Springtime. The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and everything else is a lovely shade of pollen yellow. Coming from the Northeast where everything stays buried under a pile of snow until June, I was completely unprepared for Mother Nature's full-frontal attack on my sinuses starting in March.
Just when I thought that I'd have to lock myself in my room until Fall, food came to my rescue. Here are five common foods you have to eat if you're allergic to pollen. Yup, combating your allergies with food is a thing.
1. Apples
As the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and apparently the pollen as well. Chock full of Vitamin C and other friendly chemicals like quercetin and flavanoids, apples help reduce the swelling caused by those pesky allergies. Inexpensive, delicious and they fight allergies? I'll bite.
2. Salmon
As if you needed any more reason to treat yourself to a gorgeous plate of baked salmon, studies show that this fish can not only reduce your risk of developing intense allergies, but can help treat them too. With all those fatty omega-3s that we love so much packed in, salmon doesn't let inflammation stand a fighting chance. Don't you just love when your favorite foods turn out to be natural allergy medication?
3. Pineapple
Tasting like sunshine and tropical vacations on white, sandy beaches, pineapple should already be a staple of your warm-weather diet. Not to mention, it contains special enzymes, like bromelain, that act as natural antihistamines to battle that stuffy nose. Throw it in your next smoothie, fruit salad, or parfait and enjoy being able to actually breathe outside again.
4. Strawberries
Continuing on our fruit kick, everyone's favorite fondue food is also an allergy-banishing machine. Similar to apples, strawberries have anti-inflammatory properties to fight off allergens. Rich in flavonoids, strawberries are an excellent choice for those days when it's only 9 am and you can't stop sneezing.
5. Tea
Is there anything that tea can't cure? Sure enough, most green, black, and white teas also contain flavonoids to keep pollen-induced inflammation at bay. Put up your pinkies, give a nod to the Brits, and sip your way to a congestion-free spring.
Spring is wonderful. Pollen is not. Start eating these 5 foods and you'll be back outside playing frisbee on the quad like every other college student in no time.