Bananas and histamine: Are bananas suitable for a low-histamine diet?
In this article, we take a "histamine look" at bananas. But are bananas suitable for a low-histamine diet, or are they considered high-histamine fruits? We answer this question here.
Bananas at a glance
Bananas originally come from Asian countries, but nowadays, Germany is supplied with bananas from Africa and South and Central America – and that's all year round.
Bananas and their nutrients
Bananas provide important B vitamins and also contain vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and few calories. Ripened bananas also contain carbohydrates that quickly provide energy. Bananas that are still ripening provide a bit more starch and less fructose. This combination allows bananas to be filling for a longer time.
How should bananas ideally be stored?
It is often advised to store fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator to keep them fresh for as long as possible. This does not apply here. Bananas turn brown in the refrigerator and lose their flavor. Instead, they ripen at room temperature, especially when stored next to apples or tomatoes.
Bananas and histamine
If you're new to the histamine jungle, this information might confuse you: while bananas contain little histamine, they are rarely tolerated. This is because bananas are marked with a 2 in the SIGHI list and contain other biogenic amines that act as "competition" to histamine, as they are broken down by the same enzyme (DAO enzyme). Thus, eating a banana can interfere with histamine breakdown. This is particularly serious if there is a breakdown disorder of diamine oxidase. Furthermore, bananas are considered histamine liberators. For this reason, bananas are not suitable for a low-histamine diet.
Histamine liberator – what does that mean?
Histamine liberators cause the body's own histamine to be released from mast cells. So your body **itself** releases histamine. Through this process, symptoms of histamine release can occur up to 72 hours after consumption. Other liberators include chocolate, strawberries, citrus fruits, legumes, and certain seafood.
Bananas and histamine intolerance
Eating bananas can lead to histamine-related symptoms. To avoid histamine symptoms, please avoid bananas, especially in the initial phase of your low-histamine diet.
Bananas are suitable for a:
lactose-free diet
gluten-free diet
low-salicylate diet
low-sorbitol diet.
Bananas are rather unsuitable for a:
low-histamine diet
low-fructose diet
nickel-free diet
Even if bananas are often not well tolerated with histamine intolerance, there are many delicious alternatives for everyday life. If you are just starting a low-histamine diet or want to get to know suitable products, our HistaStarter-Set might be just the thing for you. It contains a selection of our most popular organic products and makes it easier for you to start a varied low-histamine diet.
Is plantain more suitable for a low-histamine diet?
You often read that green bananas are better tolerated than ripe bananas. But this does not apply to the "classic" banana, but rather to plantains. Plantains are rich in vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, and manganese and are low in fructose, sorbitol, and salicylates. They cannot be eaten raw, but – as the name suggests – only cooked, fried, or deep-fried. Then they taste extremely delicious with honey, maple syrup or as a savory dish in a low-histamine curry.
And now for the most important information: Plantains are low in histamine and suitable for a low-histamine diet! Please always consider your individual tolerance and threshold.
Alternatives to bananas: fruit for histamine intolerance
Even if bananas are among the most popular fruits, there are many delicious alternatives that are suitable for a low-histamine diet. These include apples, blueberries, blackberries, apricots, peaches, grapes, and of course, plantain.
