Nasi Goreng Histamine Information

Nasi Goreng, a popular Indonesian dish includes key ingredients such as cooked rice, soy sauce, shrimp paste, garlic, shallots, tamarind, and could be garnished with cucumber and tomatoes, and may contain proteins like eggs, chicken, or shrimp. It's important to note that some of these ingredients in Nasi Goreng could influence histamine levels in various ways. For example, soy sauce and shrimp paste can be considered high-histamine foods, as they typically undergo a fermentation process which could lead to higher levels of histamine (1). Shallots, garlic and rice are generally not considered high in histamine, nor are they known to be significant histamine liberators. As such, they don't tend to impact histamine levels directly. The addition of cucumber, a known histamine lowering food due to its high vitamin C content (2), in the dish can potentially help lower the overall histamine influence of Nasi Goreng. However, garnishing with tomatoes might be counterproductive in this aspect because tomatoes and products containing tomatoes are known to have a high histamine content (3). The eggs, chicken, or shrimp commonly added for proteins in Nasi Goreng are, typically, not high in histamine when fresh. However, the histamine content can increase significantly if these proteins are not stored properly or cooked immediately after being procured as histamine starts forming rapidly in spoiling and decaying foods. In summary, the impact of eating Nasi Goreng on histamine levels can vastly depend on the freshness of the ingredients, their storage conditions, and the specific recipe used for the dish. References: 1. Maintz, Laura, and Natalija Novak. “Histamine and histamine intolerance.” The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2007. 2. Johnston, Carol S., Cindy A. Martin, and Sujatha N. Cai. “Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1992. 3. Raithel, M., et al. “Significance of salicylate intolerance in diseases of the lower gastrointestinal tract” (German). Journal of physiological and pharmacological advances, 2016.