Fruits and histamine: 75 foods rated

Aubergine is high in histamine, and it browns within minutes of being cut because it oxidises faster than almost any vegetable - which is the visible sign of the same chemistry. Salting and draining, done for bitterness, also leaves it sitting cut for half an hour. Cook it as soon as it is cut.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Avocado is naturally high in histamine and climbs as it ripens - and it is the one food where you can watch the level change on the counter. A firm avocado that yields only slightly is a different food from one that is soft all over. Once cut it browns and keeps building, so leftover half-avocados are the worst form of it.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Strawberry is the classic liberator fruit — the only berry that sits high on this axis. It holds very little histamine of its own; what it does is prompt your mast cells to release yours. That is why the reaction does not depend on freshness the way a fish reaction does, and why a perfectly ripe strawberry can still cause symptoms. It is one of the five fruits the current review names as reported to trigger the release of endogenous histamine, and the review says plainly that the mechanism responsible has not yet been elucidated.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), for the five fruits reported to release endogenous histamine and for the mechanism being unelucidated

Sun-dried tomatoes are tomatoes left in the sun for days - warm, moist and open to the air, which is the exact condition under which amines form. The drying is not a preservation step that came before the problem; it is days of the problem. The oil they are packed in then keeps them for months.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020

Bananas hold little histamine. What puts them on this axis is a different amine: the review consulted attributes symptoms after banana — alongside citrus, mushrooms, soy and nuts — to putrescine, which competes for the same enzyme that clears histamine. That is offered there as a possibility rather than a demonstration. Ripeness is the lever: a spotted, very ripe banana is a much bigger problem than a firm one, because amines build as it ripens.

• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, for banana among the foods whose symptoms are attributed to other amines, putrescine first

Blood orange is an orange with anthocyanins, the same pigments that colour berries and red cabbage - a difference of colour and antioxidant, not of mechanism. It is a liberator like any citrus, and its short winter season means it is usually eaten fresh, which is the one thing in its favour. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Cantaloupe is a mild liberator, and the variable is not the fruit but the clock: cut melon accumulates amines fast, and cantaloupe is the melon most often bought pre-cut in a tub. Whole and cut at home is a different food from a tub that has been open two days. The Swiss list this axis leans on puts melons other than watermelon at 0 of 3 — compatible, no symptoms expected at usual intake — with a question mark for thin evidence and the note “suspected occasional histamine liberator effects”. The grouping here rests on a suspicion its own source rates as mild.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and its letters

Cherry tomatoes are sold ripe and eaten whole, skin, seeds and gel included - and the gel around the seeds is the part with the most histamine. A large tomato is usually seeded or sliced; a cherry tomato never is.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020

Chilli is a liberator — capsaicin prompts release rather than supplying histamine. Heat level tracks the effect, so milder varieties are the lever.

Clementine is a liberator, and its practical distinction is the portion: they are small, peeled in seconds and eaten three or four at a time, where nobody eats four grapefruits. The per-fruit dose is low and the per-sitting dose is not. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Drying concentrates everything, amines included, and prunes are a documented liberator on top. The dose is what catches people: a handful is a lot more fruit than it looks.

Galia melon is a hybrid of cantaloupe and honeydew and behaves like both - a mild liberator whose real variable is how long ago it was cut. Its skin turns from green to yellow as it ripens, which is the one melon on this list that tells you its age from the outside. The Swiss list this axis leans on puts melons other than watermelon at 0 of 3 — compatible, no symptoms expected at usual intake — with a question mark for thin evidence and the note “suspected occasional histamine liberator effects”. The grouping here rests on a suspicion its own source rates as mild.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and its letters

Gold kiwi is a liberator, and it differs from the green kiwi in the way that matters least here and most elsewhere: it has smoother flesh and less actinidin, the protein-digesting enzyme that makes green kiwi tingle. Less enzyme, same liberator standing. It is one of the five fruits the current review names as reported to trigger the release of endogenous histamine, and the review says plainly that the mechanism responsible has not yet been elucidated.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), for the five fruits reported to release endogenous histamine and for the mechanism being unelucidated

Grapefruit is a liberator like the rest of the citrus group, and it has a second property worth knowing that has nothing to do with histamine: it inhibits the enzymes that clear many medicines, which is why so many drug labels warn against it. Two different interactions, one fruit. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Honeydew has the thickest skin of the common melons and keeps longer whole because of it - which cuts both ways: it stays sound in the bowl for weeks, and by the time it is cut it may be older than it looks. Once cut, its histamine follows the same clock as the rest.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline

Lemon is one of the citrus fruits the elimination lists name, and it is a liberator rather than a source - it holds almost no histamine itself. The practical problem is that lemon is not a food you decide to eat: it is squeezed over fish, into dressings and into tea, so it arrives without being counted. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• SIGHI food-compatibility list
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Lime behaves like lemon and arrives the same way - in a dressing, a marinade or a drink rather than as a fruit. It is a liberator, not a source. Where it differs is dose: a lime is smaller and more often used whole, zest included, and the zest is the most concentrated part. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Mandarin is the parent of the clementine and answers the same way - a liberator, low in histamine itself, eaten several at a time. The tinned segments are a different question: they are peeled with alkali and packed in syrup, and they have sat in the can for months. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Orange is a liberator and holds almost no histamine of its own, which is why looking up its histamine content tells you nothing useful. What sets it apart from lemon is the portion: an orange is eaten as a fruit, in whole units, where lemon arrives in spoonfuls - so the dose is larger and less noticed. Citrus is on the elimination lists as a liberator, but the current review attributes its symptoms to its other amines — putrescine above all — competing for the enzyme that clears histamine.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), section 5.4.1, attributing the symptoms of citrus to its other amines, putrescine above all, competing for DAO

