Goodbye to pollen allergies: relieve symptoms by including these foods in your diet

The good weather is here, and with it the annual nightmare for hundreds of thousands of people in Spain—close to eight million, according to estimates by the Spanish Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (SEAIC) . Once again, they'll be prepared to endure it stoically , enjoying parks and nature walks thanks to medication that helps them modulate their allergic response. But there's another support they shouldn't neglect: their diet.

The immune response these people experience when they come into contact with an allergen is as follows: their system releases histamine and other substances that cause inflammation and symptoms of varying severity , such as swollen lips, a tightness in the throat, or vomiting and diarrhea. These effects of histamine release can be reduced by eating the right foods and increasing their intake during the spring.

Controlling inflammation as a goal

Allergic reactions are characterized by inflammation . It can be a dermatological or ophthalmological response, and can even affect the glottis , causing that sensation that it's closing and you can't breathe. This is known as laryngospasm : when the muscles and vocal cords are affected, they close or narrow, causing coughing and difficulty breathing, which can even be life-threatening .

What dietary compound could help us control this risk of inflammation? Catechins, present in significant doses in green tea . This is a group of flavonoids that act as secondary metabolites in plants. In this case , epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is particularly noteworthy, and it also holds the key to the therapeutic properties of the aforementioned infusion.

The drink to combat stress and take care of your stomach naturally

Strengthen the immune system

We take for granted that the immune system remains intact and immune to attacks on its own, but the truth is that nutritional research has long since clarified that diet plays a fundamental role in keeping everything running smoothly. Vitamin C appears to be a great ally in strengthening it, and although citrus fruits are often cited as an important source, we mustn't forget that it's also present in other fruits such as kiwis and strawberries.

Generally speaking, it's no surprise at this point that our diet should include leafy greens, vegetables, oily fish, and omega-3 fatty acids (flax seeds, nuts). Below are the foods that most influence the modulation of allergic response and that we should keep in mind if pollen is bothering us :