Nutrients that May Help Fight Seasonal
Allergies in Rock Hill SC

Struggling with allergies in Rock Hill SC? Warmer weather for some may mean itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion, or maybe even the shortness of breath and wheezing of asthma during the allergy season. When allergens like pollen, grasses, dust mites or molds-find their way into your nose or eyes, your body goes into attack mode if it's hypersensitive, or allergic. Immune cells release histamines, which cause most of your allergy symptoms. Histamines kick-start inflammation that's intended to keep allergens from traveling into the body, which makes sinuses and nasal passages swell and eyes itch. Histamines also stimulate the nasal passages to release fluids, resulting in a runny nose, itchy throat, and lots of sneezing; all in the attempt to get the allergen out of the body.

Fighting Seasonal Allergies in Rock Hill SC

For people who have allergies, there are many challenges of remaining physically active when just taking a breath is so exhausting! But there's good news; making simple changes to your diet may help you feel better. Incorporating anti-inflammatory, antioxidant-rich, and probioticpacked whole foods can help temper your body's response to these allergens. Many of the foods that may help reduce allergies work by reducing inflammation or calming the immune system. Try including some of these nutrients into your daily diet to get some relief!

Quercetin: apples (with skin) are rich in quercetin, a bioflavonoid/powerful antioxidant also found in onions, peppers, parsley, garlic, cabbage, berries, and cauliflower that helps prevent your body's immune cells from releasing histamine. Quercetin also helps improve the body's absorption of vitamin C, another antioxidant with immunity-boosting powers. Quercetin may even work to stabilize cell membranes so they're less reactive to allergens. A 2007 study found that pregnant women who ate apples reduced the risk of their children developing asthma. Kids whose moms ate the most apples during pregnancy were less likely to report wheezing or to have doctor-confirmed asthma at age 5, compared with kids whose moms ate few apples.

Bromelain: the enzyme bromelain found in pineapple can help to reduce swelling in the nose and sinuses, helping to relieve hay fever symptoms and irritation in allergic diseases such as asthma.

Butterbur: traditionally used to treat bronchitis, excess mucus and asthma, it was found to be as effective as Zyrtec/Allegra for treating hay fever in a study published in the British Medical Journal in January 2002. A team of Swiss researchers compared butterbur to the antihistamine Zyrtec in a double blind trial that included 125 patients. While promising, these findings should be confirmed in larger studies that also look at butterbur's long-term effects. Results of a small study published in the May 2000 issue of the journal Headache showed that an extract of butterbur root significantly reduced the frequency of migraine attacks and days per month of migraines with no adverse drug reactions from the butterbur extract or the placebo among the 58 patients participating.

Omega 3s: omega 3 fatty acids can lower risk of developing allergies and help fight inflammation associated with seasonal allergies. Eating fish like wild Alaskan salmon is one of the best ways to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, which can decrease the allergic response by keeping inflammation under control. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a high content of omega-3 fatty acids in red blood cells was associated with a decreased risk of hay fever. Research indicates that eating a diet rich in omega- 3 fatty acids may be helpful for reducing asthma symptoms as well. In one study, researchers had 23 adults with asthma take an omega-3 supplement or a placebo for 5 weeks. Those taking the omega-3s had lower levels of a marker of airway inflammation. In the same 2007 study looking at pregnant women and apple consumption, researchers found that moms who ate fish during pregnancy reduced the risk of their children developing asthma or allergic diseases. The kids whose moms ate fish one or more times a week were less likely to have eczema than children of mothers who never ate fish. You can get more omega-3s in your diet by eating fatty fish such as salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, and albacore tuna, or taking a purified fish oil supplement.

Probiotics: the live beneficial bacteria found in yogurt with "live active cultures" and other fermented products like kefir, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi and dietary supplements can help regulate your immune system by modifying the intestinal flora in the gut, so you'll have fewer allergy symptoms. These foods stimulate the body to produce certain white blood cells and antibodies as well as various growth factors that are important for keeping the body from overreacting to allergens. An Italian study found that when volunteers who regularly had bouts of hay fever ate 2 cups of yogurt daily for four months, they had half the histamine levels in their blood and fewer hay fever symptoms than those who drank the same amount of skim milk daily.

Vitamin E: The gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E can decrease allergy-related inflammation. In a German study of 1,700 adults with and without hay fever, those who ate foods rich in vitamin E had a 30% lower incidence of hay fever than those who ate diets low in the vitamin. Eat lots of leafy greens, whole grains, wheat germ, nuts like almonds, and avocados. 1 ounce of almonds provides 7 mg of vitamin E. A 1 cup serving of cooked spinach provides 2 mg, and 2 tablespoons of wheat germ provides 2.5 mg.

Vitamin C: The vitamin C in strawberries is not only an immune system booster, it reduces histamine levels and helps it break down faster once it's been released. One study found that vitamin C supplementation decreased histamine levels by 38%, while other studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency can send blood levels of histamine soaring. "Fruity vegetables" like tomatoes are high in vitamin C and a good choice for the sneezing season. Studies show tomatoes can build your tolerance against asthma and respiratory issues. In a seven-year Spanish study, children who consumed more than 40 grams of fruity veggies a day, including eggplants, cucumber, green beans and zucchini, were much less likely to suffer from childhood asthma than those who ate less.

More Whole Foods, Less Processed

You know you're better off eating more wholesome, fresh foods than processed or fast foods. If you eat a lot of processed foods, you can have too many pro-inflammatory fats, which increase the general level of inflammation in the body, putting you at higher risk of allergy symptoms. Refined carbohydrates and sugars can also increase levels of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Research suggests that higher intakes of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory micronutrients are associated with lower reports of cough, respiratory infections, and less severe asthma-related symptoms. Aim for a year-round supply of wholesome, antioxidant-rich foods and key nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics to support your immune system and keep it in peak mode so that seasonal allergies won't bother you nearly as much.