How to help your seasonal allergies with these tips

Trees and flowers have been blooming again. Weather is getting warmer. The smell of spring is here. It’s my favorite season for sure and I love being outdoors. Unfortunately though, an outing to the park or spending too much outdoors will not rejuvenate me. 

I’m one of 10 million people in the UK that will suffer from hay fever and allergies. According to one website, this number will increase to 30 million within the next 20 years. This increase is related to the increase of pollution from traffic and industry. However, it is also highly related to people’s gut health and lower immune systems. 

If you’re looking to change your approach to treating seasonal allergies, let’s start with the gut. As you might know by now, I’m all about healing the gut and understanding how the human microbiome can make you more resilient to not only fighting allergies and hay fever, but more serious illnesses too. 

If you’re struggling with year long allergies or just doing the spring time, it might be due to high histamine levels. When histamine levels are high, it means there’s a build up of histamine in the body. Histamine intolerance occurs when there is a dysfunction or defiency of the enzymes that break down histamine. In the post below, I  explore what histamine is, the symptoms, the foods to avoid and the foods to eat more of. I share a few supplements that might help you feel better as well.

What is histamine? 

Histamines are the chemicals your immune system makes during an allergic response. These chemicals will cause you to sneeze, tear up, or itch. The triggers are pollen, dust, pet hair, grass,… These things aren’t particularly harmful to you but your immune system looks at them as invaders and starts fighting them off, causing you to feel sick and fatigued. It starts triggering inflammation in the body that can become chronic.

The symptoms of a histamine intolerance are numerous:

· unexplained anxiety or exhaustion

· brain fog, headaches, migraines, dizziness 

· digestive problems (diarrhea, chronic constipation, stomach cramps or pain, nausea or vomiting, gas or bloating)

· congested, runny, or itchy nose

· red, itchy, or watery eyes

· sneezing

· shortness of breath

· eczema, itchy skin, hives or red bumps 

· irregular or increased heart rate

· severe menstrual pain

 What foods are high in histamine? 

Almost all foods will contain a certain level of histamine but there are some that contain higher levels such as:

·  alcohol (especially wine)

·  bone broth

·  caffeinated drinks 

·  aged cheeses (most cheeses)

·  fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, yogurt, sauerkraut)

·  smoked meat products (sausages, ham, bacon, salami)

·  legumes (chickpeas, soybeans, lentils, peanuts)

·  shellfish

·  vinegar

·  sugar

·  fruits such as pineapple, bananas, strawberries, cherries, citrus fruits, avocados

·  vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, mushrooms

·  cocoa and chocolate

What foods are low in histamine:

·  fruits such as berries (except those mentioned above)

·  coconut or rice milk

·  herbal teas (except caffeinated teas like black, green, matcha)

·  most leafy greens (except spinach) 

·  most vegetables (except tomatoes and eggplants)

·  animal products (organic, fresh, grass fed, not corn fed,…) 

·  gluten-free grains

Supplements to help you:

·  vitamin B-1, B6 or B-12, vitamin c

·  copper

·  magnesium

·  zinc

·  calcium

·  folic acid

·  You might want to add turmeric as well as it has antihistamine properties

·  Probiotics – it might be good to check if you have candida or bacterial overgrowth before taking probiotics

Foods that include these vitamins:

Vitamin B6: chicken, turkey, potatoes

Copper: asparagus 

Vit C: fruits and veggies 

How to test for it:

1.   Try an elimination diet and see how you feel when you remove high histamine foods and vice versa. To test whether it’s something that really makes you feel sick or not, keep the food items out for about 2 weeks and then include them again. If your symptoms reappear you Keep a food journal to help you figure it out! 

2.   Find out with a test. You can do a blood test to look for a high histamine/DAO ratio. If this comes up high, it means you don’t have enough enzymes to break them down

Conclusion:

There are several reasons why people can end up with histamine intolerance. It could be due leaky gut, SIBO, candida overgrowth, gluten intolerance, …. It’s important to find the root cause of this intolerance and the best place to start would be with an elimination diet. By avoiding the list of high histamine foods for a few weeks, you will notice a difference in your allergies, energy levels, mood, and digestive issues. 

If you’re really struggling with seasonal allergies, and you’re like me and don’t like to rely so much on medications, I would really recommend starting here! 

If you try this out, please keep me posted! I would love to hear what your experience with this is. 

Resources:

https://www.prebiotin.com/gut-health-seasonal-allergies/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322543.php

https://drwillcole.com/hidden-food-intolerance-root-inflammation/