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 are they considered high-histamine vegetables? You can find the answer in the following blog article.
Onion 1x1: 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 covered by several wafer-thin skins. When the onion dries, it changes color to white, purple, yellow, brown or red, depending on the variety. In addition, the climate and variety of the onion determine whether it is sharp or mild. Its original home is in Central Asia, India, Pakistan and the Mediterranean region. Onions are seasonally available from July to October; the rest of the year they are continuously available as stored goods in almost every common supermarket.
A variety of tastes: The different types of onions
As mentioned at the beginning, there are many different types of onions, in different sizes and colors. But the following are among the best known varieties:
- White onions – They are ideal summer onions and, due 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 easily used for cooking, frying or baking.
- Shallots – They have an elongated, pear-like shape and are among the mildest and most refined onions of the different varieties.
- Sweet onions – They can grow up to 20 cm thick and are rather mild in taste. They are great for salads, stewing, grilling and au gratin.
- Spring onions – Also called scallions, they are usually offered in bunches and are harvested when the bulbs are still green and very small.
Histamine in onions: Tolerance and recommendations
Many onion varieties are among the histamine liberators and thus promote the body's own release of histamine. Especially red onions are often very poorly tolerated in a low-histamine diet. The best tolerated are white onions, which are rated with 0 according to the SIGHI list. Compared to the well-known sweet onions, these have no yellowish-brown skin, but a snow-white one. Other onion varieties such as shallots or spring onions are rated with 1 according to the SIGHI list; for these, individual tolerance should be tested.
Onions in a low-histamine diet: Guidelines and tips
Tolerability of onions in various diets:
Light-colored onions are suitable for the following diets:
- 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 everyday life: Shopping and storage tips
When buying onions, it is important to make sure that they feel firm and dry. If there is black mold 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 don't have to sacrifice taste. Our organic vegetable broth is free of onions, garlic and yeast extract and is suitable for a low-histamine, low-fructose, gluten-free and lactose-free diet. It is ideal for refining soups, sauces or vegetable dishes.
Lieferzeit: 2-3 Tage
Low-histamine kitchen: Simple and delicious recipes with onions
Finally, we have a few delicious and low-histamine recipes for you, for which you can ideally use onions.
Schupfnudeln with Swiss Chard
The recipe is: low-histamine, lactose-free, vegan
You will need the following ingredients:
- floury potatoes
- spelt flour
- salt
- frying olive oil
- Swiss chard
- onion (1)
- garlic (1)
- HistaFood Organic Vegetable Broth
Zucchini-Ricotta-Rolls
The recipe is: low-histamine, gluten-free, vegetarian
You will need the following ingredients:
- zucchini
- HistaFood Organic Vegetable Sauce
- onion (1)
- garlic (1)
- oregano
- ricotta
- mozzarella
- salt
- basil
- frying olive oil
Cucumber-Carrot Salad
The recipe is: low-histamine, gluten-free, lactose-free, vegan
You will need the following ingredients:
- cucumber
- carrots
- onion (1)
- sesame (1)
- parsley
- HistaFood Organic Asia Sauce
- olive oil
- salt
Would you like to discover even more suitable products for your low-histamine kitchen? Then our HistaStarter Set might be just what you need. It contains a selection of our most popular organic products and makes it easier for you to get started with a low-histamine diet – ideal for cooking, baking and enjoying every day.
Lieferzeit: 2-3 Tage
Sources
- https://eatsmarter.de/lexikon/warenkunde/gemuese/zwiebeln#google_vignette
- Das große Lexikon der Lebensmittel, Südwest Verlag GmbH 1998