Papaya is a liberator and carries papain, the enzyme that gives it the same tenderising reputation as pineapple. The unripe green fruit holds far more of it than the ripe orange one, which is the one variable you can act on - ripe papaya is the gentler form. It is one of the five fruits the current review names as reported to trigger the release of endogenous histamine, and the review says plainly that the mechanism responsible has not yet been elucidated.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), for the five fruits reported to release endogenous histamine and for the mechanism being unelucidated

Pineapple is a liberator, and it carries bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme strong enough to sting the mouth and to be sold as a meat tenderiser. Whether the enzyme adds to the effect is not settled, but it is the reason pineapple feels different from the citrus fruits it is grouped with. It is one of the five fruits the current review names as reported to trigger the release of endogenous histamine, and the review says plainly that the mechanism responsible has not yet been elucidated.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), for the five fruits reported to release endogenous histamine and for the mechanism being unelucidated

Rhubarb is on the list as a histamine liberator, not as a source — it holds very little itself. The Swiss list rates “rhubarb” 1 of 3 and marks no letter, where it marks L on every entry it holds to be a liberator — but it hedges its own entry, “Controversial. A rating that calls itself controversial is a thin thing to eat on.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Tomato is both histamine-rich and a liberator, which is unusual - most foods are one or the other. Ripeness is the variable you control: a firm tomato measures below a soft one, and a tomato that has sat in the fruit bowl for a week is a different food from the one you brought home.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020

Watermelon is a mild liberator eaten in the largest portions of any fruit here - nobody has a small piece of watermelon. It is also the melon most often bought halved and clingfilmed, which means it was cut in the shop rather than at home. Volume and cut time, both against it. The Swiss list, which marks L on everything it holds to be a liberator, rates “watermelon” 1 of 3 without that letter. A per-entry rating cannot see either the portion or how long ago the fruit was cut.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• Zuberbier et al., EAACI/GA2LEN urticaria guideline
• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Blackcurrant is low fresh and appears on liberator lists in its concentrated forms - a syrup or a coulis is many berries in one spoonful. The Swiss list, by contrast, rates “blackcurrants” 0 of 3 without giving it the L it reserves for liberators.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Fresh coconut is low in histamine, and it does not stay that way once opened: the flesh is roughly a third fat and still moist, which is a substrate that spoils rather than keeps, and cracking the shell removes the only barrier it had. Desiccated coconut is the other question - it is shelf-stable for months, and months is what builds amines. The coconut is one of the twelve Yilmaz measured for serotonin, and the part that applies to it is the processing: roasting took the maximum of the whole set from 155 micrograms per gram down to 15.3. What is done to a nut moves this kind of amine more than which nut it is.

• Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
• McCabe-Sellers et al., J Food Compos Anal 2006
• Yilmaz C et al., Food Chem 272 (2019) 347-353, serotonin in twelve nuts, raw and roasted

A date starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

A dried apricot starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

A dried peach starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

A goji berry starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Kiwi contains almost no histamine but is classed as a liberator - it prompts the body to release its own. That is a different mechanism from content, and it is why a fresh fruit can still cause symptoms. It is one of the five fruits the current review names as reported to trigger the release of endogenous histamine, and the review says plainly that the mechanism responsible has not yet been elucidated.

• Comas-Basté O. et al., Biomolecules 10:1181 (2020), for the five fruits reported to release endogenous histamine and for the mechanism being unelucidated
• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

The lingonberry is a raw berry with no fermentation step, and fermentation is where histamine comes from — though the preserves it usually reaches a kitchen as keep for months.

Mango carries little histamine of its own and is on the liberator lists. Ripeness matters for the same reason it does in plantain - a soft mango has had longer for its amines to build. The Swiss list rates “mango” 1 of 3, noting “To be debated. Is often well tolerated.”, and marks no L — the letter it puts on everything it holds to be a liberator.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list (2024-08-29), for the entry, its rating and the absence of a liberator letter

Passion fruit is low in histamine. Its pulp is acidic enough to slow bacterial growth, which is part of why it keeps as well as it does.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Plantain carries amines that climb steeply as it ripens - green plantain measures far lower than the blackened fruit, and cooking lowers it again. It is one of the few foods where the same fruit answers differently on two days.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Plum is low fresh. Dried, as a prune, it concentrates whatever histamine was there - and any fruit left to dry slowly in warm air has given bacteria time as well as temperature.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

A raisin starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

The rose hip is dried for tea, and drying is where histamine can appear: warm hours are what let the bacteria that build it work.

A sultana starts from a low-histamine fresh fruit, and drying concentrates rather than creates: the water leaves and everything else stays. Sun-dried fruit has had more warm hours than kiln-dried, which is the variable no label records.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters

Tamarind pulp is low in histamine and strongly acidic, which keeps it that way. It is sold as a block or a concentrate and used in spoonfuls.

• SIGHI — Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance, food-compatibility list, for the entry, its rating and its letters