Catch your breath with these allergy-fighting foods

Achoo! It’s the sound heard all around when nasal allergies kick in. This annoying condition affects approximately 50 million people in the United States, with more developing it every year. You can develop allergies at any age, even if you’ve never previously shown signs of it. Allergy symptoms include runny, sniffling nose and congestion, coughing and watery eyes. That’s meant a run to the pharmacy for many of us, to find relief in the form of allergy medications that contain antihistamines.

What Allergies Do
Allergists agree that if you have severe allergies, no matter what other allergy-diminishing tactics you apply, you’ll still need medication, usually an antihistamine. When you’re around or in contact with allergy triggers called allergens, your immune system creates histamines to fight back. They’re the root cause of those unpleasant symptoms that are actually inflammatory responses designed to get rid of allergens. You take antihistamines to block histamines, but you can still arm yourself with extra ammunition.

How Food Fights Allergies
To fight annoying allergy symptoms the natural way, consider the power of food, says performance dietitian Gabriella Vetere, R.D., in San Jose, California. You’ll sniffle and sneeze less when you maintain a healthy eating plan that’s high in vitamins such as C, D, E and A to support the immune system, along with omega-3 fatty acids.
Wage and win your own “food fight” to help decrease troublesome histamines and keep allergy symptoms at bay when you “eat this, not that,” as Vetere explains here.

1. Whole and unprocessed foods
Foods in their freshest natural state, especially fruits and vegetables, contain more powerful antioxidants than processed foods. That means they can combat inflammation and help decrease allergic reactions.
A 2007 study in the journal Thorax found children on the Greek island of Crete who ate fruits, vegetables and nuts had less incidence of asthma and rhinitis or hay fever. Kids who consumed more tomatoes, oranges, apples, grapes and nuts grown locally experienced reduced allergy symptoms compared to children who ate less.
The message is to reach for foods high in vitamin C, including colorful strawberries, oranges, watermelon and kiwi. Vitamin C also helps reduce the release of histamines. Similar to vitamin C, bioflavinoids that give fruits their color also lessen production of histamines. You’ll find them in red and green peppers, dark grapes and cherries.
Decreasing the amount of refined sugar you eat also reduces inflammation. So does choosing minimally processed oils that provide monosaturated fats and antioxidant compounds, such as olive, grapeseed, walnut, avocado and canola oil.

2. Garlic, onions and apples
Garlic and onions are members of the allium family that also includes scallions, shallots and leeks. They also contain quercetin, a natural plant chemical that may reduce your reaction to histamines and improve absorption of vitamin C. It’s also an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Apples, purple cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, celery, broccoli, sweet potatoes and even fennel contain quercetin, as do tea and red wine.

3. Kale, collards and pumpkin
All three of these vegetables contain carotenoids, a form of vitamin A that may help quash allergy symptoms. With kale and collards, look for darker leaves for the biggest carotenoid boost.

4. Turmeric and ginger
These two spices contain antihistamine properties. You can brew up some turmeric tea, a.k.a., golden milk, to reap antioxidant benefits of turmeric. The yellow spice’s anti-inflammatory component is courtesy of a substance called curcumin. Ginger is not only an antihistamine, but has long been used to aid digestion and reduce nausea.

5. Wild salmon, cod, mackerel, tuna and sardines
Fulfill your wish for fish and do your allergies a favor at the same time. Eating omega-3s versus taking them in pill form is always preferable, since research shows you'll derive the most benefit from eating the whole food, Vetere says.

“You might be surprised at how little you need to eat of these coldwater, fatty fish that provides omega-3 EPA—a type of ‘long-chain’ fatty acid,” she says. “Aim for 8 ounces of fish per week—maybe 4 ounces of salmon and 4 of tuna,” says Vetere. “You can always boost that amount with a daily fish oil supplement that provides 1000 mg of both of the omegas EPA and DHA that you must get from food since your body doesn’t make them.”

6. Nuts and seeds
Crunch your omegas by choosing flaxseed or chia seeds, even walnuts, which are also great sources of protein. Flaxseed is rich in the mineral selenium which may help diminish your allergic response.

7. Pineapple and papaya
This spiky fruit contains bromelain, an anti-inflammatory enzyme. It’s often given to patients after surgery of the nose or sinuses to alleviate swelling, which is actually inflammation. Some doctors also recommend it before surgery period, to prevent bruising. Papaya also contains an anti-inflammatory enzyme, papain.

8. Herbs
Rosmarinic oil, with anti-inflammatory properties, is found in rosemary, lemon balm, oregano and sage.

9. Hot mustard and horseradish
These are natural decongestants, easily proven when you put too much wasabi on your sushi!

10. Probiotics
A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that a combination of two probiotic strains, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium, can help decrease seasonal allergy symptoms. You can take them in pill form, or get them from dairy-fermented food such a yogurt or kefir. Probiotics also have those helpful anti-inflammatory properties. If you take a supplement, be sure it contains at least 1 billion colony-forming units.