Seasonal Allergies and the Foods We Eat
Posted by: Dominique Hodgin on April 21, 2010
Seasonal Allergies and the Foods We Eat – Is There a Connection?
We have heard a lot about children and adults having food allergies, but what about the effects of foods we eat and seasonal allergies? You might be surprised to find out that nutrition plays a role in how we are affected by seasonal allergies. There are in fact foods that can help you better fight off the seasonal sneezes and runny eyes, and others that will make them worse.
Allergic rhinitis (also called hay fever) is the most common form of allergy. Symptoms often vary with the seasons and include: Stuffy runny nose, sneezing, itchy nose, eyes, and throat, headaches andeven skin rashes. It is caused by your body’s immune system overreacting to irritants in the environment. The most common allergy irritants are pollens, grasses and ragweed.
Where food and nutrition come into play is twofold. First, a child or adult who has a poor diet that includes a lot of junk and processed foods will have a weakened immune system. Not only are they more likely to be affected by seasonal allergies, they are likely to become sick more often and suffer from other nutrition related diseases.
Next, there are certain foods that tend to exasperate seasonal allergies, they include; meats, dairy products, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, caffeine, citrus, chocolate (sorry ladies), and alcohol. Also, as mentioned earlier, stay away from highly processed foods in addition to those high in saturated fats, preservatives and sugar. Take note of what you or your child have eaten when symptoms appear, you may notice increased reactions with certain foods that you may not notice during other times of the year.
So, what can you do to help minimize your or your child’s seasonal allergies? First, make sure you are eating a nutrient dense diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and stay away from highly processed foods and junk and fast food. Also, drink plenty of water.
To help build your and your child’s immune system, eat foods that are high in Omega 3′s including taking Omega 3′s as a supplement. Also, an increase of foods high in Vitamin C or supplements will also help those allergy symptoms.
One comment so far for “Seasonal Allergies and the Foods We Eat”
Marcia RDr. Sears, 1. For those of us with Autoimmune Disorders, will we more likely react to seasonal allergens and is this due to overly active immune systems? 2. I've been told as I've heard others told, "Avoid supplements that BUILD the immune system", if you have an Autoimmune Disorder. That just seems backwards from everything we've always learned about getting and staying healthy. You would think if you have something seriously wrong, ie like Rheumatoid Arthritis or even Multiple Sclerosis, that supplements to build our immune system would be beneficial and help keep us from succombing to infections. Can you respond to these two questions? I know the second question doesn't deal w/Seasonal Allergies, yet trying to protect yourself from them seems to be quite tricky if you have an autoimmune disorder. Should we not take larger doses of Vit. C. or our Omega 3's(Which I'm going to take regardless because of the wide realm of other benefits).
