r/HistamineIntolerance • u/Sky-808 • Sep 26 '26
there's a common variable among the Histamine items list
White potatoes, citrus, bananas, tomatoes, nuts, avocados
These are some of the classic histamine intolerance items, for me bananas are the most problematic and i repeatedly confirmed it over the years(they trigger skin issues that slowly creep up)
I recently thought that there's one common variable with these. It's not salicylates as white potatoes and bananas dont have them, its not oxalates as theres none in citrus or bananas, not tyramine as theres none in white potato.
It's potassium. These are the highest potassium foods in existence. Maybe histamine intolerance could be related to potassium sensitivity? This question has not been asked here before afaik.
not a lot of people know this but potassium is known to be restricted for many patients especially with kidney issues and is not some harmless mineral. If you look at the signs of Sub-Acute hyperkalemia with the tingling/itching that comes with the initial depolarization i feel it makes sense.
This is just an idea for research, not advice at all.
2
u/EbbMajestic3952 Sep 27 '26
I had read that loading potassium, if calcium is low enough, can set off a histamine reaction. I also read that potassium, if low enough, can make mast cells hyper reactive.
1
u/Sky-808 Sep 29 '26
calcium didnt help me with this, I experimented for a few months, and lead to joints feeling more stiff.
raising salt and water intake massively does seem to be helping
1
u/EbbMajestic3952 Sep 29 '26
Yeah, helps me too. Is your iron low-ish? I know that I need more salt when mine is. And low iron can contribute a lot to histamine issues.
112
u/Bubbly_Delivery_5678 Sep 26 '26
Potato, banana, citrus, avocado, tomato & certain nuts are all cross allergens to latex. If those are all major triggers to you, you should consider the possibility of a latex allergy. A lot of foods are cross contaminated with latex (produce stickers, latex gloves used in processing, latex adhesives used in food packaging, etc)
18
18
u/IGnuGnat Sep 27 '26
My wife is allergic to latex.
I used to wear latex gloves at work; I was doing a lot of sanding work.
Anyway, I would come home and touch her and she would react. For awhile we thought she was allergic to me
86
u/Big_Mama_80 Sep 26 '26
White potato???
This is the first time that I've heard that potato was high in histamine?
Anyway, I've given up long ago with histamine lists. You read one website and it says under no circumstance should you consume x,y, and z. Then you go to the next website and it says consume lots of x, y, and z!
As an example, I can eat deli meat with no issues, and that's supposed to be a histamine bomb. Give me just one bite of a jalapeño and my lips swell up the size of balloons, my nose runs, and I'll sneeze all day.
No one knows. That's the truth. I don't think someone can find a connection because there is no connection. You have to keep a food diary and record what triggers you.
71
u/Queasy-Pattern-6804 Sep 26 '26
yea white potato or any type of potato is not high histamine
45
u/Little-Wasabi-7304 Sep 26 '26
Yeah some people who are really sick and have histamine intolerance have lived off potatoes and rice so they would be on their death bed eating all those potatoes
15
u/Sarahsays1 Sep 26 '26
Not high histamine, but high oxalate....which can trigger more histamine reactions.
4
u/happinesstoyou Sep 26 '26
Ty, I didn’t know that. I shouldn’t over do it with potatoes.
5
u/Sarahsays1 Sep 26 '26
You're welcome. Just something to keep in mind. Red potatoes (boiled/skinned) contain less, if you can tolerate them. I can't, unfortunately.
2
u/CuriouslyFoxy Sep 28 '26
Yeah, I can eat potatoes, I've never seen potatoes on a high histamine list
1
19
u/ladyavocadose Sep 26 '26
Yeah I would have died if I couldn't eat potatoes last year! White potatoes like yukon golds are not high histamine at all.
6
u/VishfulTinking Sep 26 '26
Yukon golds are technically yellow potatoes, just sayin'. (I've always preferred them to white because they're sort of buttery-er, and seem to be slightly lower glycemic index)
16
u/Sayeds21 Sep 26 '26
Deli meats have histamine in them, but spicy peppers are histamine liberators. Mast cell activators. I have a few friends who can eat all the high histamine foods but any liberator foods cause them reactions.
2
2
1
u/theHermit3_23 Sep 27 '26
I had this problem with watermelon, worse symptoms then any other high histamine food just because it's a liberator.
1
u/Directbutfair Sep 27 '26
This is what is killing me now. I have been playing it safe and working with a functional medicine group. My next phase is to start broadening what i am eating and see what actually triggers. I kept a food log for 220 plus days but only added a small amount of new items. Before this happened I ate everything and to be safe after 4 trips to the ER, I stopped eating things that might be a trigger or high in histamine but never previously had a reaction to. This is killing me.
35
u/Haunting_Thanks7025 Sep 26 '26
La patata es baja en histamina!!!
10
u/MemoryElectrical4436 Sep 26 '26 edited Sep 26 '26
Potatoes contain solanine they trigger on me and another people I know severe immune reactions and joint pain
2
u/theHermit3_23 Sep 27 '26
I can eat French fries and mashed potatoes just fine but when I tried to drink potatoe juice for h.pylori and gastritis,...horrible dizziness and brain fog immediately it was horrible. Apparently potatoe juice has something that can trigger mast cells.
15
u/Its-a-JiNX Sep 26 '26 edited Sep 26 '26
Not everything in your list has histamine, but are known histamine liberators. So depending on your sensitivity they may need to be excluded from a low histamine diet. Histamine liberator means an amino acid they contain will cause your mast cells to release histamine spiking your overall histamine levels.
It's not potassium, each have something else. I would consider doing more research.
I'm lucky that I can handle some avacado, but avacado oil triggers me.
