With parts of the country slogging through what many experts are calling the worst allergy season ever -- yes, ever -- these past few weeks have just been brutal for a lot of people.
Regardless, this has been a tough time for a lot of people who are dealing with constant sniffling, sneezing, wheezing and runny eyes while trying to go about their daily lives. Many find relief in topical or oral medications, but some experts say you can also find relief in natural remedies, including certain foods.
Experts caution, though, that research supporting a direct connection between nutrition and allergy relief is still limited. "Is there an immediate, direct correlation between eating something today and having allergy relief tomorrow?" asked Mike Tringale, vice president of external affairs at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. "Probably not. There's not a whole lot of clinical evidence of that one-to-one, direct connection. But there's absolutely no doubt that what we put into our body affects our health, especially for people who have things like allergies and asthma."
With that in mind, take a look through our list of the foods you might consider eating or avoiding this allergy season to keep symptoms at bay. As always, consult your with your doctor to determine what course of action, if any, is best for you. You may also want to speak with your doctor about eliminating common food allergy triggers, which can make environmental reactions even worse.
Eat: Pineapples
"A lot of allergy problems can be narrowed down to inflammation," said Tringale.
The immune system detects a foreign object that it responds to by creating an inflammation, which is why some sufferers can reportedly experience relief when they eat foods with anti-inflammatory properties, like pineapples, he explained.
Eat: Berries
Dr. Cathleen London, a family medicine physician and assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, also agreed that foods rich in antioxidants can help provide allergy sufferers with some relief.
"Nature is abundant with antioxidants," she said. "Look for foods with those bright colors, like blueberries, raspberries and grapes. In the same way that oxidative stress causes inflammation, antioxidants help your body fight it off."
Eat: Legumes
According to Dr. London, foods that are high in zinc, like legumes, have an antibacterial and antiviral effect in the body that help it "foster" immunity. She also recommended high-zinc foods, like oysters and lean beef.
Eat: Nuts
Many of us have heard that nuts are a heart-healthy option because they're high in Omega 3 fatty acids, which can help fight inflammation. That same anti-inflammatory property accounts for why they can also help reduce allergy symptoms, too.
But, as London cautioned, people should temper their expectations.
"Best case scenario, we're talking about a reduction in symptoms here," she said. "If I go for a bike ride outside in the morning when the tree pollen is at its highest, I am going to have a reaction. But I am at least giving my body the tools that it can use to fight it off."
Eat: Cherries
Again, another one that has anti-inflammatory properties, prompting the USDA to claim they "pack an anti-inflammatory punch."
Avoid: Processed Foods
"You really want to steer clear of any processed food that contains a lot of sugar and a lot of salt," London said. "I always tell people, the fewer steps from the ground to your mouth, the better."
The reason, she said, is that anything that is going to cause a chemical reaction in your body -- as processed foods do when they force the body to work hard to break them down -- has the possibility of increasing inflammation, which can make your symptoms worse.
Dr. Leonard Bielory of the Center for Environmental Prediction at Rutgers University put it even more broadly. "A healthy diet is always advised," he said. "There's no specific data that if you stop eating things like processed meat and bread that you're going to feel better in two to three days or even two to three weeks. But you could see those changes overall in two to three years."
Avoid: Certain Fruits
This is where it gets confusing, because certain fruits can help by fighting inflammation in the body, but others can trigger cross reactions or oral allergy syndrome.
The latter occurs when the body recognizes proteins in a fruit that are similar to those in pollen. So a person who suffers from ragweed allergies, might find that their mouth starts itching when they eat an apple, for example. Other fruits people can have problems with are apricots, cantaloupe or bananas.
"The key is to talk to a doctor first to find out what exactly you're allergic to," said Tringale. "Then you can avoid that situation of actually having a cross reaction when what you're really hoping to avoid [by eating fruit] is the reaction in the first place."
Other Tips
London said that one of the big things that people can do that's such a "duh!" is wash their face when they come in from the outside. "A shower is even better, but that's a good start."
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