Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Histamine LinkSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentWhat to AvoidWhen To Seek Medical CareFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
The Histamine Link
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
What to Avoid
When To Seek Medical Care
Frequently Asked Questions
Spinachis not atop food allergen, but some people are allergic to it. You may notice specific symptoms after you eat spinach if you are allergic, like gastrointestinal, nasal, respiratory, or skin problems.
This article explains spinach allergy symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Kseniya Ovchinnikova / Getty Images
Spinach Allergy and Histamine Intolerance Link
Whilehistamine intoleranceand food allergies share some symptoms, they are not the same thing. Histamine intolerance is when the body cannot process high histamine levels naturally present in some foods. The inability to process histamine occurs when the enzymes your body requires to break down histamines are inhibited. As a result, histamine enters the bloodstream and causes symptoms.
On the other hand,food allergiesare an abnormal immune system reaction to food. Symptoms occur when the body misidentifies food as a harmful substance and overproduces histamine.
What Is histamine?Histamine is a chemical that sends messages between cells. Primarily, it works with the immune system to protect your body from foreign substances. With allergies, the immune system overreacts to harmless substances—allergens. When this happens, it produces excess histamine, resulting in allergy symptoms.
What Is histamine?
Histamine is a chemical that sends messages between cells. Primarily, it works with the immune system to protect your body from foreign substances. With allergies, the immune system overreacts to harmless substances—allergens. When this happens, it produces excess histamine, resulting in allergy symptoms.
Spinach is ahigh-histamine food, which means it naturally has high levels of histamines. Histamine intolerance is difficult to diagnose. Often it requires ruling out food allergies first. If your healthcare provider suspects histamine intolerance, they may recommend alow-histamine dietto see if it helps.
Like other food allergies, a spinach allergy can produce a wide range ofsymptoms. These include:
In addition to the typical symptoms above, food allergies can cause a more severe reaction calledanaphylaxis. Symptoms include:
Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening medical emergency. Therefore, if you experience severe symptoms, call911or go to the emergency room immediately.
Diagnosing food allergies may require a skin test, blood test, oral challenge, and a food elimination test.Allergistsand immunologists are doctors with specialized training in diagnosing and treating allergies. They may be best equipped to help you with a food allergy diagnosis.
Skin Test
Blood Test
Blood testsare accurate and help when someone can’t tolerate a skin test. For example, small children might have difficulty sitting still and not scratching for a skin test. Blood tests look forimmunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodiesto different substances to confirm an allergy.
Oral Challenge
An oral challenge involves ingesting suspect foods under medical supervision. Then, after eating or swallowing a small amount of the potential allergen, a healthcare provider watches for a reaction, which would indicate an allergy to that substance.
Elimination Diet
Anelimination dietmay be part of establishing whether you have a food allergy or sensitivity. Usually, before eliminating particular food(s), a healthcare provider will ask you to keep a food diary. In the diary, you’ll log everything you eat and any symptoms you notice. Then, after some time (maybe a few weeks), you’ll reintroduce foods, noting any symptoms that recur.
Treatinga spinach allergy first and foremost involves avoiding spinach and foods that contain spinach as an ingredient. In addition, medications can help in the event of accidental exposure.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines come infirst-generation or second-generation forms. First-generation medications are the older types of medications. They tend to produce more side effects, like sedation. First-generation antihistamines include:
Second-generation antihistamines produce fewer side effects. They include:
Epinephrine
Epinephrine(EpiPen) is a hormone that you use to treat anaphylaxis. The medication is usually offered to people who have a history of severe allergic reactions or an allergy to a substance known to be more likely to produce a severe reaction.
Spinach is not typically a life-threatening allergy; however, if you have a history of severe allergic reactions, your healthcare provider may advise you to keep an EpiPen on hand just in case.
What to Avoid and Food Alternatives
Restricting your dietto avoid spinach is essential when you have an allergy to the food. So, in addition to avoiding spinach in its natural form, you will also need to be a detective when it comes to reading food labels and watching out for it as an ingredient.
