Egg Salad Histamine Information

Eating egg salad can have varying impacts on histamine levels due to the wide range of ingredients commonly used in egg salad recipes. Generally, boiled eggs are not known to have high histamine content, so they are unlikely to significantly raise your histamine levels directly. However, some key ingredients commonly included in egg salad, such as mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar, are high in histamine content or could potentially liberate histamine. Mayonnaise, a staple in egg salad, often contains vinegar and sometimes lemon juice - both known sources of histamine. Distilled white vinegar contains significant amounts of histamine and can affect histamine tolerance in some individuals, potentially leading to symptoms such as flushing, headaches, and hives (1). Moreover, the presence of lemon juice (a citrus fruit) in mayonnaise formulations can act as a histamine liberator, promoting the release of histamine in the body (2). Mustard, another ingredient frequently found in egg salad, contains vinegar, making it high in histamine, but the quantities typically used might not have a significant impact on overall histamine levels. In terms of potentially lowering histamine, there are no typical ingredients in egg salad that possess this property, based on the current available food lists. On a final note, egg salad often includes variable ingredients, some of which may be high in histamine, act as histamine liberators, or delay the breakdown of histamine. As such, the actual impact on histamine levels may vary significantly depending on the precise composition of the egg salad consumed. Therefore, in general, individuals with sensitivities or intolerances to histamine might experience an increase in histamine levels after consuming egg salad, but the actual impact will vary depending on the other ingredients included in the recipe. This product has not been researched well enough to publish any specific histamine content or histamine liberating properties, our team is working hard on this. Data will be available soon. REFERENCES: (1) Maintz, L, Novak, N. Histamine and histamine intolerance. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1185–96. (2) Joneja, JV. The Health Professional’s Guide to Food Allergics and Intolerances. Chicago: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2012.