Low Histamine Diet FAQ | Consider This Nutrition
Are dates high in histamine?
Naturally dried dates are rated 0 on the SIGHI list. Many older low histamine lists suggest they be avoided because of the sulfites traditionally used during commercial drying rather than the fruit itself.
Today, we have better food chemistry and lab testing to evaluate these details more accurately.
Dates are naturally low in histidine, the amino acid that breaks down into histamine. Our dates are sun-dried with no sulfites or additives, and every finished bar is third-party tested to confirm low histamine levels.
Why are the lists so confusing?
There are dozens of histamine food lists online. They don't always agree, and many are based on outdated science and anecdotal evidence rather than measured histamine levels in food.
Understanding this distinction matters because it helps us not unnecessarily restrict our diets.
What is the SIGHI list?
We use the Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) food compatibility list for every ingredient decision. It's the most current, science-based histamine reference available, and it uses a clear 0 to 3 rating system:
- 0 - Compatible and well tolerated
- 1 - Mildly incompatible, tolerated by most
- 2 - Incompatible, not recommended (at the start)
- 3 - Most incompatible, avoid (at the start)
Every ingredient in our bars is rated 0. We then go one step further: each finished recipe is independently lab tested for both histamine and tyramine, and we publish those numbers on every product page. Not assumptions. Actual data.
*This list is free and available online. We offer a link to it at the top of our Instagram page @considerthisnutrition
Why is our bar less moist than conventional bars?
It is intentional. Low moisture is part of what keeps this bar safe. Histamine formation is a moisture-dependent process -- without it, the process cannot start. The texture is not a compromise. It is a feature.
Want the science?
Histamine forms through a specific biochemical process that requires moisture, warmth, and time. Remove moisture and histamine formation cannot meaningfully occur. This is why dry, shelf-stable foods carry fundamentally different histamine risk than perishable, high-moisture protein foods -- the conditions that drive the process simply are not there. Our low moisture content is a deliberate part of that safety equation.
What's your story?
Consider This Nutrition was founded by Tess, who lives with MCAS/Dysautonomia, and her husband David, a physician whose understanding of gut health and immune stability has been central to her healing journey.
Tess needed a safe, reliable, low histamine protein bar with clean ingredients, plant diversity, and no chemical additives or lecithin. It didn't exist. So they built one.
Every decision since then -- the SIGHI list, the dedicated allergen-free facility, the independent lab testing, the transparency -- comes from knowing firsthand what it means to need food you can actually trust.
This community isn't an afterthought. It's who we are.