As the sun begins to appear in spring and stays with us all throughout the summer, nature starts to flourish. Along with the sun, the wind also causes pollen to be released from trees and plants, leading to a full-blown allergy season! Also called ‘hay fever’ or ‘seasonal rhinitis’, the fight between the surrounding environment and your immune system begins..
Get your tissues at the ready, it’s time to protect yourself against seasonal allergies!
Strengthen your gut barrier
Gut flora, also called microbiota, is essential for good health. Known as the body’s ‘second brain’, gut flora is needed for synthesis of vitamins, enzymes and antimicrobial substances and is connected to the immune system.
Seasonal allergies come into very close contact with the immune system and in order to keep them in check, a strong gut barrier is essential.
Choose your best soldiers: probiotics!
Did you know that your gut is home to a colony of hundreds of thousands of bacteria, including up to 500 different types? These bacteria beneficial for our health are called probiotics. An unhealthy gut flora which is low in probiotics is like a damaged filter for the body, so it’s important to take care of it.
The use probiotic strains has been studied and proven to contribute the improvement of seasonal rhinitis. For example, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium animalis lactis have all been proven for this and can be found in the Immunity Support nutritional supplement.
Fermented foods containing prebiotics: yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, soya, kimchi, miso and mushrooms.
Feed your soldiers with fibre and probiotics
It’s already good to protect your gut with probiotics, but with prebiotics it’s even better! Simply put, after filling your gut with billions of tiny soldiers (probiotics), you need to feed them and that’s what fibre is for! Fibres consumed in foods remain undigested and intact until they reach the colon where they are ‘fed’. Fibre is used by bacteria to allow them to develop.
Foods high in fibre: whole-grains (barley, rice, quinoa, oats etc), seasonal fruits and vegetables, seeds (linseed, sunflower, chia etc), legumes (soya, beans, lentils, peas, green beans) and oleaginous fruits (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, seeds etc).
Take out your secret weapon.. quail eggs!
During the allergy season, the immune system produces and controls antibodies made from protein. Did you know that for years, eggs have been the basic, ‘go-to’ protein? Once cooked, the protein found in its white and yolk are of a significantly higher quality than of that found in meat, fish, cereals or legumes, and are also much more balanced. One of these proteins, ovomucoid, has been studied for its anti-allergy properties – its inhibitory action against trypsin acts naturally against allergy symptoms.
The egg yolk also contains antioxidants (vitamin A, zinc, selenium) and unsaturated fats.
Quail eggs are a particularly concentrated source of benefits due to their small size and contain five times more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Quail eggs have been included these in our Immunity Defence.
Opt for: fresh eggs (Category A), preferably organic from chickens fed with linseed (omega 3).
This year, put all the odds on your side to fight and win the battle against seasonal allergies! Now that you’re equipped with all the best tips and knowledge to protect yourself, you’ll be able to make the most of the spring season. This also means that the sun should be back soon too.. take advantage of it to stock up on vitamin D!
