Foods to Eat for Seasonal Allergies
Sneezin’ up a storm?! You’re not alone-seasonal allergy symptoms are on the rise as a result of climate change causing extreme pollen counts this year and in the years to come (1). Not to fear, you don’t have to resort to medicine-there are plenty of foods and herbs that can help fight seasonal allergies naturally!
Check out my top 5 Foods For Seasonal Allergies below:
Exposure to the small amounts of local pollen in the honey may help your body become less sensitive and reactive to the pollen overtime. Make sure to go for locally sourced honey and start early-it seems best results are when the honey is started before allergy season (2).
Add a teaspoon to your daily tea or coffee in the morning to boost intake
Red onion
High in Quercetin; a bioflavonoid that stabilizes the release of histamine (compounds released in an allergic or inflammatory state) to help naturally reduce allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and a runny nose
Eat more by adding to raw salads or blending into a fresh salsa
Pineapple
Rich in Bromelain, this compound helps reduce nasal and sinus swelling as well as reducing allergy symptoms as a whole. Bonus-bromelain helps increase the absorption of quercetin.
Funny enough, the richest source of bromelain is found in the pineapple core; allow to ripen a bit longer for a softer core and add to smoothies
Red Bell Peppers
Rich in immune-boosting vitamin C, this vitamin also acts as a natural anti-histamine and antioxidant. Vitamin C is also known to help degrade excess histamine levels and also enhances quercetin absorption.
Consume red peppers raw for their highest dose of vitamin C-dip into hummus or add to a gazpacho
This herbal tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory; causing relief of hay fever symptoms. It works like Allergra (OTC anti-histamine) by blocking H1 receptors to prevent mast cells from releasing mediators (aka: blocking the cascade of allergy symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes).
Make it a medicinal dose of herbs-steep 2 tea bags covered in a mug for 5 minutes and have a cup daily. Better yet, add some local honey!
Are there foods that can make my allergy symptoms worse? Yes! High histamine foods can be potentially triggering of seasonal allergy symptoms; especially when eaten in large quantities throughout the day.
What are high histamine foods? Anything that is aged, fermented or smoked. Think: smoked or canned salmon, kombucha, sauerkraut, aged cheeses, alcohol (especially beer and wine) and beef jerky. While this may seem counterintuitive to the typical recommendation to eat plenty of fermented foods for gut health, for those struggling with severe allergy symptoms, the overall histamine load from food and the environment may just be too much at once! Try focusing on eating more fresh, whole foods like grass fed beef, wild salmon, organic produce and reducing high histamine foods as well as those that may cause inflammation like added sugars, refined carbohydrates and processed gluten.
Want more individualized support from me? Schedule a 30 minute complimentary call with me here so we can discuss your individual needs!
