Bread and histamine intolerance
Bread is a staple food – especially as a base for breakfast, as a light evening meal, or as a snack. Fresh bread or rolls are simply part of everyday life. But how well tolerated is bread with a histamine intolerance? Is all bread suitable? What ingredients should you pay attention to? You'll find out in this blog article.
Bread and histamine (intolerance)
Fortunately, bread is generally not considered a histamine bomb – at least not inherently. It depends on the type of grain and any additional ingredients. Furthermore, the production process plays an important role, as denser breads are better suited than airy ones. Day-old bread or toasted bread are also good choices for those with histamine intolerance.
You can read here which ingredients you should avoid in bread if you have a histamine intolerance:
Ingredients in bread that are high in histamine
- You should generally avoid sourdough. Due to the long fermentation process, a lot of histamine is produced.
- locust bean gum
- Baking ferment
- Sunflower seeds and oil
- You should also avoid dried yeast and organic yeast, as they are considered to be high in histamine.
IMPORTANT: According to recent studies, fresh yeast contains very little histamine. It's best to test fresh yeast carefully and be mindful of your individual tolerance level.
Suitable grains for people with histamine intolerance
Types of bread that are generally well tolerated, as they are considered low in histamine, are listed here. However, be aware of cross-allergies, gluten intolerance, and celiac disease .
- Millet (pseudocereal)
- corn
- Oats
- Spelt (contains gluten)
- rice
- Quinoa (pseudocereal)
- Amaranth (pseudocereal)
Incompatible grains in case of histamine intolerance
You should avoid these types of grain:
- Wheat (1)*
- Wheat germ (2)
- Rye (1)
- Barley (1) – not to be confused with barley grass, which is low in histamine
- Buckwheat (2)
- Malt (2)
*We usually use and recommend foods that are SIGHI 1 more often. In our experience, it is more advisable to use only SIGHI 0 grains.
Baking your own bread with histamine intolerance – The best alternative
Even though we've listed suitable grains for you, buying bread from a regular bakery still carries a risk. They predominantly use grains that are difficult to digest and/or unsuitable additives. Mixed-grain breads are also very popular at bakeries. Furthermore, these breads may contain histamine-rich nuts and seeds. The same applies to conventional baking mixes.
Therefore, our tip: Bake your own low-histamine bread!
Here you know exactly what's in it, how fresh it is, and you can bake it exactly to your liking. If you're looking for a change from traditional grains, you could also try coconut flour (1). Flax, chia, or psyllium husks are excellent binding agents for baking. You could replace yeast as a leavening agent with, for example, baking soda or cream of tartar.
Two other options for bread are, for example, rusks, crispbread, rice cakes, or corn cakes. Just make sure they are made from grains you tolerate well and that they don't contain any additives you might not tolerate.
The bread is here – but what topping is suitable for someone with a histamine intolerance?
Finding bread spreads without incompatible additives or with natural ingredients is like a lucky coincidence.
Alternatively, you could eat young Gouda or butter cheese on your bread or roll. Vegan coconut-based cheese is also a good option.
Our recommendations: Our vegan HistaFood organic spreads. They are all suitable for a low-histamine diet, gluten-free, and lactose-free. The organic vegetable spread Zucchini & Basil , the organic protein spread , and the organic fruit spread are also suitable for a low-fructose diet.