Spring is a beautiful time of year! There are so many things to be happy about: the fresh swipe of green to our landscape, the sweet smell of blooming flowers and trees, and the sound of busy birds nesting in our gardens. In our current state of unrest, this has brought me much comfort and peace. Getting my hands and feet covered in the blessings Mother Earth provides brings a necessary element of grounding to my days.
However, some of us rarely get to enjoy this time of year, plagued with dry and itchy eyes, sinus pain, earaches, dizziness, sore throat, and the list goes on. These common symptoms of allergies (which are debilitating to some but minor to others) are commonly treated by over-the-counter medications. But what if we could avoid medications and reduce allergies just by altering our diet, focusing on nutrition, and giving our digestive tract the attention it needs to serve our body?
How to Use Diet to Reduce Allergies
Staring the journey to a nutritionally balanced life is always evolving, as our body changes due to our environment, aging, and healing so do our individual needs. Therefore, being flexible along the way is important.
Consuming foods that support our immune system during this time can be extremely helpful. Food high in Quercetin, the most abundant flavonoid in our diet, help us fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, relieve allergy symptoms, help prevent infection, and lower blood pressure.
Food High in Quercetin Include:
- Apples
- Onions
- Kale
- Blackberries
- Grapes
- Peppers
- Fresh Asparagus
- Red Leaf Lettuce
Taking Quercetin in supplement form is available in combination with other popular immune-boosting components such as sprouted buckwheat culture, green tea extract, neonatal thymus, and spleen.
Other Supplements to Help Reduce Allergies
Sprouted buckwheat is high in bioflavonoids and is high in Coenzyme-Q10. It contains all the B vitamins, magnesium, manganese, and selenium, which are also important to a healthy immune system. Green tea extract is a wonderful antioxidant, high in the compound EGCG. This compound may help stop the body from delivering an immune response to a wide range of allergens including pollen, dust mites, and pet dander. Neonatal Thymus and Spleen are sometimes added to supplements to provide an extra layer of defense. These components have been studied with success to fight symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and hepatitis B and C.
As with starting anything new please consult your health professional to discuss any possible interactions with drugs you may be taking. Herbs, vitamins, and mineral supplements can bring much-needed relief to symptoms but are powerful none the less.
A Note on Digestion
Poor digestion always seems to be at the forefront of health issues facing many of us these days. Low production of HCL, stomach acid, can be one reason many of us experience common symptoms of allergies. Low acid production prohibits the food from completely digesting, which then remains and rots in the gastrointestinal tract. This causes a negative effect on the entire body. Undigested proteins can be problematic to a leaky gut causing and intensifying allergy and autoimmune symptoms.
Research is ongoing and extremely exciting, moving toward a holistic approach to treating the common ails of society. Emphasizing the connection of the mind, body, and spirit to achieve maximum well-being, gives individuals the power to transform their health as they too become part of the community shifting toward a holistic lifestyle. I encourage all of you to let food be the medicine that alters the root cause of many symptoms.
Best of luck reducing allergies through diet changes. And remember to Live Your Value, one choice at a time!
