Finding whole food solutions to balancing histamine and stabilizing mast cells doesn’t have to mean ordering strange herbs and superfoods from the other side of the planet. Here are 7 great antihistamine foods you can find at the supermarket nearest you.
APPLE SKINS
The skin of the apple is where most of the nutrition is. Apple peel contains powerful polyphenols that have been shown in scientific studies to suppress inflammation and activate antioxidant release.
Apple polyphenols have also been found to strongly prevent the release of histamine from mast cells in animal studies. So, they are a great component of an anti-inflammatory, antihistamine diet.
If you can cut the apple so that you get a lot of peel and just a little of the white interior (give to a friend, family member, or pet), you’ll lower your fruit sugar intake and maximize your intake of health-promoting antioxidants.
To read up on antioxidants and histamine, check out Antioxidants Fight Histamine Inflammation.
ARTICHOKES
Artichokes are rich in the bioflavonoid, luteolin, which has been shown to be very helpful for stabilizing mast cells. Read more about luteolin on my post: Luteolin for Mast cells, Histamine and Brain Fog?
Again, it is the leaves of the artichokes that have the most antioxidant rich polyphenols. So, roast a whole artichoke and enjoy the leaves as an appetizer or snack. You may also enjoy my Antihistamine-Rich Artichoke Soup or my Creamy Anti-Inflammatory Artichoke Pasta W/Antihistamine Herbs.
ARUGULA
Arugula, also known as rocket, is a great peppery addition to salad, soup, pasta, wraps –even wilted in quiche or with seafood. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals and also seems to have some potent antihistamine properties.
An extract of arugula was found to be protective against stomach ulcers, presumably by acting similar to a Protein Pump Inhibitor (PPI) — preventing histamine release in the stomach.
CHAMOMILE TEA
Relax… Chamomile has you covered. This wonderfully relaxing herbal tea ingredient has the ability to prevent histamine release from mast cells. The effect was dose-dependent, so if you tolerate chamomile, drink up.
Keep in mind that chamomile is related to ragweed, so it could cause an allergic reaction in some sensitive people.
GINGER ROOT
Beyond being a great natural remedy for soothing nausea, ginger has long been used as an H2 histamine blocker for indigestion and excess stomach acid. It has now also been found to stabilize mast cells.
Ginger is also just a great anti-inflammatory ingredient to have around for all kinds of delicious recipes. I use ginger in smoothies, juices, soups, grated into salad dressing and onto sautéed veggies. It’s especially great with noodles (I love black rice noodles), as it is a key ingredient in a lot of Asian dishes.
POMEGRANATES
This Mediterranean superfood is well known for its antioxidant effects. In fact, the antioxidant potential of pomegranate juice is more potent than both red wine and green tea. It’s also anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer. These effects are primarily due to its high polyphenol content –especially ellagic acid. Pomegranate has also been shown to prevent inflammation from activated mast cells, acting as a mast cell stabilizer.
Add pomegranate to your diet by sprinkling arils over salads, using pomegranate juice as a glaze (Check out my recipe for Pomegranate (or apple) Glazed Root Veggies on this post), or by using pomegranate molasses in salad dressing or on pancakes.
RED ONIONS
Sure, regular white or yellow onions are antihistamine too, but wouldn’t you rather get in a few more antioxidants? The rich red/purple color is indicative of extra health-promoting benefits. Besides, it adds a beautiful color to any dish.
Onions have been shown in studies to prevent histamine release, stabilize mast cells, and lower histamine levels in the blood. They are rich in the antihistamine compound, quercetin. Enjoy raw or cooked, as tolerated, in a variety of dishes. For a great soup that includes red onion, try my Autumnal Garden Vegetable Soup.
WANT MORE IDEAS?
For delicious recipes including these and other foods with antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties, check out my cookbooks: Anti-Recipes and The Anti-Cookbook. Or, if you want the Paleo version, there’s The Anti-Cookbook (Paleo).
Or even better, to do a complete reset with recipes and lifestyle strategies to balance histamine levels and get your body on the path to healing, I highly recommend my comprehensive 28-Day Histamine Reset.
————REFERENCES—————
Alqasoumi, S., Al-Sohaibani, M., Al-Howiriny, T., Al-Yahya, M., & Rafatullah, S. (2009). Rocket “Eruca sativa”: A salad herb with potential gastric anti-ulcer activity. World Journal of Gastroenterology : WJG, 15(16), 1958–1965. http://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.15.1958
Boyer, J., & Liu, R. H. (2004). Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutrition Journal, 3(5). http://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-3-5
Chandrashekhar, V. M., et al. (2011). “Anti-allergic activity of German chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) in mast cell mediated allergy model.” Journal of ethnopharmacology 137(1), 336-340. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378874111003941
Chen, Bing-Hung, et al. (2009). “Antiallergic potential on RBL-2H3 cells of some phenolic constituents of Zingiber Officinale (Ginger).” Journal of Natural Products 72(5), 950-953. Retrieved from: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/np800555y
Kaiser, M.S. Youssouf, S.A. Tasduq, S. Singh, S.C. Sharma, G.D. Singh, V.K. Gupta, B.D. Gupta, and R.K. Johri, Anti-Allergic Effects of Herbal Product from Allium Cepa (Bulb), Journal of Medicinal Food. April 2009, 12(2): 374-382. Retrieved from: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jmf.2007.0642
Negro. D. et al. (2012). “Polyphenol compounds in artichoke plant tissues and varieties.” Journal of Food Science. 77(2):C244-252. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22251096
Siddaraju, M. N., Dharmesh, S. M. (2007). “Inhibition of gastric H+, K+-ATPase and Helicobacter pylori growth by phenolic antioxidants of Zingiber officinale.” Mol Nutr Food Res. 2007 Mar;51(3):324-32. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17295419
Theoharides, T. C. (2009). “Luteolin as a therapeutic option for multiple sclerosis.” Journal of Neuroinflammation, 6(29). http://doi.org/10.1186/1742-2094-6-29
Tomomasa KANDA, Hiroshi AKIYAMA, Akio YANAGIDA, Masayuki TANABE, Yukihiro GODA, Masatake TOYODA, Reiko TESHIMA & Yukio SAITO (2014) Inhibitory Effects of Apple Polyphenol on Induced Histamine Release from RBL-2H3 Cells and Rat Mast Cells, Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 62:7, 1284-1289, DOI: 10.1271/bbb.62.1284
Zarfeshany, A., Asgary, S., & Javanmard, S. H. (2014). Potent health effects of pomegranate. Advanced Biomedical Research, 3, 100. http://doi.org/10.4103/2277-9175.129371
