In this post, I’m going to share some easy low histamine resources for groceries and eating out tips to help you adjust to this diet. This is supposed to be a starting place and once you get in the groove of eating low histamine, you may want to make different choices that are lower histamine.
When I was starting out I was so overwhelmed with changing my eating in the midst of caring for 3 little kids, one of which was a baby who was crying a LOT of the time. So this is where I began:
Resource #1: Packaged low histamine foods
As much as I love cooking, I don’t want to make EVERYTHING from scratch. That’s where these packaged foods come in. Because as a mom, sometimes you need convenient, fast, and easy!
The following list of groceries are all items that I get from Walmart Grocery pick-up, which is my best friend. Not having to haul all the kids with me into the store is amazing.
These foods are also dairy free and gluten free. If you are celiac, make sure you check labels for certified gluten free items.
Histamine level 0 foods I buy:
- Barilla Gluten Free Pasta
- Boom Chicka Pop Kettle Corn
- Corn Chex
- Cream of Rice Cereal
- Frozen Blackberries- Great Value
- Frozen Blueberries- Great Value
- Guerrero White Corn Tortillas
- Kix Cereal (not certified GF)
- Orville Redenbachers Popcorn Kernels
- Pure Maple Syrup
- Quaker Corn Grits
- Quaker Rice Cakes Lightly Salted (other flavors have soy lecithin)
- Rice Chex
Histamine level 1 foods I use:
- Apple Sauce – Treetop or Great Value
- Apple Sauce Pouches – Treetop or Great ValueCanned Carrots (make sure only carrots and water) Great Value
- Canned Beets (make sure only beets and water) Great Value
- Canned Artichoke hearts (make sure only artichokes and water) Great Value
- Crunchy Rice Rollers – original brown rice
- Log Cabin All Natural Table Syrup
- Macadamia Nut milk – Milkadamia brand (purchase at Fred Meyer, Target, or natural food store)
- Plain Potato Chips – Great Value brand (make sure no soybean or avocado oil)
- Smart Balance Dairy Free Margarine
- Santitas White Corn Tortilla chips
- Potato & tortilla chips – I haven’t been able to find a brand that does not have sunflower oil as one of the ingredients. I only buy brands that have it listed as the second or third oil in the ingredient list. Rosie does not eat these chips, but she does tolerate them through my breastmilk.
Resource #2: Low histamine fast food & eating out
When I first started eating low histamine, figuring out restaurants or fast food places where I could eat was a challenge that brought me to tears multiple times.
I have young kids and we’re on the go often (or we were before COVID-19), and I was used to being able to eat at any fast food place or restaurant I wanted. We usually ate out 1-3x a week. When histamine intolerance struck, I thought, “Now there’s nothing to eat and nowhere I can eat!”. This was a really difficult transition for me.
Fortunately, I found some places that worked and went to them frequently. Usually eating out required stopping at a couple places to get one meal, but it was worth it to me. Now I’ve learned simple tricks to bring my own food easily, so I don’t eat out very often anymore, especially since eating out will mostly lead to higher histamine levels. I’ll share those tricks in another post.
If you do need/want to eat out be cautious. It’s difficult to tell what ingredients (spices especially) have been used in the food or how fresh it is. If you’re dealing with gluten and dairy intolerance in addition to histamine intolerance it can be even harder.
If you’re feeling discouraged, remember, this diet is not about perfection. It’s about lowering the histamine levels overall, so if you’re in a pinch and need to eat out, just do your best to get as close to a low histamine meal as you can :).
CAUTION: This list does not apply to true allergies, only intolerances. If you have an allergy you need to be much more careful.
Fast Food Options
- Chick-fil-a: Waffle cut Waffle cut french fries only (fried in canola oil). These are not certified gluten free, just listed as minimized gluten.
- McDonalds: Kid’s hamburger (this is their only burger without soy), only lettuce & onion, apple slices
- UPDATE: The burgers have black pepper. I would probably avoid this option if possible.
- Blaze Pizza: GF Crust, olive oil for sauce, chicken, peppers, onions, artichokes, arugula, garlic, salt & oregano (cross contamination happens here)
- In-N-Out: Lettuce wrap burger with onions and french fries
- Costco: Rotisserie Chicken (watch out for pepper if you try these from another store). Also histamine levels rise rapidly in meat, so it depends on how long it’s been sitting since it was cooked, and you won’t know cooking time. Just something to take into account. If you eat it, do not eat the skin, because it is higher histamine.
(Side note: Rosie has not eaten these foods directly, except Chick-fil-a fries and In-N-Out fries, after which she got a small bottom rash. She absolutely loved the fries though! She does tolerate the foods through my breastmilk.)
If this food doesn’t appeal to you, salad is always an option. However, it never seemed worth it to me. For instance, you pay $4-8 for a salad with no tomatoes, red onions, croutons, cheese, or dressing…so basically $4 for lettuce… no thanks!
I’m sure there are more options out there, these are just ones that I have used repeatedly. Most chain restaurants have their menu online with the top 8 allergens listed.
Other Restaurant Tips:
- Ask what oil they cook with
- Avoid soy- a lot of meats have soy in them
- Try to get meat plain, with no sauce or seasoning
- Choose lettuce wrap for burgers or sandwiches
Check out these helpful articles:
- Tips for Eating Out by Nathalie
- How to get what you want by Healing Histamine
- Eating out low histamine and vegan by Bohemian Vegan Kitchen
Good luck my friends, go find something good to eat! 🙂
p.s. If you missed part 1, check it out for probiotics and the low histamine food list!