptoms as traditional allergies, but the underlying cause is quite different. Read on to find out a few diet and lifestyle changes to implement from today, and hopefully provide some relief, so spring can feel like a breeze again!
What is Histamine?
Your immune system releases the chemical histamine, which can help fight off invaders but also act as a chemical messenger in your brain and gut. Having said that, it can also be found in variable amounts of common foods, and normally, there is an enzyme in the gut called diamine oxidase (DAO) which can help break it down.
If your levels of DAO are on the lower side or your intake of histamine is high, this could lead to an overload and cause a range of symptoms which look and feel like seasonal allergies.
Histamine Intolerance Symptoms to be aware of:
- Headaches/migraines
- Fatigue/brain fog
- Itchy eyes/nose
- Hives/skin flushing
- Nasal congestions- particularly after eating certain foods
- Heart palpitations
- Gastrointestinal symptoms – bloating, cramping, diarreah
Sound familiar?
Keeping an eye out
Some foods can be high in histamine and other foods trigger your body to release more. A few common foods to look out for are:
- Smoked or processed meats
- Aged cheeses (blue cheese, parmesan)
- Avocados, tomato, spinach
- Fermented foods – kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi..
- Alcohol – especially red wine
- Shellfish
- Vinegar based condiments
- Chocolate
- Strawberries
- Soy products
No need to cry, as this list does not mean you need to cut out these foods forever! Just be mindful, especially during springtime, to potentially help calm symptoms down. Here’s a few suggestions by the Johns Hopkins clinic (2025) for low histamine foods to incorporate instead:
- Gluten-free grains like amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, millet, rice, quinoa, and more.
- Fresh meat that has not been aged.
- Salmon: Only fresh or flash-frozen within 30 minutes of catch.
- Non-citrus fruits like apples, blueberries, mangoes, peaches, pomegranates, and more. Avoid grapefruit, lemon, lime, and orange.
- Non-dairy milk like almond, coconut, or hemp.
- Fresh vegetables; avoid tomato, avocado, eggplant, squash, and spinach.
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Almonds
- Potatoes • Flax
- Chia
- If you tolerate milk: butter, ghee, cream, cream cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, and other soft cheeses that have not been aged or fermented.
Good News!
Let me cheer you up now, and tell you that there are both nutrition and lifestyle strategies you can implement to support your body’s ability to manage histamine.
1. Gut Health Support
Gut health also plays a crucial role in regulating the breakdown of histamine. Since the DAO enzyme is produced in the gut lining, a healthy digestive system is essential for maintaining balanced histamine levels.
- Increasing fibre intake – lots of colours in your plate coming from veggies, fruit, pulses
- Minimise processed foods – stick to real ones!
- Ensure consistent hydration to support regular bowel movements
2. Reduce histamine load, without going extreme:
- Keep a food diary of food-symptoms to create a clearer pattern
- Freeze leftover quickly to avoid histamine build up.
- Swap high histamine foods for fresher, less processed options.
3. Work on your stress management skills, as histamine is also released during stressful times:
- Try breathwork
- Take time to rest
- Incorporate mindful movement in your daily routine
Remember, histamine intolerance is not the same as a food allergy, but it could be something to think about if your spring symptoms are especially stubborn.
Further support can always be provided by choosing to work with a practitioner, but for the time being, you can have a go with these few tweaks and observe how your body responds.
Make the most of this article, take charge of your health and give your body the best chance to enjoy springtime again!
Sources
Maintz, L., & Novak, N. (2007). Histamine and histamine intolerance. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(5), 1185–1196. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/85.5.1185
- Worm M, Reese I, Ballmer-Weber B, Beyer K, Bischoff SC, Bohle B, Brockow K, Claßen M, Fischer PJ, Hamelmann E, Jappe U, Kleine-Tebbe J, Klimek L, Koletzko B, Lange L, Lau S, Lepp U, Mahler V, Nemat K, Raithel M, Saloga J, Schäfer C, Schnadt S, Schreiber J, Szépfalusi Z, Treudler R, Wagenmann M, Werfel T, Zuberbier T. Update of the S2k guideline on the management of IgE-mediated food allergies. Allergol Select. 2021 Jul 8;5:195-243. doi: 10.5414/ALX02257E. PMID: 34263109; PMCID: PMC8276640.
- Hrubisko M, Danis R, Huorka M, Wawruch M. Histamine Intolerance-The More We Know the Less We Know. A Review. Nutrients. 2021 Jun 29;13(7):2228. doi:10.3390/nu13072228. PMID: 34209583; PMCID: PMC8308327.
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal- Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients. 2021 Apr 21;13(5):1395. doi: 10.3390/nu13051395. PMID:33919293; PMCID: PMC8143338.
- de Vrese, M., & Schrezenmeir, J. (2008). Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. In Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology (Vol. 111, pp. 1–66). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2008_097
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/johns-hopkins-childrens-center/documents/specialties/adolescent-medicine/cfs-low-histamine-diet.pdf (last update April2025)
