Allergy-Fighting Foods and Tea

This spring will be perfect for you—if you’re a bird or a bee.

If you’re a human who suffers from allergies, it has the potential to be a nightmare.

After we suffer through the tree pollens in March and April, grass pollens hit most of the country in May and June.

But, Mother Nature has a way of balancing things out. Even as she challenges your sinuses, she offers remedies to ease your pain.

Allergy-Fighting Foods

Try some of these foods known to naturally help with hay fever, congestion, and other allergic reactions when spring is in the air.

• Broccoli

  ​Bring on the broccoli when your sinuses are blocked.

  This member of the crucifer family is high in vitamin C: one cup of raw broccoli contains about 80 milligrams (mg).

  Research has shown 500 mg of Vitamin C daily can ease allergy symptoms.

• Citrus fruits

  Thanks to their mega-doses of vitamin C, citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, and grapefruits are good weapons in the quest to breathe freely when pollen and other irritants are in the air.

• Collard greens

  Collard greens offer allergy-fighting carotenoids.

  To help your body absorb their nutrients more readily, eat collard greens with a fat. Try sautéing them in extra-virgin olive oil.

• Elderberries

  Elderberries contain flavonoids that reduce inflammation.

  Ease your suffering by imbibing some elderberry wine, enjoying a glass of juice, or spreading some jam on toast or crackers.

• Garlic & Onions

  The quercetin in onions and garlic (apples too) acts like an antihistamine so it minimizes allergic reactions.

  Try roasted garlic or carmelized onions on a slice of pizza or with bruschetta.

• Miso soup

  Miso (and other broths) are known to help mitigate the mucus that builds up in the nasal passages during allergy season.

  Other mucus-clearing foods include spicy foods, such as horseradish, cayenne, or chili powder.

• Beets, purple/red grapes

  The anthocyanins that give certain foods, such as beets, purple or red grapes, berries, and cherries, their dark violet-like color have anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce swollen membranes that make breathing difficult.

Tea for Allergy Relief

A wide variety of herbal teas can ease seasonal allergy symptoms. Here are a few to try.

• Rooibos Tea

  Rooibos has components that naturally block the release of histamines.

  Rooibos is even thought to help allergy-sensitive systems to metabolize the irritants.

• Ginger Tea

  Ginger tea is a natural antihistamine that helps reduce nasal inflammation.

• Peppermint Tea

  Peppermint tea is a natural decongestant that can slow the production of histamines and the symptoms that go with them.

• Green Tea

  Green tea is rich in antioxidants and helps block the body’s reaction to allergens like pollen, dust, and animal dander.