Hay fever diet tips – foods to reduce or eliminate
It is known that reducing or eliminating certain foods can improve hay fever symptoms.
Reduce omega-6, increase omega-3
In Western societies our dietary habits are believed to have contributed to the increase in hay fever during the last decade or so. This is, to some extent, because we tend to consume proportionately larger amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, in the form of meat and dairy products, than omega-3 fatty acids which are present in foods such as fish, nuts and seeds. Indeed, a range of studies have strongly indicated that eating a higher percentage of omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids can actually worsen allergy symptoms. It therefore makes sense that consuming more foods containing omega-3 fatty acids will have a protective effect, reducing symptoms, while the reverse is likely to be the case with omega-6 fatty acids.
Excellent omega-3 fatty acid sources include flaxseeds, salmon, cabbage, fresh mustard seed, cauliflower, scallops, walnuts, ground cloves, ground oregano and baked and infused peppermint leaves. Other good sources include Brussels sprouts, lettuce, French beans, broccoli, turnip, collard greens, strawberries, tofu, soya beans, halibut, shrimp, snapper, cod, tuna and yellowfin.
Dairy produce
Dairy products contain omega-6 fatty acids, which are believed to worsen allergy symptoms; they also promote the formation of mucus and can encourage inflammation. Cutting out dairy altogether would probably significantly benefit your hay fever, but it is not recommended as the calcium in dairy foods is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. Children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis need substantial amounts of dairy produce; however, other groups can manage very well by cutting out cow’s milk products and replacing them with milk products from goats and sheep. There is also soya milk and rice milk, which provide many nutrients.
Unless you belong to one of the groups mentioned above, try to limit your consumption of animal milk products or cut them out altogether.
Red meat
Red meat contains omega-6 fatty acids, which it is thought worsen allergy symptoms. And like dairy produce, red meat is mucus-forming, so all in all it is not the best food for someone with hay fever. It doesn’t help either that animals are generally reared with the use of hormones, antibiotics and pesticides, which are especially detrimental in allergy conditions. It is recommended, therefore, that you try to cut down on red meat as much as possible. If you do eat red meat, make sure that it is organic (free from hormones, antibiotics and pesticides) and the portion size is no larger or thicker than the palm of your hand. Try to eat alternative sources of protein such as goat’s cheese, beans, pulses and soya products.
Carbohydrates
The adrenal cortex (the outer section of the adrenal gland) is very sensitive to simple (refined) carbohydrates and may, after repeated intake, set up an inflammatory response. Indeed, consumption of these ‘bad carb’ foods – pastries, cakes, sweets, sweetened fruit juice, refined and unrefined sugar, and biscuits – is believed by some experts to give rise to allergic disease such as hay fever. Cut down on these simple carbohydrates as much as possible, trying even to eliminate them completely during an allergic attack. Doing so can greatly reduce your symptoms.
Consumption of complex carbohydrates – commonly known as the ‘good carbs’ and including vegetables, breads, cereal, legumes and pasta – is recommended in hay fever.
Fruit
Try to avoid eating too much fruit, especially oranges. Although rich in vitamin C and many other nutrients, fruits are also full of sugar which is a mucus-forming food. You can still obtain large amounts of vitamin C by eating fresh vegetables and the other foods, and you should boost your intake with supplements of vitamin C, as recommended below.
Cigarettes and alcohol
One of the main reasons that human beings crave stimulants such as cigarettes and alcohol, and also caffeine and products containing refined white sugar (see below), is high levels of stress. When, for example, hay fever symptoms are making you feel stressed, your body demands a boost – a ‘lift’. However, the lift obtained from cigarettes and alcohol is short-lived – unlike the damage it can do to your adrenal glands, which are already tired and weakened in hay fever. Stimulants can create a hypersensitive immune system, chronic anxiety, low energy, nerve cell damage and much more. Moreover, stimulants of any kind are known to aggravate allergy symptoms.
If you find you are unable to completely eliminate stimulants from your life, reduce them as much as possible – it will make a difference.
