Histamine Intolerance: Causes, Food and the Gut
Histamine intolerance means more histamine is reaching your body than it can break down. The usual advice is a list of foods to avoid. In my experience the cause is in the gut: bacteria producing too much histamine, and too little of the DAO enzyme that clears it.
How I think about histamine intolerance
I had it severely for five or six years. At my worst I was bedridden and living on a handful of foods. Today I eat cheese, chocolate and fermented food without a problem.
A low histamine diet helped me cope, and I still teach people how to do it well, because freshness and preparation matter as much as the food list. But the diet is a way of getting through. What changed things was working on my gut flora and my digestion. If your reactions are severe, work with your doctor as well.
Articles on histamine intolerance
- Histamine Intolerance
What Causes Histamine Intolerance? The Two Gut Problems Behind It
The two gut problems behind it, why food lists fail, and what I work on instead.
Read the article - Histamine Intolerance
Low Histamine Diet Tips: 6 Food Habits That Made the Difference for Me
Freshness, batch cooking and freezing, low histamine broth and ferments, and digestion.
Read the article - Histamine Intolerance
Probiotics for Histamine Intolerance: Why They Matter and How to Start
How gut bacteria both produce and break down histamine, and why to start very small.
Read the article
- Histamine Intolerance vs MCAS: How to Tell the Difference
Same symptoms, different source. The clues that point to each, and what I work on in each case.
- Why Probiotics Can Make You Feel Worse, and How to Start Them
Why probiotics can cause a reaction, and the dose I start clients on.
Questions I am often asked
What causes histamine intolerance?
In my experience, two gut problems: bacteria in the gut producing too much histamine, and too little of the DAO enzyme that breaks it down.
Is histamine intolerance permanent?
It was not for me. Mine resolved once my gut was working properly again, and I have seen the same in many clients. I cannot promise that outcome for everyone.
What is the difference between histamine intolerance and MCAS?
Histamine intolerance starts in the gut. In MCAS, mast cells inside the body release the histamine. The symptoms overlap, and many people have both.
Want the full process, step by step?
My Histamine Intolerance & MCAS Recovery Protocol sets out how I work through diet, gut and mast cells, in order. The free Comprehensive Food Sensitivities List shows the histamine content of foods.
I’m a coach, not a medical doctor. This page shares my experience and what I see with the clients I coach. It is for education only and is not medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Speak to your doctor before changing medication or if your symptoms are severe or new.