Page 42 - Summer2018

ALLOWED FOODS AND FOODS TO AVOID
The information below is adapted from the list provided in the book, Is Your Food Making You Sick? by James L.
12
Gibb. Among the sources used by Gibb to compile the list are Dr. Janice Jones, Allergy UK, the Swiss Allergy Centre
and the Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance. Gibb’s list offers the strictest interpretation of what may constitute
a problematic food for histamine; I have loosened it up a little to allow some sprouted beans. I also provide careful
instructions on how to eat meat and fish.

VEGETABLES
ALLOWED: All fresh vegetables (except those on the “avoid” list). Water chestnuts can be used to make a starchy flour.
AVOID: Bell peppers, eggplant, onion (raw), pumpkin, purslane, spinach, tomatoes, winter squash, fermented vegetables
(sauerkraut, pickles, etc.), overripe or rotten vegetables, all pickled vegetables (or anything that contains vinegar), pre-
packaged salad or other vegetables. Use caution with kale (small amounts only) due to its oxalate content.

FRUIT
ALLOWED: Apples, coconut, fig, goldenberries, longans, loquat, lychees, mango, melon, passionfruit, persimmon,
pomegranate, quince, rhubarb and starfruit.
AVOID: All other fruit, especially strawberries, dried fruit that contains sulfur, overripe or rotten fruit, olives and avocado.

GRAINS/BAKING
ALLOWED: Millet, oats, oat bran, rice (black, brown, purple, red or “regular”), rice bran, teff and wild rice. For bak-
ing, agar-agar, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda, coconut flour, cornstarch (although this one is questionable in
terms of general nutrition), guar gum, potato starch, rice flour, sago and water chestnut flour.
AVOID: Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa and all wheat products. Avoid baked goods made with carrageenan, gelatin,
tapioca starch, xanthan gum and yeast.

FISH/MEAT/POULTRY
Histamine is present in small amounts in animal flesh but after death, histamine increases quickly (especially in fish
that retain the guts). These foods may be problematic for extremely sensitive individuals and may need to be avoided
completely. However, I encourage everyone to try consuming fish, poultry and red meat according to the guidelines
below.

ALLOWED: Maximum one serving per day, or avoid altogether if symptoms do not subside within four to six weeks.
AVOID: All shellfish, fish that has not been cleaned and frozen immediately, canned fish. All processed meat, aged
meat, meat that has been cooked and not immediately frozen, leftovers from the fridge, meat that is not fresh, fer-
mented meat and canned meat.

GUIDELINES: Fish should have the guts cleaned out on the boat and be frozen immediately. Salmon, snapper, Chilean
sea bass, squid and octopus are commonly sold this way, but one should always check at the fish market. (When buy-
ing fish from a local market, make sure that the vendor is trustworthy and the fish is of the best quality.) Vital Choice
is a good source of seafood because their king salmon, silver salmon, tuna and cod are guaranteed to be cleaned and
frozen immediately on the boat, and they ship the fish frozen to the customer’s home. For meat and poultry, grass-
fed is best. Small farms often will freeze meat and poultry immediately after processing and can be good places to
purchase meat. Buy in bulk and do not defrost until ready to cook. If buying from a butcher, only buy on the day the
meat is processed. Do not buy already ground meat; instead, ask the butcher to grind the meat, place it in a cooler
and rush home and cook or freeze. (Note: Freezing halts the bacteria-induced multiplication of histamine in animal
flesh, but refrigeration does not. Cooking does not reduce or take away histamine, so once it’s there, it’s there.)

LEGUMES
ALLOWED: Properly sprouted beans (except red beans and soybeans).
AVOID: All legumes that have not been sprouted, red beans, soybeans in any form and peanuts.

40 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2018