Foods to avoid for pollen allergies

Spring time is in full, well, spring. Allergists are having a field day treating patients with hay fever. But horrible puns aside, pollen allergies are no joke.

 

Up to 70 percent of those with pollen allergies experience unpleasant reactions after eating certain foods. Here are some of those foods to avoid for pollen allergies.

 

Most of the time, fresh fruits and raw, uncooked vegetables and certain seeds and nuts cause the allergic reactions.

 

For people who experience what's medically called 'Oral Allergy Syndrome' (OAS; also referred to as 'food-pollen allergy syndrome' and 'fruit-pollen syndrome'), the following symptoms may occur after eating the offending food:

• itchy or swollen lips
• tingling at the back of the throat
• scratchiness on the roof of the mouth
• watery or itchy eyes

Although symptoms can be serious, most reactions of OAS are minor and occur in the mouth or throat.

 

Why do certain foods cause allergic reactions?
In a food-pollen allergy, the primary problem is the pollen, not the food itself.

 

When certain fruits, vegetables, seeds or nuts are consumed, typically during spring and early fall when inhalant allergies are more common like hay fever, the body's immune system recognizes and essentially mistakes a plant protein in the food for pollen, and this irritant triggers what allergy specialists call a cross-reaction.

 

Cut to the chase. Which foods should I avoid?

It depends what tree or weed allergy you have. For those allergic to grass pollens, you’ll want to avoid:

• oranges
• tomatoes
• melons
• figs

As noted above, foods that cause a pollen-like allergic reaction are usually fresh or raw. If you love oranges but notice they cause a reaction, orange juice, although it's not as nutritiously-dense as an orange, might not cause the reaction. Same thing with tomatoes: freshly picked ones from the vine might cause an itchy throat, but tomato paste might not trigger a negative reaction.

If you're allergic to weed pollens, specifically ragweed, the following foods may trigger OAS:

• banana
• cantaloupe
• cucumber
• melons
• zucchini
• artichoke
• teas of Echinacea, chamomile and hibiscus

Some other foods that trigger OAS in more than one type of allergy include:

• apples
• almonds
• celery
• strawberry
• cherries

How long after I eat something that triggers allergies will I notice symptoms?

Almost immediately. Most allergists would agree that OAS symptoms appear no more than half an hour after eating.

 

Besides not eating certain foods, what else can I do to avoid OAS?

Eliminate or greatly reduce artificial additives, artificial sweeteners and pesticides, as they could potentially cause bronchial spasms and histamine reactions of the eyes, ears, nose, throat and skin.

 

Also, boost your immune system. The weaker your immunity, the more likely your body will experience a cross reaction. Drink plenty of water, exercise daily, get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and supplement with anti-oxidants (under the care of a doctor or nutritionist).

 

If you use anti-allergy medicine, try to choose natural anti-inflammatory and natural anti-histamine nutritional supplements.

 

Fruits and vegetables are vital food groups to consume daily for optimum health. During allergy seasons, consume more cooked vegetables and try to eliminate the offending raw fruits. Use a food journal to determine which foods are triggering allergic reactions.

Food Allergies: Reasons, Symptoms and Cures

Are you one of the 12 million people in the U.S. with a food allergy? 

Only eight foods account for 90 percent of all food allergies. They are:

·         Corn

·         Soy

·         Wheat

·         Cow’s Milk

·         Eggs (from hens)

·         Peanuts

·         Tree Nuts

·         Seafood

Symptoms of food allergies can appear within as little as two minutes or up to two hours.

If you’re one out of the 25 adults—or one out of 17 kids age 3 and under—who suffer from food allergies, you’ll likely have at least one of the following symptoms:

·         rashes

·         hives

·         itching

·         swelling

·         wheezing and breathing difficulty

·         swollen lips or eyelids

Some people experience severe gastrointestinal symptoms from food allergies such as:

·         vomiting,

·         cramps

·         diarrhea

Food allergies, especially to peanuts and shellfish, can even, in extreme cases, lead to death from anaphylactic shock.

Causes of Food Allergies

Diligently, western society scrubs itself clean of all germs with heavily-marketed anti-bacterial soap. Is this obsessive cooties phobia cause for an increase in food allergies?

That’s one theory that’s been circulating among physicians, allergists and naturopaths and holistic healers for at least the past two decades.

Had no clue that anti-bacterial soap could actually weaken your immune system, causing it to attack a particular food substance, releasing histamines and other inflammatory chemicals in your system?

Have you succumbed to the hygiene propaganda?

If you have a toddler and keep your house spic and span, neutralizing all foreign microscopic invaders—both good and bad—your child may become more vulnerable to developing food allergies.

Other causes of food allergies

Processed foods, breast milk from mother to infant, and cross contamination from processors who produce many different food products in the same facility, are some of the other theories accounting for the increased incidence of food allergies.

In the case of peanuts, one theory exists that although Chinese cuisine contains lots of them, peanuts do not promote allergic reactions in most Chinese people because they boil their nuts—not roast them, as is commonly the case in western processed snacks and butters.

Whole-wheat-sandwich-eating Eskimos: More prone to food allergies?

Perhaps some sufferers of food allergies get dismayed because they think they are eating a food that is generally considered healthy.

“No fair, why is that I start wheezing after eating whole wheat bread—I thought it was much more nutritious than white bread,” pleads a despondent hypothetical food allergy sufferer.

It’s true of course that white bread lacks as many nutrients as whole wheat bread, but for some people, for reasons mentioned already, plus another important one— genetics—their DNA is not particularly well suited to digest, in this case, wheat.

If a traditional Nunavut igloo dweller living in far northern Canada abandoned that region’s traditional diet and subsisted instead on baloney sandwiches on whole wheat, there’s a chance this Nanuk of the North might develop a food allergy.

Dieticians, nutritionists and food coaches schooled in the concept of individualized nutrition and Metabolic Typing® understand that certain foods, especially in the case of wheat, corn, peanuts and soy, were introduced to humans, relatively, a short time ago.

Because many of us are ethnic mutts, it’s hard to know what traditional foods our ancestors ate.

Are you 100 percent Scottish-American? Then maybe your ancestors subsisted on seafood and unadulterated porridges. A pure-bred Scot from the Hebrides who now eats foods fortified with soy protein could develop an allergy to soy.

Eating bad foods kills enzymes, causes allergies

Over time, eating foods that trigger allergic reactions can render ineffective the digestive enzymes in your gut. Take cow’s milk for example. A common food allergen, it’s theorized by some progressive-thinking nutritionists that the pasteurization process in milk suppresses lactase, the enzyme needed to break down milk proteins.

Avoiding Food Allergies

It’s important to get in touch with your body and recognize any symptoms. Eliminating offending foods is the only tried and true way to avoid flare ups.

You can have your physician or allergist do a skin test for food allergies, but keep in mind that just because your skin shows sensitivity, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll experience allergic reactions, at least not severe ones.

Keeping a food journal is one of the best ways to learn how to eliminate foods that trigger reactions.