Sugar
Sugar is, as already mentioned, a mucus-forming food, but its consumption has also been linked with a number of disorders from diabetes to heart disease and cancer. We do need a certain amount of sugar in our diet, which we can get naturally from foods such as fruits (see above) and complex carbohydrates for conversion to energy. Don’t worry, however, that if you cut down on the amount of fruit you eat (as recommended in hay fever) you won’t be getting the natural sugar that you need.
If you must add sweetening to your food and drinks, alternatives to refined white sugar include raw honey and barley malt. Although sugar is best avoided, muscovado and Demerara sugars are formed during the early stages of the sugar refining process and so contain more nutrients than refined white sugar. All these alternatives may be used in cooking and baking.
You may be wondering whether refined white sugar can be replaced by a sugar substitute such as aspartame, sold under the brand names of NutraSweet, Spoonful, Equal and Indulge. Well, the short answer, if you really want to be healthy, is no. Aspartame is an excitatory neuro-transmitter that causes nerve cells to fire continually until they become exhausted and die. Many people consume food and drinks containing aspartame in an attempt to lose weight. However, it creates a craving for simple carbohydrates, which only gives rise to an increase in weight. When the person stops ingesting aspartame – in diet drinks, for example – he or she generally loses weight. Fortunately, there are natural sweeteners such as Stevia and Xylitol that are perfectly safe and these are available from health food shops.
Caffeine
Caffeine products – which include coffee, tea, cocoa, cola drinks and chocolate – cause stress to the adrenal glands, which make it difficult for the body to cope with stress. The adrenal glands are tired and weakened anyway in hay fever, so continuing to use stimulants of any kind can only make the situation worse. Caffeine products are also toxic to the liver, detrimental to the nervous system and can reduce the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Consumed regularly in fairly high doses, caffeine is likely to give rise to chronic anxiety, the symptoms of which are agitation, palpitations, headaches, indigestion, panic, insomnia and hyperventilation. My best advice is to remove caffeine products from your diet.
The addictiveness of caffeine makes reduction far from easy, however, and withdrawal symptoms can take the form of splitting headaches, fatigue, depression, poor concentration and muscle pains. It’s no wonder people can feel terrible until they have had their first dose of caffeine in the morning, and that they can’t seem to function properly without regular doses throughout the day! Fortunately, caffeine is quickly ‘washed out’ of the system, and it is possible to minimize withdrawal symptoms by reducing your intake over several weeks.
A problem can be finding an acceptable alternative. Coffee, tea, cocoa and cola drinks can be replaced by fruit juices (limited intake only), vegetable juices and herbal teas (green tea is very good; as is rooibosch (redbush) tea); the latter two are low in tannin and high in antioxidants. A variety of grain coffee substitutes may also be purchased from health food shops. As many decaffeinated products are processed with the use of chemicals, they are, unfortunately, not a good choice.
Carob, which is similar to the cocoa bean, is a healthy, caffeine-free alternative to cocoa and chocolate. It contains less fat and is naturally sweet, unlike the cocoa bean which is bitter and needs sweetening. Carob bars can therefore be an enjoyable replacement for chocolate bars and other confectionery. Carob is also available in powder form for use in baking and in drinks.
Salt
Due to its ability to inhibit the growth of harmful micro-organisms, high levels of salt are added as a preservative to most processed and prepackaged foods. For example, one tin of soup can contain more salt (sodium) than the recommended daily allowance for an adult. Large amounts of salt are also added to most breakfast cereals, except for shredded wheat products. You can limit your intake of salt by reducing your consumption of processed and prepackaged foods, or buying only those labelled ‘low salt’ or ‘sodium free’. In baking and cooking, use only a very small amount of sea salt or rock salt, and try to avoid sprinkling any type of salt over your meals. Reducing your salt intake very gradually is the best way to retrain your palate.
Artificial colourings
Today’s processed foods often contain artificial colourings, such as tar-trazine, to make them more appealing to the consumer. However, food colourings are derived from petroleum and contain toxic compounds that have been linked to many diseases. If you can’t avoid buying processed foods, read the list of ingredients carefully to ensure that there are no artificial colourings. It’s always best to buy fresh foods, however.