Fortunately, spinach isn’t a common additive to foods. But, you might find it in things like dips, pasta and egg dishes, salads, and soups. When eating out, inform your server about your allergy to avoid the likelihood of cross-contamination.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Summary
Spinach allergy is not a top food allergy, but an allergy to it can still occur. In addition, some people with histamine intolerance may react to eating spinach because it is a high-histamine food. Allergy symptoms can include skin, gastrointestinal, nasal, and respiratory problems. A severe anaphylactic reaction is less common with spinach but can occur with any allergy.
Diagnosis may involve tracking your food and eliminating spinach, reintroducing it, and evaluating symptoms. In addition, skin, oral, and blood tests can help pinpoint the allergy.
A Word From Verywell
If you have a spinach allergy, you’ll need to avoid spinach in all forms, including whole spinach and small amounts that may be hidden in other dishes. It’s also good to keep some antihistamines on hand if you accidentally ingest spinach. Work with a healthcare provider to identify which medication is best in your situation.
Frequently Asked QuestionsA spinach allergy is animmune systemreaction to a substance, while spinach intolerance is adigestive systemreaction.Learn MoreFood Allergy vs. Food IntoleranceFood allergies are more common in children than adults. However, anyone can develop a food allergy, including spinach, at any time in their life. Children are more likely to outgrow food allergies than those who develop them later in life.If you have a spinach allergy, your body’s immune system will react to the allergen regardless of how the food is prepared. However, if you have histamine intolerance, sometimes how a food is cooked can affect histamine levels. With spinach, however, research has shown that there is no difference in histamine levels based on whether it is consumed raw or cooked.Spinach is not a common allergen. The top food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.Learn MoreThe Most Common Food Allergies
A spinach allergy is animmune systemreaction to a substance, while spinach intolerance is adigestive systemreaction.Learn MoreFood Allergy vs. Food Intolerance
A spinach allergy is animmune systemreaction to a substance, while spinach intolerance is adigestive systemreaction.
Learn MoreFood Allergy vs. Food Intolerance
Food allergies are more common in children than adults. However, anyone can develop a food allergy, including spinach, at any time in their life. Children are more likely to outgrow food allergies than those who develop them later in life.
If you have a spinach allergy, your body’s immune system will react to the allergen regardless of how the food is prepared. However, if you have histamine intolerance, sometimes how a food is cooked can affect histamine levels. With spinach, however, research has shown that there is no difference in histamine levels based on whether it is consumed raw or cooked.
Spinach is not a common allergen. The top food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.Learn MoreThe Most Common Food Allergies
Spinach is not a common allergen. The top food allergens are milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans.
Learn MoreThe Most Common Food Allergies
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T, Gavliakova S, Plevkova J.Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr).2015;43(5):498-506. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2015.05.001MedlinePlus.Histamine: The stuff allergies are made of.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Food allergy testing.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Overview.Chung BY, Park SY, Byun YS, et al.Effect of different cooking methods on histamine levels in selected foods.Ann Dermatol.2017 Dec;29(6):706-14. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.6.706U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Food allergies.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T, Gavliakova S, Plevkova J.Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr).2015;43(5):498-506. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2015.05.001MedlinePlus.Histamine: The stuff allergies are made of.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Food allergy testing.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Overview.Chung BY, Park SY, Byun YS, et al.Effect of different cooking methods on histamine levels in selected foods.Ann Dermatol.2017 Dec;29(6):706-14. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.6.706U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Food allergies.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T, Gavliakova S, Plevkova J.Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr).2015;43(5):498-506. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2015.05.001MedlinePlus.Histamine: The stuff allergies are made of.American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Symptoms and diagnosis.MedlinePlus.Food allergy testing.American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Overview.Chung BY, Park SY, Byun YS, et al.Effect of different cooking methods on histamine levels in selected foods.Ann Dermatol.2017 Dec;29(6):706-14. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.6.706U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Food allergies.
Kovacova-Hanuskova E, Buday T, Gavliakova S, Plevkova J.Histamine, histamine intoxication and intolerance.Allergol Immunopathol (Madr).2015;43(5):498-506. doi:10.1016/j.aller.2015.05.001
MedlinePlus.Histamine: The stuff allergies are made of.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Symptoms and diagnosis.
MedlinePlus.Food allergy testing.
American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.Food allergy: Overview.
Chung BY, Park SY, Byun YS, et al.Effect of different cooking methods on histamine levels in selected foods.Ann Dermatol.2017 Dec;29(6):706-14. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.6.706
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Food allergies.
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