Is spinach high in histamine?
Spinach is high in histamine: every tested sample contained it (9.46–69.72 mg/kg, average 31.77), levels rise in the fridge, and 8 of 10 published low-histamine diets exclude it.
- Histamine
- Present
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Claimed, unproven
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Histamine in all 18 samples, average 31.77 mg/kg. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 8 of 10 exclude spinach. | |
| Clinical review, 2024 2 | Names spinach among foods that contain histamine. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach sold in Spain 1 (Table 1) | 18 | mean 31.77 mg/kg, range 9.46–69.72 mg/kg, 95th percentile 63.37 mg/kg | tyramine mean 2.05 mg/kg; putrescine mean 4.48 mg/kg |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Histamine in spinach rises in the fridge. A study cited in the 2021 review found a significant increase over 15 days of refrigerated storage, linked to bacteria that grow well on spinach's relatively high pH. Heat does not destroy histamine, but boiling moves much of it into the water: in one study, boiled spinach had 83% less on average. Steaming, wilting and sautéing leave no water to pour away, so they are unlikely to lower it.
Every sample tested contained histamine. (measured)
In one study boiling cut histamine by 83% on average; the rest stays in the leaves. (estimate)
Histamine is heat-stable, and there is no cooking water to pour away. (estimate)
Why we rate spinach 3
Spinach is one of the few vegetables that reliably contains histamine, and it is the plant food on which the evidence and the published lists most agree. A University of Barcelona team tested 18 samples of spinach sold in Spain. Every one contained histamine, from 9.46 to 69.72 mg/kg, with an average of 31.77 mg/kg. That average is close to the one they found in cured cheese (33.10 mg/kg), a food that every published low-histamine diet excludes.
Eight of the ten low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review exclude spinach. Spinach also appears on the literature's list of suggested "histamine liberators", but that part of the case is weak: there are no human studies showing that any food releases the body's own histamine. Spinach does not need that argument; its measured histamine is enough.
Why does a leafy vegetable contain histamine at all? Some of it may be natural to the plant, but the review links higher levels to bacteria during storage. A study it cites, by Lavizzari and colleagues, found that histamine in spinach rose significantly over 15 days in the fridge, and the authors explain that spinach's relatively high pH suits the bacteria that form histamine. Heat does not destroy histamine, but water can carry it away: in a study cited in the team's 2018 review, boiling spinach lowered its histamine by an average of 83%, because the histamine passed into the cooking water.
We rate spinach 3, "high". People following a low-histamine diet usually leave spinach out during the elimination phase and test it later, if at all, with their dietitian. If you want a green vegetable instead, the measurements favour courgette (zucchini), which had no detectable histamine in 41 samples, and lettuce, which had none in four. Pumpkin, with only traces, is another option for soups and purées.
Questions about spinach and histamine
Does cooking spinach reduce histamine?
Boiling does, if you pour the water away: in one study, boiled spinach had 83% less histamine on average, because it passed into the cooking water. Heat itself does not destroy histamine, so steaming, wilting or sautéing is unlikely to lower it.
Is baby spinach lower in histamine?
The studies we use did not separate baby spinach from mature spinach, so we cannot say. Storage time is the factor with evidence behind it.
Evidence behind this page
- All 18 spinach samples sold in Spain contained histamine, from 9.46 to 69.72 mg/kg (average 31.77 mg/kg). 14
- Histamine in spinach rose significantly over 15 days of refrigerated storage. 1
- Eight of ten published low-histamine diets exclude spinach. 1
- Biogenic amines such as histamine are heat-stable. 14
- In a study cited by the 2018 review, boiling spinach in water lowered its histamine by an average of 83%, because the histamine passed into the cooking water. 4
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Jochum C. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond. Nutrients 16(8):1219, 2024. doi:10.3390/nu16081219 (Jochum C 2024)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Rabell-González J, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are They Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets? Foods 7(12):205, 2018. doi:10.3390/foods7120205 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2018)