Spring is coming and with it, the dreaded spring allergies. This imbalance, so typical of this time of the year, can be improved with adequate food, if we understand what its origin is.
An allergy is an exaggerated response of the immune system to substances that considers not adequate for the body; that is, they are generally not harmful. This indicates that the affected person has a defence system overly sensitive and identifies as hazardous substances that are not.
The most common reaction in our body, to these substances is the release of histamines that cause, among other symptoms, inflammation, mucus, sneezing and itchy eyes.
One of the best therapies to prevent allergies is to improve our immune system.
How to do so? Improving the way we eat:
On one hand, avoiding foods that weaken our immune system:
- Meat and meat products that contain large amounts of hormones and medications administered to livestock.
- Dairy products. The casein in milk has a high allergenic effect producing increased of mucusity.
- Ready prepared food is full of preservatives, colorants and antioxidants.
- Non-organic food with large amounts of pesticides, nitrates, etc.
- Sugar and artificial sweeteners.
- Refined foods.
- Excess fat.
Furthermore, increasing food that strengthen:
- Seeds and Nuts: rich in zinc, manganese and copper, essential for improving the immune system.
- Whole grains also rich in zinc.
- Beans: rich in zinc, iron and vit B.
- Green vegetables: rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.
- Orange vegetables: rich beta-carontenes.
- Mushrooms: especially the dried shiitake. You can add it to soups or use it for tea. Once hydrated you can also add it to sauteed vegetables or rice.
- And of course! Good quality fermented products, such as miso, sauerkraut, shoyu, tamari …
Do not forget the health of your gut:
One of the most important barriers defence of our body is the intestinal mucosa. If the lining of our intestines is weakened and permeable, it will allow the entry of strange substances, making our body reacts, and producing an inflammation of mucous, which in turn will prevent proper absorption of nutrients and will weaken our immune system.
Regular consumption of natural probiotics promote good intestinal flora, improving our immune system. Fermented foods are ideal to improve our intestinal health:
- Get used to having a miso soup a day.
- Use shoyu or tamari to season your dishes.
- Have a tablespoon of fermented vegetables daily: sauerkraut or some other pickle that you can easily prepare at home.
- If needed, take an umeboshi plum daily for several days.
From a macrobiotic view, pollen is an extreme yin substance and reaction to this substance commonly occurs in people with an overly yin condition, or people having a poor quality of blood and accumulation of mucus in the respiratory tract and mucous membranes.
Yin repels yin. Therefore, in spring, with increasing pollen, our system reacts expelling the accumulated excess by sneezing, which will help the expulsion of mucus.
Sticky eyes and rhinitis, is nothing but a way to expel excess accumulated in our body, produced by the over consumption of expansive foods: such as milk, tropical fruits, sugar and cold products that have been consumed unnaturally during winter.
When we reduce the consumption of extreme yin foods, which are most mucus forming, and acidifying, our response to pollen improves.
Try removing especially soft dairy, tropical fruits and sugary products that produce sticky accumulations, weakening our blood and lymph; and therefore our immune system.
Dare to try … It works!!
