In line with our recent post about Dr. Andrew Weil and hay fever, there is a lot of discussion about foods that make allergy symptoms worse and the effects that certain diets can have on your allergy symptoms. Some foods are believed to cross-react with pollen, making allergic symptoms worse at certain times of the year. For instance, it is suggested that if you're allergic to birch pollen, your hay fever can be made worse by apples. If so, it would be good to find out what pollens you are allergic to, by establishing when your symptoms start and cease and which plants and trees are flowering in your area during that time. After that you can play around to see which foods may cross-react with these pollen and eliminate them from your diet at the appropriate times.
Here are some of the foods that make allergy symptoms worse:
CULPRIT: Birch - March to May
WATCH OUT FOR: Celery, curry spices, raw tomato, raw carrot, apples, pears, kiwi
CULPRIT: Grasses - May to August
WATCH OUT FOR: Oats, rye, wheat, kiwi, raw tomato
CULPRIT: Weed - May to August
WATCH OUT FOR: Raw carrots, curry spices
CULPRIT: Mould - September to October
WATCH OUT FOR: Yeast
Muriel Simmons advises: "Once you know what pollen you're allergic to, remove the foods known to cross-react with it from your diet for a week and note your symptoms. Then gradually reintroduce them and see what effect it has. But be aware that not everyone with hay fever is affected by foods…The good news is that most pollens are only around for two or three months so you don't have to give up these foods for ever. And in some cases, especially with tomatoes, cooking will destroy the protein that's triggering the reaction." Did you experience increased allergy symptoms when eating certain kinds of foods at a certain time of the year? If so, I am curious to hear which combination is causing you to experience increased allergy symptoms.
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