Bless You! Foods for Allergy Sufferers

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If you love food as much as we do, it can be a little bit heartbreaking to find that there are some foods out there that you may have an allergy to. It's more common these days that people have allergies to nuts, dairy, or wheat. But what about those people that have general allergies? And as pollen is starting to fly around, as nice as it would be to have a hot toddy in the middle of the day to soothe our symptoms, it's not particularly feasible! But are there certain foods we can eat to help fight allergies?

Local Honey

There's still a lot of debate as to if local honey will help you fight off allergies. The theory behind it is that if you purchase local honey, you will develop a tolerance towards pollen in your immediate area. And while there's a lot of research that contradicts the other, the only good way to try it is to have some yourself. Go and buy a nice jar of local honey, or make some honey cakes, but just make sure you have plenty spare, just in case you have a particularly bad day.

The Probiotic Route

There are plenty of options for probiotics. Kefir is a yogurt type drink that contains an abundance of probiotics. The idea behind this is that allergies come from an imbalance of gut bacteria. By drinking a probiotic, you are filling your guts with more good bacteria, so you are able to tolerate allergies. You can either purchase yogurts that have active cultures, or you can make your own probiotics. You can purchase kefir seeds and make your own milk kefir, but there's also sauerkraut and kimchi. Sauerkraut tastes amazing on a hot dog, and goes great in a salad, adding that little bit of zing to the dish!

Get “Fat”!

Let's be clear: good fats! Your body needs omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids may have benefits when it comes to allergies. And if you aren't very keen on cold water fish like salmon or tuna, make sure you have nuts and seeds in your diet. Chia seeds, walnuts, and flax seeds or have a high amount of omega-3.

Are You Consuming Much Vitamin C?

Kiwi fruit is rich in vitamin C. And this can help to cut down on histamines, essentially doing the same thing as an antihistamine tablet. And what we have to consider in addition to this is the plant chemical quercetin. If you don't have onions in your diet, make yourself a nice pasta sauce, and increase your quercetin intake. This may reduce histamine reactions.

Don't Forget To Clean The Kitchen!

If you spend a long time cooking, but you're sneezing plenty, it could very well be down to the fact that you're not airing out the kitchen enough. You could have mold festering in places that you don't realize. There are mold testing resources that can help, but if you spend a long time cooking in the kitchen, all the heat and moisture could be a cooking pot of mold, which will explain why you're sneezing so much!

Yes, allergy season is nearly upon us, but that doesn't mean we need to suffer! Eat the right foods!