I love fall—from the cool
nights to the gradual change in the color palette in the northeast. I used to
love the start of school! New shows would premiere, and the good movies came
out. Halloween nears...
I gain a spring in my step,
until I find myself chased by grass, pollen, dust, and dander trying to kill
me! There were many other reasons I
love the season, but the itching, sneezing, coughing, sniffling, tearing up did
interfere with some of that enjoyment. Allergies are total joy killers.
If you are affected by
seasonal allergies, you know that antihistamines help (when they don’t make you
sleepy). If you prefer to take a more holistic approach and lay off the
chemicals, there are some foods that help you ease some of those annoying
allergy symptoms. You can start by adding more whole foods and decreasing the processed
foods in your diet.
Go through
the list below and pick food items to add to your daily/weekly routine. These help
lower the amount of antibodies that trigger allergy symptoms and some have anti-inflammatory
properties that block the release of histamines in the body.
The easiest change you can
make is creating snacks – from nuts to seeds to fruit salads to chocolate
(which incidentally would go equally well as yogurt toppers). Add an afternoon
tea break to your day.
At least once a week: Create
your personal curry, the type that will literally clear your sinuses! Make a
quick veggie stir-fry. Broil or grill a piece of fish rich in omega-3 fatty
acids. Have dessert—make it fruit every time. And, if you dare, make the Spanish Garlic Soup, a special treat
even if you don’t suffer from allergies.
Omega-3
Herring, mackerel,
trout, tuna, salmon and sardines
Walnuts and
flaxseed
Quercetin
Apples, onions, berries,
cabbage, cauliflower, tea
Vitamin C
Oranges, red peppers,
strawberries, kiwi, pineapple
Probiotics
Yogurt, kefir, miso, tempeh, kombucha
Turmeric
Magnesium
Cashews, wheat bran, kelp,
pumpkin seeds, almond, sunflower seeds, broccoli, leafy greens, and chocolate
Honey
There are suggestions that
local honey might help you develop a tolerance for pollen from local trees. The
jury is still out on this one, but then, you get to sample honey!
Garlic
Spanish Garlic Soup
(Sopa de Ajo)
2 tablespoon olive
oil
8 slices stale
French bread, crusts removed, cut into ½” cubes
6-8 garlic cloves,
minced
½ teaspoon paprika
(see notes)
Salt, to taste
4 cups chicken
stock
Poached egg
Method
1. Pour olive oil into a
pot and heat to medium-high. Add bread to pot and sauté bread for 4-5 minutes. Stir
constantly.
2. Add garlic, paprika, and
salt, stir well and cook for another 3-4 minutes, but do not brown the garlic.
3. Add stock, bring to a
boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
4. Serve with soup with
poached egg (see notes).
Notes:
- You may use sweet, hot, or smoked paprika. Each will give you a slightly different taste. Sweet paprika will give it a little grittiness and color, the hot spiciness. The smoked paprika gives it depth.
- You may substitute chicken stock for vegetable stock, and you can use reduced sodium stock too (it’ll still be tasty). You can also use meat stock for a different, stronger taste.
- You can poach your egg ahead of time and keep refrigerated until you are ready to use. To poach an egg, bring a small pot of water to a boil the lower temperature to a simmer (around 140-150°F), add 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Crack an egg and gently slide in water. Cook 5 minutes.
- You can add a bay leaf in the stock and reserve when you are ready to serve.
- If you need something a little more substantial, you can add a cooked and sliced link of sausage, andouille or chorizo—and add an element of heat, if you like.
- Some folks like the silkiness of the egg but do not like runny poached eggs. You can beat an egg and cook in the liquid for about 2 minutes. You may even add to the bowl, ladle soup over it and stir with fork until opaque strands appear.