Allergy triggers: Unanticipated foods that aggravate your pollen-related reactions
Gear up, pasta fanatics! This article's a game-changer for hay fever sufferers.
Spring's nearly here, and with it comes not only warmer weather but a peak in pollen count. Oh joy – for allergy sufferers, spring can be far from the carefree season it appears to be.
For many, medication is the go-to solution. But just as important is managing hay fever through diet. Certain foods can make symptoms worse, and it's crucial to avoid them.
Hay Fever Warning: Tuck these foods away
Foods high in histamine are a primary concern, as histamine boosts allergic reactions. Since histamine plays a significant role in hay fever symptoms, it's best to keep our body's histamine levels in check through what we eat.
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Long-Aged Cheese: The longer a cheese ages, the more histamine it accumulates. Varieties like aged Gouda, Parmesan, Emmentaler, or Brie are high in histamine and best avoided.
Smoked Meats and Sausages: Meats like salami, raw ham, or cervelat also carry high levels of histamine. They should be avoided or enjoyed sparingly.
Preserved Fish Goodies: Fillings in sardines, canned herring in tomato sauce, and smoked salmon have high histamine content and should be limited during allergy season.
Selected Fruits: Along with citrus fruits, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries are also high in histamine or histamine-promoting, and may cause allergic reactions.
Histamine-packed Vegetables: Tomatoes, spinach, and sauerkraut are among the veggies that can induce allergic reactions.
Wheat-based Products: Although wheat itself doesn't contain histamine, products made from it like pasta, flour, or semolina might not sit well with many hay fever sufferers. This might be due to the extended storage period during which histamine can develop.
High Cocoa and Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate, in particular, contains high levels of histamine. Those with allergies should approach it cautiously.
Red Wine and Alcoholic Beverages: Red wine contains significantly more histamine than white wine – up to four times as much. Alcohol also inhibits the enzyme diamine oxidase (DAO) that breaks down histamine in the body and can even activate existing histamine.
Beer – Even Non-Alcoholic: Top-fermented beer contains more histamine than bottom-fermented beer. Non-alcoholic beer should still be consumed in moderation.
Coffee and Tea: Despite their many benefits, caffeine can be harmful to those with allergies. It blocks the enzyme DAO, exacerbating symptoms, even without containing histamine itself.
During allergy season, you may want to avoid these foods.
Enrichment Insights:- Fermented Foods: Some fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha, and sauerkraut contain high levels of histamine and can worsen allergy symptoms.- Aged Cheeses: Cheeses like cheddar, gouda, and parmesan have high histamine levels due to their aging process. Limiting intake during allergy season may help reduce histamine intake.- Processed Meats: Processed meats like salami and ham contain high amounts of histamine and can worsen allergy symptoms.- Spicy Foods: Spicy foods like jalapeños and habaneros might temporarily clear sinuses, but they can also increase histamine production in the body and aggravate symptoms.- Alcohol: Limit alcohol consumption during pollen season to avoid increased histamine levels.
- To manage hay fever through diet, it's crucial to avoid foods high in histamine such as aged cheeses, smoked meats and sausages, preserved fish goods, selected fruits, histamine-packed vegetables, wheat-based products, high cocoa and dark chocolate, red wine and alcoholic beverages, beer (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic), coffee, and tea.
- Since foods like bananas, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, spinach, and sauerkraut have high histamine content or are histamine-promoting, they may also cause allergic reactions.
- During allergy season, you may want to consider eliminating high-histamine foods from your lifestyle, including certain foods that may not be a concern at other times, such as pasta, which may not sit well with many hay fever sufferers due to its extended storage period.
- In addition to medication, adopting a healthy-cooking approach that focuses on low-histamine foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can help manage hay fever symptoms and contribute to overall health and wellness.
