Cybele Pascal
Natural Antihistamines: 3 Foods that Fight Allergies
Natural Antihistamines Send Hay Fever Packing
Sneezing, sniffling, swollen, itchy-eyes got you down this month? If so, you’re far from alone. Mid-august marks the beginning of ragweed season, which lasts through October, and causes a whopping 36 million Americans to suffer the symptoms of “hay fever”, or allergic rhinitis.
Technically, this site is devoted to food allergy sufferers, but with seasonal allergies (not to mention mold!) in full swing, we’ve got a total of 50 million people suffering some kind of torment, four of them in my very own household. So instead of writing about foods to avoid this week, I’ve focussed on foods to include in your diet that can help reduce allergies. Food allergy sufferers, take note: I have not forsaken you! As seasonal allergies are said to exacerbate existing food allergies, this information should be helpful to you as well.
Both my sons are in hyper-allergic mode this summer, both to foods and to pollen. Consequently, there’s been a lot of unnatural drugging going on — of the Claritin, Alavert, Benadryl type. I’m not alone in this. Americans spend billions of dollars annually on antihistamines to treat symptoms of allergies. The problem with these over-the-counter antihistamines — aside from their obvious side effects of drowsiness, cloudy thinking, dry mouth, and for some, accelerated heart rate — is that they don’t stop the problem from happening in the first place, they just mask the symptoms for several hours. But I need more than just a few hours reprieve, and as a desperate parent, sick of doping my children, I have turned for help to a natural alternative: foods that fight allergies. What a novel concept. EATING YOUR ANTIHISTAMINES.
So what are these super-foods? Well, lucky for you, most of them are available in abundance at your local green market or grocer. For a change, East meets West on this topic, with both traditional western medicine and alternative health practitioners agreeing that nature’s top edible antihistamines are found in foods containing Vitamin C, and Quercetin (a powerful flavonoid, sometimes called bioflavonoid). Additionally, there is much evidence that eating foods rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids reduces allergic symptoms.
1. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of nature’s great wonders. In addition to being a natural antihistamine, this water soluble vitamin has a multitude of other functions in the body. From being a powerful antioxidant fighting free radicals, to its role in the synthesis of collagen, it’s the vitamin we truly can’t live without. Foods rich in Vitamin C should be eaten as soon as possible when fresh, as they lose their strength after being exposed to air, or being processed, boiled, or stored for long periods of time. Good food sources of Vitamin C are guavas, blackcurrants, red bell peppers, kale, parsley, green sweet peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, mustard greens, mango, watercress, cauliflower, red cabbage, strawberries, papayas, green and white cabbage, spinach, citrus fruits, elderberries, calf liver, turnips, peaches, asparagus, cantaloupe, cayenne pepper, green onions, new lima beans, black-eyed peas, green peas, radishes, raspberries, yellow summer squash, sweet potatoes, loganberries, tomatoes, new potatoes, lettuce, bananas, kiwi, honeydew, pineapple, cranberry juice, vegetable juice, tomato juice, rutabaga, and kohlrabi. That’s a whole lot of options to keep you eating your C!
2. Flavonoids
Flavonoids, such as Quercetin are a group of plant pigments that are largely responsible for the colors of many fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Quercetin is a natural antihistamine that helps stabilize mast cells to prevent both the manufacture and release of histamine, as well as other allergic and inflammatory compounds. Good sources of Quercetin are citrus fruits, onions, garlic, apples, parsley, tea, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, legumes, berries, and wine (no bummer there!).
3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 Fatty Acids are thought to reduce allergic reactions through their anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3 Fatty Acids are found in such foods as cold-water fish (think salmon), and walnuts, but since this is a blog devoted to food allergy sufferers, I prefer to recommend you get your Omega-3s from less allergenic sources, such as hemp seeds, flax seed oil, canola oil, and grass-fed meat.
Many articles advise you to start loading up on your natural antihistamines six weeks prior to peak allergy season, but since many of us don’t know exactly what pollen or mold spores we’re allergic to, I advise trying to eat as much of these foods as possible, all year round. Eating a diet rich in natural antihistamines can help prevent the allergic reactions from happening in the first place, thus reducing the need for the drugs, and making us all a little healthier and happier, not to mention less congested!
23 Responses
This is great information, thanks Cybele I for one am a huge sufferer of airborne allergies. I’d also like to add that regular use of a neti pot has led to less dependence on over the counter drugs.
This is a great post Cybele! Where does one find flax seed or flax seed oil? What’s more, how does one use it in food preparation? I hear so much about the health benefits of it but I have no clue about it’s use. Can you make some suggestions?
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This is great info. I hope you don’t mind me reposting it on my facebook for friends and family to read.
I just wanted to add that ginger is a great natural anti-inflammatory and works well as an anti-histamine both for immediate relief, and even better if used regularly to prevent problems.
Thank you for this information. I have shared with it my Facebook friends, hope you don’t mind. My whole family, me included, suffer from allergies and asthma, so this is a great help! Thanks again!
Lisa:
Yes, I have heard great things about the Neti pot. My grandfather used to use a version of it from Switzerland every morning, and swore by it.
thanks!
Cybele
Thanita:
You can buy flax seeds and flax seed meal and flax seed oil at natural foods markets, and increasingly, flax seed meal can be found in the baking aisle at your local supermarket. Flax seeds can be sprinkled in salads and used in baked goods. Flax seed meal can by mixed into hot and cold cereals and used in baking. Flax seed oil should not be heated, as it is very delicate, so it’s great drizzled as a finishing touch over cooked dishes, or used in salad dressings. Hope that helps!
