Onions and histamine: Tolerance and possible effects

In this article, we take a "histamine look" at onions. They come in large or small, red or white, and they enhance almost every dish. But are onions suitable for a low-histamine diet, or do they tend to be high-histamine vegetables? You will find the answer in the following blog post.

Onions 101: What You Should Know About This Versatile Vegetable

The onion is a biennial vegetable plant, but it is usually grown as an annual. It consists of many concentric layers of light, juicy leaves, which are enveloped by several paper-thin skins. When the onion dries out, it turns white, purple, yellow, brown, or red, depending on the variety. In addition, the climate and onion variety determine whether they are more sharp or mild. Their original home is in Central Asia, India, Pakistan, and the Mediterranean region. Seasonally, onions are available from July to October, and for the rest of the year, they are continuously available as stored produce in pretty much every supermarket.

A Variety of Flavors: The Different Varieties of Onions

• White onions – They are the ideal summer onions and, thanks to their sweet and mild taste, are excellent for Mediterranean salads.
• Red onions – Due to their appearance, they are particularly popular in salads. But they can also be used without any problems for cooking, frying, or baking.
• Shallots – They have an elongated, pear-like shape and are among the mildest and finest onions among the different varieties.
• Vegetable onions – They can grow up to 20 cm thick and have a rather mild taste. They are great for salads, braising, grilling, as well as for topping with cheese.
• Spring onions – They are also called scallions; they are usually offered in bunches and are harvested when the bulbs are still green and very small.

Histamine in Onions: Tolerability and Recommendations

Many onion varieties are histamine liberators and thus promote the body's own release of histamine. Especially red onions are often very poorly tolerated on a low-histamine diet. The best tolerated are white onions, which are rated 0 according to the SIGHI list. Compared to the well-known vegetable onions, these have no yellow-brown skin, but a snow-white one. Other onion varieties such as shallots or spring onions are rated 1 according to the SIGHI list, and their tolerability should be tested individually.

Onions in a Low-Histamine Diet: Guidelines and Tips

• low-histamine diet
• gluten-free diet
• lactose-free diet
• low-nickel diet

• low-fructose diet
• low-salicylate diet
• low-sorbitol diet

Onions in a Low-Histamine Lifestyle: Shopping and Storage Tips

When buying onions, it is important to make sure that they feel firm and dry. If it shimmers black between the outer skins, it is a moldy onion.
Onions should ideally be stored in a basket so that they get air. Due to the high humidity, it is advisable not to store them in the refrigerator, as they quickly start to mold there.

If you want to avoid certain ingredients when cooking, you still don't have to give up flavor. Our Organic Vegetable Broth comes without onions, garlic, and yeast extract and is suitable for a low-histamine, low-fructose, gluten-free, and lactose-free diet. It is ideal for enhancing soups, sauces, or vegetable dishes.

Low-Histamine Cuisine: Simple and Delicious Recipes with Onions

Finally, we have a few delicious and low-histamine recipes for you, in which you can ideally use onions.

Schupfnudeln with Swiss chard

• floury potatoes 
• spelt flour
• salt 
• rapeseed oil
• Swiss chard
• onion (1)
• garlic (1)
• HistaFood Organic Vegetable Broth

Zucchini-Ricotta-Röllchen

• zucchini
• HistaFood Organic Vegetable Sauce
• onion (1)
• garlic (1)
• oregano
• ricotta
• mozzarella
• salt
• basil
• rapeseed oil

Cucumber-Carrot Salad

• cucumber
• carrots
• onion (1)
• sesame (1)
• parsley
• HistaFood Organic Asia Sauce
• olive oil
• salt

Sources

• https://eatsmarter.de/lexikon/warenkunde/gemuese/zwiebeln#google_vignette
• The Great Encyclopedia of Food, Südwest Verlag GmbH 1998