Have you ever finished a “healthy” meal—like a spinach salad with avocado—and suddenly felt itchy, foggy, or just off? Maybe your nose gets stuffy after a glass of wine, or you feel weirdly anxious for no reason. If this sounds familiar, histamine might be playing a bigger role than you think.
Let’s break it down.
So, What is Histamine Anyways?
Histamine is a natural chemical your body produces to help your immune system fight off “invaders” like pollen or bacteria. That’s why you might get a runny nose or start sneezing when allergies flare up – that’s histamine at work!
But it doesn’t stop there. Histamine also helps move food through your digestive system, keeps your stomach acid balanced, and even helps with communication in the brain (yep, it’s multitasking!).
The Bucket Metaphor
Think of your body like a bucket. Your system can handle a certain amount of histamine, but things like stress, hormonal changes, and high-histamine foods (aged cheese, wine, leftovers) all fill that bucket.
It took me years to connect the dots. For the longest time, I thought my symptoms were just random. Histamine wasn’t something people talked about years ago, so I missed the signs entirely. I’d blame a headache or a stuffy nose on allergies or stress, never realizing my “histamine bucket” was simply full. Now I know that when that bucket overflows, the symptoms hit hard and seemingly out of the blue. For me, it could be a a runny or stuffy nose, a throbbing headache the next, or just an inexplicable feeling of being “off” that’s hard to describe. Histamine is tricky because it’s cumulative. It’s rarely about a single meal—it’s a slow build. It can take days to reach that tipping point where everything feels ‘off,’ and by the time the symptoms hit, it’s nearly impossible to trace them back to the original trigger.
Signs That Your Bucket Might Be Overflowing
The tricky thing is that histamine symptoms can look like a lot of other things. You might not even realize what’s going on. Here are some common signs:
- Runny or stuffy nose (even when you’re not sick)
- Headaches or migraines
- Skin issues like hives, rashes, or itching
- Sneezing or watery eyes
- Digestive troubles (bloating, cramping, nausea after eating)
- Feeling anxious or wired for no reason
- Swelling (especially around the face, lips or eyes)
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Fatigue, especially after meals
- PMS-like symptoms or menstrual irregularities
- Flushing or feeling hot after certain foods or drinks
Sound familiar? If so, you’re definitely not alone. So many people have a sensitivity to histamine and don’t even realize it—especially because it won’t show up on standard allergy tests. And here’s the tricky part: these symptoms usually don’t hit all at once. They can creep in slowly, come and go, or appear in patterns that are easy to miss. That’s why it helps to track how you’re feeling—alongside what you’re eating, how you’re sleeping, and your stress levels. It can really help connect the dots and bring some clarity to what your body’s been trying to tell you.
However, histamine is not always easy to figure out. Because its symptoms overlap with so many other conditions—like seasonal allergies, IBS, or even hormonal shifts—it’s incredibly hard to pin down. It actually took me quite a while to figure out that histamine was a big part of my puzzle.
So Why Does This Happen?
There are a few reasons your body might struggle with histamine and everyone’s experience is a little different, but here are some of the most common symptoms people notice:
- You’re eating too many high-histamine foods – Foods like aged cheese, smoked meats, wine, fermented foods, leftovers, and even tomatoes and spinach naturally contain or release histamine. Eating a lot of these can tip the balance.
- Your body can’t break histamine down properly – Some people are low in an enzyme called DAO (diamine oxidase) — this is what helps break down histamine in the gut. If your levels are low (which can happen with gut issues, certain medications, or genetics), histamine builds up.
- Your gut health is out of balance – A leaky gut, bacterial overgrowth, or other digestive imbalances can mess with how your body processes histamine.
- Hormones and stress – Yup, stress (hi, motherhood!) and hormone fluctuations can throw things off too. Estrogen, for example, can increase histamine — which is why some women notice worse symptoms around their cycle.
How Do You Find Out If Histamine is the Problem?
There isn’t a perfect test for histamine intolerance, but here’s what helps:
- Track your symptoms — Write down what you eat, how you feel, and when symptoms flare.
- Try a low-histamine diet — This doesn’t mean forever, but a short-term reset (2–4 weeks) can give you clarity. If symptoms improve, histamine may be a piece of your puzzle.
- Work with a practitioner — Whether it’s a holistic nutritionist, integrative doctor, or another trusted health professional, having guidance can make this process easier and safer. They can support testing, enzyme supplements, and gut healing in a way that fits your unique needs.
What Can You Do to Feel Better?
If histamine is giving you grief, here are a few simple things to try:
1. Cut back on high-histamine foods (for now)
Try skipping things like aged cheese, processed meats, vinegars, wine, chocolate, fermented foods, leftovers, citrus fruits, and canned fish for a little while. Fresh, simple meals are your best friend during this phase.
2. Support your gut
Focus on gut-loving foods (think bone broth, cooked veggies, wild blueberries, and gentle fibre). Some people also benefit from probiotics — but be careful, as not all probiotics are histamine-friendly.
3. Reduce stress where you can
Deep breathing, gentle walks, saying “no” sometimes — it all counts. Stress can worsen histamine symptoms, especially when you’re already stretched thin.
4. Be mindful of meds and supplements
Some medications (like NSAIDs, certain antibiotics, and antidepressants) can block DAO or release more histamine. If you’re unsure, talk to your doctor or a practitioner you trust.
5. Don’t panic — you’re not broken
This isn’t about being afraid of food. It’s just about learning what your body needs right now. Most people find that once their system calms down, they can slowly reintroduce many foods again.
You’re Not Alone In This
Again, it took me a while to figure out that I had histamine intolerance. At first, it was confusing — I didn’t know why I was reacting to certain foods, or why some days I felt fine and other days I didn’t. I had to eliminate a lot of foods slowly just to start feeling like myself again.
Now, I can usually tell when my “bucket” is getting full. The symptoms creep in, and that’s my body’s way of gently reminding me to slow down, check in, and make some adjustments.
Dealing with histamine intolerance can feel like a lot at first, but trust me, it’s totally manageable. Your body isn’t trying to mess with you; it’s just really trying to get your attention. And once you start paying a bit more heed, things really begin to turn around. You might notice you have more energy, fewer flare-ups, clearer skin, and even sleep better – all just from tuning in and giving your body what it’s been asking for.
Simply Salt & Soul Tips
The Salt (The Science): If you suspect a histamine issue, pay close attention to leftovers. Histamine is produced by bacteria, and as food sits in the fridge, those levels slowly climb. One of the best “Salt” hacks is to freeze your leftovers immediately instead of letting them sit in the fridge. This “pauses” the histamine production, making it much easier for your bucket to stay below the rim!
The Soul (The Wellness): In holistic health, we talk about the “Histamine Bucket”—the idea that our bodies can only handle so much before they overflow into a flare-up. But it’s not just food that fills that bucket; it’s stress, lack of sleep, and emotional weight, too. This journey isn’t just about cutting out high-histamine foods; it’s about lowering the overall pressure. Today, ask yourself what “non-food” item you can remove from your bucket. Maybe it’s a stressful chore or an unrealistic expectation. By clearing emotional space, you give your physical body more room to breathe and heal.
From a TCM perspective, many histamine symptoms look like “Wind” or “Heat” in the body. When you feel that “wired” or “itchy” sensation, your body is literally asking for coolness and calm. Instead of panic, try a “Soul” reset: a slow walk in the fresh air or a few minutes of deep belly breathing. It’s not just about what you eat; it’s about lowering the “temperature” of your lifestyle to let your system settle.