Daal Histamine Information

Consuming Daal or lentils, seems to have a relatively minimal direct impact on histamine levels, as lentils are not generally listed among high-histamine or histamine-liberating foods. However, the method of preparation and accompanying ingredients used when cooking Daal can significantly influence histamine levels. In terms of the ingredients typically used in Daal, staples such as onions and garlic do not appear to inherently contain high amounts of histamine, nor are they listed as histamine liberators. However, when it comes to spices, cumin, which is commonly used in Daal recipes, is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO), which is responsible for breaking down histamine. Therefore, it could potentially contribute to an increase in histamine levels (1). Notably, products such as tomatoes and vinegar, which are high in histamine, are often seen in Daal recipes. Therefore, the inclusion of these ingredients could result in increased histamine levels after consuming Daal, despite lentils themselves not being high in histamine (2). The use of papaya, which can also be found in some Daal recipes, could delay the breakdown of histamine in the body, which may interact with any histamine pre-existing in the system or released after the consumption of other foods (3). Regarding the potential of certain foods to lower histamine levels, a number of studies demonstrate that foods rich in vitamin C and quercetin can help reduce histamine. Since lentils do contain vitamin C, albeit in small amounts, eating Daal could theoretically contribute to a reduction in histamine, but the effect would likely be minor (4). In conclusion, while lentils themselves do not appear to significantly affect histamine levels, the overall impact of consuming Daal on these levels would be highly dependent on the specific recipe and accompanying ingredients used in its preparation. References: (1) Maintz, L., & Novak, N. (2007). Histamine and histamine intolerance. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 85(5), 1185-1196. (2) Joneja, Janice Vickerstaff. "Histamine in foods." middlepath. com. au (2013). (3) Raithel, M., et al. "Food-derived histamine degradation capacity by diamine oxidase (DAO) of single enterocytes in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and inflammatory bowel diseases." (2011): 508-509. (4) Kawai, M., Hirano, T., Arimitsu, J., Hagihara, K., & Shima, Y. (2007). Quercetin and histamine release from human cultured mast cells. Planta medica, 73(14), 1482.