These 4 Food Groups Might Fight Off Seasonal Allergies (VIDEO)

Allergy season is in full force and none of us want to experience things like itchy eyes, a runny nose or a sore throat. 

foods that fight allergies

Instead of drowning yourself in allergy medication, there are certain foods that may prevent and/or fight off allergies from taking over your life and appearance. So to help you out, we are discussing 4 food groups that can help you breathe easier this season. These groups were talked about in our latest segment on Good Day Chicago Fox – so you can watch the video below as well! 

Fight Seasonal Allergies With These Foods

Quercetin rich foods: 

Quercetin is a powerful plant-based pigment that acts as an antioxidant and is found in many fruits and vegetables. Not only does it fight off free radicals, but studies have also linked it to lowering our reaction to histamine. When our immune system detects an allergy or irritation, it releases histamines into our body which acts as a line of defense to protect our self from whatever allergy may be present in our body. This histamine reaction then leads to itchy eyes, a runny nose, or a scratchy throat. So by eating foods rich in quercetin, you could be lowering this response. Foods rich in this antioxidant include: tomatoes, dark leafy greens, green tea, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, and peppers. 

Pineapple:

Pineapple has an interesting enzyme called bromelain that you may already be familiar with if you’ve ever used it to tenderize meat with. It’s a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein, but it also has some potential benefits for allergy relief as well. Bromelain works to minimize irritations that come from allergies like allergy onset asthma, redness, and swelling. So if you have swollen eyes and a red runny nose, eating pineapple could minimize these effects.

Local honey:

They keyword here is *local*. The theory is that if you consume 1 tbsp of local honey a day at the beginning of allergy season, you could be building up an immunity to the pollen allergy. Even though this is widely discussed, there are still conflicting studies. Some argue that you never really know what is in your honey, and others say that there is not enough pollen that makes its way into the honey to have an effect. Yet, you have nothing to lose by adding some honey to your tea. 

Magnesium rich foods:

Magnesium is a wonderful mineral that has many great benefits for various functions in our body, but when it comes to allergies it has a few studies that show it’s a rock star. Magnesium relaxes our muscles and opens up our airwaves so that we can have an easier time breathing. It has also been linked to directly minimizing the allergy, so snack on these magnesium rich foods: pumpkin seeds, almonds, avocado, banana, spinach, oatmeal, beans, and even dark chocolate!

Do you have any additional home remedies that you use to minimize your seasonal allergies? Share with us!

 

One comment on “These 4 Food Groups Might Fight Off Seasonal Allergies (VIDEO)

  • 9 Ordinary Foods That Could Help Fight Seasonal Allergies | Fresh Babel , Direct link to comment
    […] Sarah Baker explained that when our immune system senses an allergy, it releases histamine, which protects our bodies. […]

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