Are You Tired of Seasonal Allergies?

After a wonderful Memorial Day weekend in Vermont, we pulled into our driveway to find my husband’s formerly black car now a powdery, yellow/green color. Last night at my daughter’s soccer game I looked down to find my black sneakers the same color and this morning my entire driveway was awash with it. POLLEN!  The time of year has arrived where roughly 30 to 40 million people nationwide will suffer from seasonal allergies due primarily to this substance.  Sneezing, wheezing, runny nose, and itchy, watery, red eyes are some of the symptoms that people face each year as the pollen from trees, grass, flowers, and plants makes its way into the air.

As I sat at my daughter’s soccer game and listened to parents complain about their suffering as a result of their seasonal allergies, I realized that I used to be one of these people.  Every spring was a Claritin junkie for about 2-4 weeks.  Now I sat there covered in pollen and wasn’t sneezing or itching my eyes. I can only attribute this change to one thing – my decision to start eating a high plant-based diet. 

According to Glenn Rothfeld, MD, medical director of WholeHealth New England in Arlington, Massachusetts, and author of Natural Medicine for Allergies: The Best Alternative Methods for Quick Relief, an antioxidant found in plants called Quercetin may help reduce inflammation in the airways and prevent the release of histamine, which causes congestion.  Histamines are released by the immune system during exposure to allergens, like pollen, and trigger the allergy symptoms. It seems that Quercetin, which is commonly found in foods like broccoli, kale, tomatoes, berries, and green tea, is a natural anti-histamine! 

Another report from Alternative Medicine Review in 2000 suggests Quercetin shows promise as a natural treatment for seasonal allergies. James Dillard MD, clinical advisor to Columbia University's Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and assistant clinical professor at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons also supports these findings saying "There is even some evidence that Quercetin may control the release of histamine and other chemicals that help initiate the allergic response.”

Another study on children who ate a diet high in fruits, vegetables and nuts found the children experienced fewer allergy symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids (plant-based sources include flax and chia seeds and walnuts) and vitamin D (found naturally in sunlight) also appear to play an important role in keeping allergies at bay. In addition, vitamin C is known to have an anti-histamine effect and apples have been shown to reduce seasonal allergies. Since inflammation is a big issue with allergies, another benefit of a high plant-based diet is that many fruits and vegetables (such as mushrooms, papaya, sweet potato and blueberries) reduce inflammation. 

If you were looking for another good reason to increase plant-based foods in your diet, now you have it!  So, fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Now, I’m not suggesting that if you eat a salad for lunch your allergies will disappear and you will feel better this afternoon.  I dramatically increased plant based foods in my diet in the spring of 2010 and reduced allergy symptoms have been one of many positive changes that I have experienced in my life since then.  “Eat your veggies!” is a statement mothers everywhere have been proclaiming for years.  Though you may hate to admit it, isn’t your mother always right?