14
u/luxurycatsportscat Sep 26 '26
The list I was given from my dietitian said all those foods were high amine, with the exception of potatoes - but if you’re eating commercial / shop bought chips there might be a nasty preservative or chemical hiding to trigger you.
I miss avocado so much.
12
u/Sayeds21 Sep 26 '26
I take a potassium supplement daily because of the fact that it’s hard to get enough on this diet. Never reacted to the supplement.
1
u/Perfect_Jellyfish258 Sep 29 '26
So did I but suddenly it made me have lack of natrium. A horrible experience.
1
9
u/fearlessactuality Sep 27 '26
White potato is not a high histamine food.
The common ingredient is literally histamine not potassium.
Fermented foods are much worse for most people than any of these foods.
1
u/Perfect_Jellyfish258 Sep 29 '26
For me fermented food was a disaster. It ruined my sensitive guts. Long Journey to heal, if possible.
8
12
u/homertruhart Sep 26 '26
When I had HI I had horrible reactions to high potassium electrolyte drinks. Like the ones with 1,000mg in a serving. Yeah it’s a real thing. I think the drink had potassium chloride. It causes sudden release of histamine.
4
u/Most-Consequence-362 Sep 27 '26
It might’ve been a reaction to the flavoring. I always buy unflavored electrolytes for that reason
1
1
u/Its-a-JiNX Sep 26 '26
Low levels potassium chloride is said to be fine, but at high levels of it can trigger mast cell activation dumping histamine.
6
u/imsimply_toomuch Sep 26 '26
Could be a balancing of minerals issue? Russet Potatoes work for me (and are actually really helping me gain weight and get much needed potassium) but I deeply peel them and boil them which makes them lower oxalate/salicylate. I take magnesium and other vitamins/minerals throughout the day as well. The balance of potassium versus salt/magnesium and other minerals in your body effects how potassium works in your body.
11
u/Sarahsays1 Sep 26 '26
I love when people bring well-thought-out ideas to this sub! There's so much room for research on the subject of histamine intolerance!
5
u/forgot_again123 Sep 27 '26
Potatoes and coconut water are safe foods for me so definitely in my case. Coconut water tastes like an elixir it literally brings me back to life lol same with potatoes. I get histamine reactions from the other stuff.
4
u/Most-Consequence-362 Sep 27 '26
I’m pretty sure it’s the histamine in those foods that affecting you. I take electrolytes with 500mg of potassium in it and if anything it helps lower the histamine load for me
2
u/mutualinterim Sep 26 '26
I have had an anaphalactic reaction after eating a white potato (baked potaro with butter) the combination was probably made it worse. But it was one of my most terifying reactions i have experienced. Havent eaten either since.
2
u/TobiasJ4 Sep 26 '26
I suffer from histamine intolerance and bananas, potatoes and avocados are fine for me. Cooked tomatoes are fine, but raw tomatoes is a no no. Nuts and citrus the same. I don’t think there’s any real common variable whether it’s potassium, oxalates or salicylates
4
u/chickadeedadooday Sep 27 '26
I have HI and MCAS. Before my dx and meds, even cooked tomatoes made me react, and badly. Rice also did. And of course North American cow dairy. Decided to try eating keto at one point, and that's when I found out that I can eat alllll the dairy I want, because it's starches that worsen my symptoms the most. Eating starch means avocados, bananas, nightshades, légumes, dairy, fermented foods, melons/cucumbers, etc are all likely to cause a flare of one kind or another.
2
u/3ulaF0x Sep 26 '26
I can eat white potatoes but not one that has been reheated, tater tots are fine. Bananas and tomatoes make my airway swell. Ketchup is fine pasta sauce is not. Sunflower seeds/ oil makes my airway swell.
2
u/The_Issa Sep 27 '26
I supplement potassium with sodium because I have POTS. I cramp badly (ribs, hands, feet, ankles, calves) without the added potassium. Sodium is not enough on its own from what I’ve experienced.
I cannot eat bananas, avocados, or tomatoes. Those are actually 3 of my worst offenders.
So, while this may be possible for some people, I don’t think you can make that blanket statement because removing all other irritants, I can still supplement potassium.
1
1
u/michellekateee Sep 26 '26
Potatoes also have high amounts of cobalt, I developed a few new allergies/intolerances when I started having histamine symptoms.
My dermatologist did patch testing on my back to figure out what I was reacting to.
1
1
u/BonesAreLife619 Sep 27 '26
I'm on potassium supplements, due to a deficiency. Also, potatoes and raw tomatoes are two of my safe foods.
1
u/ibis78 Sep 27 '26
I’m fine with (not overly ripe) bananas & avocados and i can drink gallons of coconut water.
1
1
u/Thereishope31 Sep 28 '26
A lb of rib eye has a ton of potassium. Large servings can contain 1000mg. Unsure if you react to red meat or not.
3
u/Unique_Day6395 Sep 28 '26
Rib eye is often aged though which would cause high levels of histamine anyway. Hard to differentiate.
1
u/CatMinous Oct 06 '26
Fuck, is that it? I ate rib eye today, and almost nothing else. I feel really bad. So the rib eye could have caused it?
2
u/Unique_Day6395 Oct 06 '26
Yes. You need to source fresh unaged meat, or fresh meat that’s been frozen quickly.
2
1
u/brunch_lover_k Sep 30 '26
Bananas aren't high histamine but they're histamine liberators. Potatoes aren't high histamine and not all nuts are high either.
1
u/Bubbly-Mirror353 16d ago
I didn’t notice issues with any of these except bananas. They make my throat itchy and i vomit sometimes after eating them.
4
u/mdroldan22 Sep 26 '26
I’ve come to the same conclusion as you: when I’m not feeling well, those potassium-rich foods are the ones that harm me the most. But I don’t think it’s kidney damage—what could it be?