Seasonal allergies are a real nightmare for anyone. Your unbearably itchy nose, watery eyes, constant congestion and discharge can make you feel like you have a cold that lasts for months. Could the foods you eat be making your pain worse?
May. Everything in your body is in a delicate balance called homeostasis. Allergies occur when your body detects an “invader” and triggers an exaggerated immune system response to a generally harmless foreign substance. Certain foods you eat can increase this reaction and the intensity of your symptoms.
What should you give up when pollen levels get too high? Here are three foods that can make seasonal allergies worse.
Dairy products
Dairy products are a double whammy for allergies. They increase the production of arachidonic acids, compounds that increase leukotrienes. These inflammatory molecules trigger the bronchial tubes to contract, inhibiting airflow. As a result, you will find it harder to breathe.
In addition, dairy products contain lactose, which many people have difficulty digesting. Your body is already on high alert during allergy season, and introducing another substance that it has trouble processing can heighten your immune system’s overreaction.
As a result, you may experience symptoms beyond a stuffy nose and watery eyes. Excess mucus can contribute to swallowing disorders that already affect about 18 million patients in the US each year. You may eat less, which only worsens your symptoms because your body no longer has the necessary elements to restore the balance of the immune system.
Fermented foods
Fermented foods are widely known, appreciated and, above all, consumed. As with dairy products, they have multiple health benefits, even if they can cause discomfort for those with seasonal allergies. For example, eating these foods after antibiotic treatment can help rebuild your gut microbiome, renewing the beneficial bacteria you need for digestion.
However, these healthy foods are also high in histamines, chemicals that increase inflammation, telling your immune system to launch a real attack on them.
The problem with histamines is that they settle in receptors in your body, causing similar symptoms regardless of how and where the substances your body doesn’t tolerate enter. Therefore, if you already have histamines anchored in the receptors in your nose, you will have a stuffy or runny nose even if you eat the flowers instead of smelling them.
You may have noticed that “histamine” is at the root of the term “antihistamine,” a group of drugs used to treat seasonal allergies. You may be able to reduce your dependence on antihistamines by avoiding fermented foods made from known allergens, such as soy sauce.
The sugar
Sugar is also on the list of foods that can aggravate seasonal allergies. You probably know that too much sugar is not good for you, you’ve been told it and you’ve checked it on your skin. It is absorbed quickly, leading to large fluctuations in blood glucose that your body struggles to manage, exacerbating the risks of type 2 diabetes.
These wide swings in blood glucose levels also increase inflammation. Which you already have too much of in your body if you have seasonal allergies — indulging in sweets like candy and cookies just adds fuel to the fire, basically. Do yourself a favor and also avoid sweets or products with added sugar and you can reduce the level of inflammation in the body, so the symptoms of seasonal allergies will not get worse.
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2023-10-24 20:23:01
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