In line with our recent post about Dr. Andrew Weil and hay-fever, there is a lot of discussion about the effects that certain diets can have on your allergies. Some foods are believed to cross-react with pollens, making allergic symptoms worse at certain times of the year. For instance, it is suggested that if you're allergic to birch pollen, your hay fever can be made worse by apples. If so, it would be good to talk to a pharmacist or allergy specialist to discover what pollens you are allergic to, by establishing when your symptoms start and cease and which plants and trees are flowering in your area during that time. After that you can play around to see which foods may cross-react with these pollens and eliminate them from your diet at the appropriate times.

Here are some the pollen and food combinations that might make your symptoms worse:

CULPRIT: Birch - March to May

WATCH OUT FOR: Celery, curry spices, raw tomato, raw carrot, apples, pears, kiwi

CULPRIT: Grasses - May to August

WATCH OUT FOR: Oats, rye, wheat, kiwi, raw tomato

CULPRIT: Weed - May to August

WATCH OUT FOR: Raw carrots, curry spices

CULPRIT: Mould - September to October

WATCH OUT FOR: Yeast

Muriel Simmons advises: "Once you know what pollen you're allergic to, remove the foods known to cross-react with it from your diet for a week and note your symptoms. Then gradually reintroduce them and see what effect it has. But be aware that not everyone with hay fever is affected by foods…The good news is that most pollens are only around for two or three months so you don't have to give up these foods for ever. And in some cases, especially with tomatoes, cooking will destroy the protein that's triggering the reaction." Did you experience increased allergy symptoms when eating certain kinds of foods at a certain time of the year? If so, I am curious to hear which combination is causing you to expereince increased asthma symptoms.

Related Pages:

Allergy Fact Sheet

Ref:
  • Mirror.co.uk 24/04/2007
  • The Asthma Sourcebook, Francis V. Adams, M.D.
  • The Food Doctor Blog
  • Diet.co.uk