The Benefits of Exercise for Weight Loss and Overall Health

 A Natural Reaction to Seasonal Allergies

We all know we need to drink six to eight glasses of water a day and the myriad benefits of proper hydration. But would you believe it can help you with your allergies, too? When we suffer from allergies, it affects our body’s production of histamine. Histamine plays a variety of roles within the body, including water management, and it defends against bacteria, viruses and other foreign agents.

So how can water help?

When your body is in a dehydrated state, it’s more than just a feeling of thirst – it means you’re not getting enough water, and your body will increase histamine activity to regulate your water levels. This increase in histamine creates or exacerbates allergic responses in the body.

To prevent this from occurring, you need to drink water throughout the day, from first thing in the morning to before, during and after your workouts. If you commute, drink some water while you drive to work and have a glass of water up to 20 minutes before your meals, too.

While water can help you deal with your allergies, certain foods aren’t so helpful. If you suffer from a ragweed allergy, or are allergic to other weeds, you should avoid melons, cucumbers, bananas, sunflower seeds, chamomile and Echinacea, as they can add to your allergic response. For ragweed sufferers, it’s especially important to avoid cantaloupe as it contains similar proteins to ragweed, which may increase your allergic response.

Ever heard of quercetin?

 Maybe not, but this highly potent antioxidant is found in many common fruits and vegetables such as apples, berries, grapefruit, onions and cabbage. Studies from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo have shown that by incorporating quercetin into their daily regimen, allergy sufferers experienced a 96 per cent decrease in their histamine release. Consider it nature’s antihistamine. If you take quercetin as a supplement, taking a digestive enzyme called bromelain is also recommended to aid in absorption. In supplement form, 500 mg of quercetin should be taken with 100 mg of bromelain in between meals.

Like quercetin, vitamin C is another natural anti-histamine. Not only does it prevent the production of histamine, it also helps the body detoxify histamine as well. One study found that those who took vitamin C regularly greatly reduced their allergic response. When we think of vitamin C, citrus fruits come to mind, but there are many other foods rich in vitamin C as well: papaya, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, cantaloupes, kiwifruit, cauliflower, pineapples, lettuce, watermelon, fennel, peppermint and kale. If you decide to take a vitamin C supplement, try a 500 mg dosage three times daily.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), especially omega-3 oils, are also a popular topic of conversation when it comes to supplements and health. Besides their anti-inflammatory properties, EFAs have also been shown to reduce allergy symptoms. A German study looked at 568 people and found that those with a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells experienced reduced hay fever symptoms. You can find omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, ground flax seeds, walnuts, scallops, cauliflower, cabbage, cloves and mustard seeds, as well as halibut, shrimp, cod, tuna, soybeans, tofu, kale, collard greens, and Brussels sprouts.

While it’s important to maintain a healthy diet rich in water, antioxidants and EFAs, it’s also important to understand that pollutants are carried in food as well as in the air. In modern agriculture, foods are constantly sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, along with chemical fertilizers used to grow them. Even when you wash your vegetables thoroughly, you’re still eating the chemical residues that can affect our immune system, and may play a role in the environmental sensitivities that people develop, becoming more susceptible to allergies.

Organically grown foods, on the other hand, are certified so that no organic producers may use any chemical pesticides, fertilizers or herbicides. While many don’t believe there are tangible differences between organic and non-organic foods, a four-year study funded by the European Union found that organic fruits and vegetables contained as much as 40% more antioxidants, which scientists believe can reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

While organic foods are more expensive, you can start by incorporating organic nuts, seeds and other fatty foods into your diet, as the chemicals in fatty foods last longer in your body. Berries, tomatoes and bell peppers are said to be some of the most heavily sprayed crops, so try to buy locally grown foods at farmer’s markets, and peel the skin off non-organic foods to minimize your exposure to toxins and pollutants.

There are many complementary measures you can take besides over-the-counter medications to deal with your allergy symptoms. With a change in diet and the help of therapeutic nutritional supplements – and remembering to properly hydrate throughout the day, you can reduce the severity of your allergies and boost your overall health, too.