histamine free diet

A strict low-biogenic amine diet should be observed as a matter of principle.

• Avoid matured cheese (hard cheese). Use cream cheese, mild cheese and cottage cheese instead.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages
• Avoid raw and cured sausage products such as salami. Use cooked ham and cooked sausage instead.
• Avoid processed fish products. Use freshly caught fish and seafood instead.
• Avoid tomatoes, pickles and citrus fruits. Use other fresh fruits and vegetables instead. 
• Avoid chocolate
• Avoid nuts
• Avoid products made with yeast and yeast extracts
• Avoid soy sauce and fermented soy products
• Avoid black tea and green tea
• Avoid energy drinks and coffee

It is very important to coordinate this precisely with your doctor!

Enzyme product "DAOsin"

An enzyme product containing Diamine Oxidase (DAO) breaks down ingested histamine. DAO is available worldwide under the brand name "DAOsin" and can be bought online. It was acknowledged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 and is also available in the U.S. 

Vitamins and Histamine Intolerance

Some sources recommend taking supplements of Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.

Vitamin C

• Promotes the degradation of histamine
• Substitution is useful
• Recommended daily dosage: 0,5-1g

Vitamin B6

• Important for the synthesis of DAO
• Substitution is only useful if a Vitamin B6 deficiency has been established
• Recommended daily dosage: 1,2mg

Anti-histamines / emergency pack

It is recommended that you carry an emergency pack (speak with your doctor about this!) with you at all times. The pack should include some form of anti-histamine and maybe an asthma pocket inhaler (if you had asthmatic symptoms previously).

The emergency pack is not a replacement for the diet!

Some drugs enhance the intolerance symptoms! If you are already taking medication for any other health reason, ask your doctor about their effect on the histamine intolerance! There are a lot of substances used in different drugs that have a negative effect on the DAO enzyme. So do not change your medication before you have talked to your doctor, as otherwise you may seriously harm your health.

Sources include:
Jarisch, R. "Histaminunverträglichkeit", Thieme Verlag TB 2. Auflage
Buchart, K. "Gut leben mit Nahrungsmittelallergien", Löwenzahn Verlag, 2008
Laura Maintz, Natalija Novak (2007)American Journal of Clinical Nutrition85 (5) p. 1185-1196
Masterman, G. "What HIT me? Living with Histamine Intolerance", 2010; createspace; histamineintolerance.org.uk

Last Updated on Thursday, 04 April 2013 12:33