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Allergy triggers during pollen season: Unexpected items that exacerbate your symptoms

Foods linked to intensified hay fever symptoms may cause dismay among pasta enthusiasts: certain types of pasta containing high amounts of flour and tomatoes may aggravate allergy symptoms due to their histamine content.

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All pasta lovers, brace yourselves! Consuming these specific foods may exacerbate hay fever...
All pasta lovers, brace yourselves! Consuming these specific foods may exacerbate hay fever symptoms.

Allergy triggers during pollen season: Unexpected items that exacerbate your symptoms

Hay Fever Sufferers, buckle up! Here's a list of foods that make it worse.

Gear up, folks, because summer's around the corner, and so is the pollen onslaught! For hay fever sufferers, spring can be far from a relaxing season.

Many rely on medication to manage symptoms, but what often gets overlooked is the role of diet in exacerbating hay fever. Certain foods can worsen symptoms, and it's crucial to steer clear of them.

Pollen season: Foods to avoid like a boss

Histamine-rich foods are particularly problematic. Histamine act as an allergy amplifier, and when our bodies already have heightened allergic reactions due to pollen, we don't want to pile more histamine in.

High-Histamine offenders

  • Aged Cheeses: Cheese aging process increases histamine levels. So, avoid aged Gouda, Parmesan, Emmentaler, Brie, and similar varieties.
  • Smoked Meats and Sausages: Meat products like salami, raw ham, or cervelat have high histamine levels, so they should be minimized in your diet.
  • Canned and Pickled Fish: Canned herring in tomato sauce, sardines, smoked salmon, and similar products have high histamine content.
  • Fruits: Beyond citrus fruits, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, strawberries, and certain others can trigger allergic reactions due to high histamine levels.
  • Vegetables: Tomatoes, spinach, sauerkraut, and some other varieties can lead to allergic reactions.
  • Wheat-Based Products: Pastas, flour, and semolina can be poorly tolerated by pollen allergy sufferers. This might be due to long storage times, during which histamine can form.
  • Cocoa and Dark Chocolate: Dark chocolate specifically contains high levels of histamine, so those sensitive should be cautious.
  • Red Wine and Alcohol: Red wine has significantly more histamine than white wine. Additionally, alcohol can block the enzyme diamine oxidase that breaks down histamine in the body and can even release existing histamine.

Beer, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic: Top-fermented beer has more histamine than bottom-fermented beer. Non-alcoholic beer is not histamine-free and should be consumed with moderation.

  • Coffee and Tea: Caffeine can exacerbate hay fever symptoms, as it inhibits the enzyme diamine oxidase that breaks down histamine in the body.

During allergy season, it's a good idea to avoid these foods.

Enrichment Data:- During pollen season, managing hay fever symptoms can be supported by adopting a low-histamine diet and possibly using supplements if needed, while maintaining good sleep and stress management.- Histamine-rich foods to avoid include: fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, miso; aged cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, and goat cheese; cured meats like prosciutto, salami, bacon, pepperoni; citrus fruits and certain vegetables like tomatoes, avocados, eggplant, spinach; alcohol, especially red wine and beer; chocolate; pickled foods like olives and pickles; leftovers; nuts like peanuts, walnuts, and cashews; smoked fish like smoked salmon, mackerel, anchovies.

  1. The presence of pollen in the spring can heighten hay fever symptoms, making it essential for those who suffer to take precautions.
  2. Histamine-rich foods, known for their allergy-amplifying properties, should be avoided as they can exacerbate hay fever symptoms.
  3. Some high-histamine offenders to watch out for include aged cheeses like Gouda, Parmesan, Emmentaler, Brie, and smoked meats such as salami, raw ham, or cervelat.
  4. Canned or pickled fish like herring in tomato sauce, sardines, smoked salmon, and certain fruits like bananas, pineapple, kiwi, and strawberries should also be avoided.
  5. Some vegetables that can trigger allergic reactions are tomatoes, spinach, sauerkraut, and particular varieties of fruits and vegetables may be problematic for hay fever sufferers.
  6. Dur ing allergy season, it's advisable to avoid wheat-based products, dark chocolate, red wine, alcohol, and coffee, as these can contribute to worsened hay fever symptoms.
  7. In addition to avoiding high-histamine foods, adopting a low-histamine diet, good sleep and stress management, and possibly using supplements can help manage hay fever symptoms during pollen season.

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