Are there any foodstuffs that contain antihistamines?
Jane Teasdale, by e-mail No foods contain an antidote to histamines per se. However, it may help you to avoid foods that are high in histamines. People with chronic urticaria can’t break histamines down as well as they should, and any histamines they absorb from food could be causing or aggravating their skin problems. Some people can react very badly to one specific food, such as strawberries or shellfish, in which case the obvious treatment is to avoid the trigger, but many people suffer from urticaria that doesn’t seem to be linked to any one particular thing. If you are prone to attacks, it is a good idea to avoid those foods that are high in histamines. Histamines are formed in our food by the action of certain bacteria. These are not disease-causing bacteria and their presence is normally harmless, but if too numerous, the histamine they produce can cause problems, including urticaria. The worst offenders are well ripened cheeses. Young, fresh cheeses — goat’s cheese for instance
