Histamine is a naturally occurring substance, which can cause an allergic reaction in those who are sensitive to histamine. It’s especially important for those with sinus congestion to be aware that your congestion may be caused by what you’re eating. It’s usually the foods that you eat the most, that are giving you the most problems.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of a histamine reaction can be mild or severe. It can lead to asthma issues, skin reactions like hives, and migraine headaches. Fortunately, you can begin to test the foods that you’re eating to see how you react. Just because a histamine food is on this list below doesn’t mean that you’ll react to that food. These are the common histamine foods. Just look at the list below.
The Top 26 Histamine-Causing Foods
- Alcohol, beer, and wine (try moderation)
- Vermouth (sorry martini drinkers)
- Fermented beverages and fermented foods
- Sauerkraut
- MSG
- Ciders
- Eggs
- Aged cheeses (there goes the wine and cheese party)
- Milk
- Sour cream
- Canned foods
- Avocados
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Papaya
- Bananas
- Chocolate
- Nuts
- Processed meats, sausage, salami
- Eggplant
- Shellfish
- Spinach (sorry Popeye)
- Tomatoes
- Sardines, anchovies, tuna, herring
- Preserves and jams
- Yeasts
How to Tell You’ve Had a Histamine Response
Within 15 minutes of eating a food, you’ll know if you’re having a histamine response if any of one of these or multiple symptoms occur:
- Pulse rate increases
- Sinuses get congested, or inflamed
- Hives or a rash develop
- Nose begins to run
- Throat gets itchy or feels like it’s closing up
- Tightness in chest
- Migraine headache
- Headache on the back and top of the head
- Sinus pressure
Allergy-like symptoms
Leave a Reply