My top 8 foods to beat allergies during the hay fever season! There is some evidence in the medical literature to suggest these foods may be beneficial for allergy sufferers, plus they taste great! Click on the links for my recipes using this range of ingredients!

1. Isothiocyanate Foods
These are your brassica foods such as broccoli, rocket leaves and watercress. They’re thought to reduce the activity of a receptor that causes typical symptoms of rhinitis. Runny nose, blocked sinuses, nasal irritation
Here’s a link to a recipe that’s packed with watercress and cauliflower. Perfect for Spring!

https://thedoctorskitchen.com/watercress-cauliflower-soup/

2. Garlic
Garlic is thought to reduce the allergic response and some papers call for it to be considered a functional medicinal food due to its effect on IgE mediated allergic response. Try out my garlic sprouts with poached egg breakfast recipe, it’s delicious and incredibly easy to make!

3. Onions
The group of vegetables from the allicin family contain quercetin, a phytochemical being studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. I use it raw in my fish taco recipe, a real comfort dish that’s super quick!

4. Probiotics
A couple of studies measured subjective improvement in allergy symptoms using a scoring method that demonstrated a significant effect with probiotic use after 6 weeks. Another lab based study showed reduced cytokines which is a chemical mediator involved in immune response. You can get probiotics in foods like kefir, krauts and kimchi. Check out my green smoothie video recipe, full of probiotic yoghurt with live cultures!

5. Citrus Fruits
Reported in Lab studies to reduce histamine release which is an incredibly important mediator in the allergic response and the focus of medications that I prescribe for hayfever called ‘anti-histamines’
Try a few slices of lime or lemon in your morning drink!

6. Matcha Green Tea
Morning hot drinks activate the tiny hairs in our nasal passages, called cilia, that trap dirt and pollen. Matcha Tea is full of polyphenols including ‘catechin’ which has been shown to reduce inflammation and has benefits in pollinosis. As well as drinking it the traditional way, I’ve done an easy matcha ice cream recipe on my Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BET8mXzC_3e/?taken-by=doctors_kitchen

7.Ginger
The compounds in ginger, called gingerols, are thought to reduce T cell activation which is a mechanism by which we suffer allergy response. Try grating some ginger in hot water, with lemon or even in your matcha tea. The combination is lovely! Also my paper bag cooked sardines have a load of grated ginger in it!

8. Vitamin E
Studies using supplemental vitamin E demonstrated an improved allergy response to dust mite allergy sufferers. Thus it’s being considered as a therapeutic model for reducing airway inflammation which hayfever sufferers also get. Natural sources of Vitamin E include sunflower seeds, avocado and almonds. Check out my morning porridge recipe with heaps of sunflower seeds!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEA2DPHi_9b/?taken-by=doctors_kitchen

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