Cybele
Sarah, no that’s great, just hit the share buttons that apply at the bottom of the post and it will link up. Thanks!
Angie:
Ginger was a life saver for me when I was pregnant due to it’s anti-nausea properties. Good to know about it’s other benefits!
thanks!
Ybele
Tina:
As I said to Sarah, no problem! Just hit those share buttons at the bottom of the post and link away!
best
Cybele
This is GREAT information, thank you, Cybele! I am so sick of taking Claritin. Seems that’s all I do all summer long.weather it be pollin or something else. I actually have a question.. Wheneever my brother or one other family member mows the lawn I sneeze like you would not beleive.. I always thought it was the grass alone that I am allergic to but that doesn’t make much sence, does it?
How have these natural alternatives worked for your kids and have you totally abandoned the OTC drugs? I’m just wondering how much of the above you need to consume inorder for it to work.
Being an allergy sufferer myself (ragweed is in full swing here in Tampa now), I can relate to this post first-hand. I struggled through my pregnancies without taking any medicine and was miserable. When I wasn’t pregnant or breastfeeding I took Claritin which always worked, but left me feeling guilty about what else it might be doing. I saw Dr. Weil on Martha talking about Freeze-Dried Nettle and decided to try it. I was so discouraged when it (along with all the other herbal remedies I tried) did not work. It was only recently that I went to a nutritionist who told me I wasn’t taking enough. When I went to a mega dose, it worked like a charm. I started with 6 in the am and 6 in the pm. The next day I went down to 4 and 4. The next day 2 and 2. I take this dose now and have no problems with my symptoms. I’m so happy to have an alternative treatment that works as well as Claritin!
Thanita:
I use flax seeds as Cybele suggests, and also in smoothies! You wouldn’t believe how the flavor just disappears. You may notice there are two kinds of ground flax seeds you can buy; Flaxseed Meal and Golden Flaxseed Meal. The Golden variety has a much more mellow flavor. I add 1T to my baby’s morning cereal, and about 2 heaping T to my 5 year old’s smoothie. Since I like to have Omega 3′s coming at me from all directions, I also buy Shelled Hemp Seeds from the nutrition store. I toast them in a dry pan until they are golden and keep them in a container in the fridge to sprinkle on soup, salads and almost any prepared meal. They have a really nutty taste. To change things up a bit, I sometimes add chopped herbs such as parsley or cilantro and some zest (either lemon, lime or orange) and mix it all together. It’s a nice topping that makes your food seem fancy 
It sounds like you’re creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why
their is a problem in the first place
My girlfriend is has some bad allergies and I’ve been doing some research about it. Thanks for putting this article together and sharing it with us.
Way to go.’Eating your antihistamines’ ,was exactly what I was looking for.I am 46 years old and have been troubled with bouts of skin allergy (hives)for the past month.I want to try a diet to do away with this problem,and your article is what I need.Thanks.
Flax seed meal should be kept in the refrigerater – most good health food stores keep it chilled. As for good uses that do not deplete its beneficial effects – I put two tablespoons of ground flax seed, 1 quarter cup blueberrys and a little sweetner in a half cup plain yogurt – a great desert that is good for you too. For a good protein smoothie – try blending 1 apple, 2 tablespoons high protein whey, 2 tablespoons ground flax, a little sweetner if needed, 6 ice cubes and 4 oz water (more as needed) blend to a smoothie consistency and you have a great breakfast drink to share with a friend – but don’t store it – it begins to lose its beneficial effects after 15 min. I love to drink this for breakfast and lunch on warm summer days.
Sounds great except that the very foods you suggest above are the same ones causing my allergies…especially wine! I have to avoid oranges, spinich, chocolate, pineapple, bananna…other websites say these foods are high in histamines and should be avoided so I’m confused.
Hi Gwen:
These are recommendations for combatting seasonal/environmental allergies, not food allergies. If you are allergic to the above list of foods, please don’t eat them! Again, these are recs for seasonal allergy sufferers, not for food allergies.
thanks!
Cybele
And then there are some of us, like me, who suffer both from seasonal allergies and food allergies, a number of them on your lists! (Sucks to be me, doesn’t it? 
)
However, it’s also great to note that nature seems to have backups in that across the world there are similar foods to those listed in a hypo-allergenic form; they just take a bit of research to find. And not just nature does it: as an example, the Ambrosia apple, a relative newcomer to the orchard, is a godsend for those of us who love apples but are allergic to them.
Thanks very much for this article, and your pleasantly lenthy and encompassing lists! I think it’s time for an early grocery trip…
-J
Though the decision was made long before our lifetime to make gluten-containing products a dietary cornerstone for our species, it is within our power today to correct the error of our ancestors and reclaim the health we know we are capable of enjoying. As more studies address the effects gluten has on the body, the more we can see that gluten is not only unnecessary, but downright dangerous.
From mild abdominal discomfort to life changing developmental issues, gluten has proven itself to be a powerful and negative force on the human body and mind. While we will never know what might have been had gluten never been introduced into our diet, we can and do know that a future with as little of this protein in it as possible is the surest way to reach our potential as a species.
Everyone needs to make it a point to consider the role gluten has played in their own physical and mental health. Are there mysterious aches that never seem to fully go away? A depressed mood or difficulty concentrating that even prescription medication cant soothe? Irregular bowel movements or persistent headaches that just cant be fixed through over-the-counter remedies?
The root of the issues could be gluten, one of the most dangerous elements we digest on a daily basis.
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