What to eat when you have allergies.
Are you plagued by pollen? Foiled by some foods? Can’t stand even a tiny whiff of chemicals? It’s possible that the foods you’re eating (or not eating) are making things worse!
Your body has the ability to regulate the level of irritation in your respiratory, skin, and intestinal tissues. But you must provide it with the dietary building blocks it needs to create compounds that soothe irritation. What you eat can either support or thwart your body’s efforts to calm your tissues. Here are some suggestions to take your biochemistry off of red alert.
Rid your pantry and refrigerator of foods that prime your body for irritation. Clear out corn, safflower, peanut, cottonseed and soy oils. You’ll find these culprits in readymade salad dressings and many other prepared foods. Throw out food that contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These harmful oils are found in cookies and many other processed or packaged foods. Read your labels!
Omega-3 fats are like firefighters that quench the flames in over-reactive, hypersensitive tissues. Enjoy flax seeds, walnuts, dark-green leafy vegetables, grass-fed beef, and coldwater fish (wild salmon, sardines, herring). Omega-9 fats are also among the good guys. Find them in olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and macadamia nuts.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. They’re members of a supporting cast of characters that decrease toxic byproducts from cellular metabolism that can make tissues more reactive.
