15 Low Histamine Snacks
This article was co-written by dietetic intern Kate Evans.
If you’ve tried eating a low histamine diet, you know that snacks can be a point of frustration, especially snacks on the go. With many common foods such as aged cheeses, tomatoes, and tuna off limits, it’s important to find alternative options to snack on to ensure that your body is getting the nutrients and energy it needs throughout the day.
But before we get to the snacks…
Why Low Histamine?
Histamine is a type of amine that is released from white blood cells during your body’s normal immune response. While histamine plays many important roles in the body, it can build up to unhealthy levels in some individuals, which is referred to as a histamine overload. This can lead to symptoms including bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, headache, dizziness, itchy or flushed skin, sneezing, and nasal congestion.
An overload can happen for a few reasons, including high intake of histamine, increased release in the body, and poor breakdown of histamine, leaving it in the body too long. The deeper reasons why this can happen are more complex, but may include hormonal changes (even those during the menstrual cycle!), autoimmune conditions, mast cell conditions, chronic constipation, increased intestinal permeability, and more!
The low histamine diet may help improve symptoms in individuals who experience histamine overload and in those with histamine intolerance, a condition in which there is a deficiency of diamine oxidase (DAO), the main enzyme responsible for breaking down histamine. It may also be helpful for individuals with mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a condition in which activation of mast cells causes excess release of histamine and other substances in the body.
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The goal of a low histamine diet is to reduce your overall histamine intake to a tolerable level, not to eliminate all histamine-containing foods. Many low histamine diet lists also reduce intake of other types of amines that may contribute to symptoms such as putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, spermidine, and spermine.
If you Google low histamine diets, you’ll notice that the existing lists vary quite a bit. Due to limited research, there is no consensus as to what foods should be avoided on a low histamine diet and to what extent other amines should be avoided.
Depending on your individual level of sensitivity to histamine and other amines, the types of snacks that are suitable for you may vary. For these reasons, it’s important to work 1:1 with a knowledgeable dietitian to come up with a personalized plan. If you’re interested in working with our team, check out our 1:1 nutrition counseling program and schedule a consult call here to see if it’s a good fit!
In the meantime, read on for some delicious snacks that are low in histamine and other amines, and will likely be well-tolerated by individuals on a low histamine diet.
Low Histamine Snack Ideas
- Hardboiled eggs + carrot sticks
- Popcorn
- Crackers with goat cheese, figs, and honey
- Fresh mozzarella and roasted red peppers on sliced baguette
- Yogurt with nut-free granola
- Cottage cheese with peaches
- Chia seed pudding (2 Tbsp chia seeds + 1/2 cup milk) + raspberries + maple syrup + cinnamon
- Bobo's Oat Bars
- Simple smoothie: 8 oz milk + 1 frozen banana + ½ cup frozen blueberries + 1 scoop whey protein powder + 1/2 cup ice
- Apple Spiced Oatmeal Cookies with milk
- Pita with Roasted Zucchini Dip
- English muffin with cream cheese and jam
- Toast with egg salad
- Cheerios with milk
- Overnight oats: ½ cup oats + ½ cup milk + ¼ cup yogurt + 1 tbsp chia seeds + 1 tbsp maple syrup mixed in jar or bowl, covered and refrigerated overnight
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