superfood anti-allergy

Currently, there is no food that is labeled as a "super food" that can directly cure allergies. Some foods with high nutrient density can indeed help relieve allergic symptoms and reduce the frequency of attacks by regulating immune barriers and reducing chronic inflammation levels. However, their effects cannot replace drugs at all, and the effects vary greatly among individuals and cannot be generalized.

Two weeks ago, I met a sophomore girl who came for consultation. She was suffering from allergic rhinitis in the spring when the sycamore trees were blooming. I read someone on Xiaohongshu who said that drinking a cup of acai berry powder every day for half a month would cut off the rhinitis. I immediately stopped taking loratadine. On the third day after drinking it, I couldn't breathe and went to the emergency room. I was diagnosed with an acute attack of allergic asthma. Fortunately, it was delivered in time and nothing serious happened.

It’s not that all these super foods are just IQ taxes. I have a friend who has been suffering from chronic urticaria for almost 10 years. He used to have it two or three times a month. He was so itchy that he couldn’t sleep and had to take desensitizers. Last year, he followed me and adjusted his diet. He replaced his daily iced milk tea with unsweetened freshly squeezed prickly pear juice. He ate steamed cod twice a week and grabbed a handful of almonds with the skin as a snack every day. He only had it twice last year, which even he found incredible.

There is actually quite a fierce quarrel between the two schools of thought on this issue: Most doctors in the allergology department believe that "super food allergy relief" is pure marketing. After all, the core mechanism of allergy is IgE-mediated immune disorder. Patients who have identified allergens, no matter how much Omega3 and quercetin they eat, will still have an attack when they are exposed to dust mites and pollen. In serious cases, they should get desensitization injections and hormones. It is purely a waste of time to expect to eat some blueberry and chia seeds to cure the disease.

Practitioners of functional medicine and clinical nutrition are more inclined to the auxiliary value of dietary intervention - after all, the severity of allergic attacks is directly linked to the body's chronic inflammation level, and these so-called super foods either have a much higher Omega3 content than ordinary ingredients (such as salmon, chia Seeds), or are rich in antioxidants and quercetin (such as prickly pear, cranberry, onion), and some are rich in probiotics and prebiotics that regulate intestinal flora. Long-term consumption can suppress the body's inflammation baseline. Even if you are exposed to allergens, the symptoms of an attack will be much milder and recovery will be faster.

Oh, by the way, the most controversial thing here is the anti-allergic effect of probiotics. Two years ago, there were studies saying that specific strains can improve atopic dermatitis in infants and young children. Last year, a new large-sample clinical study said that it has no intervention effect on seasonal allergic rhinitis in adults. Among the clients I have contacted, some people took Lactobacillus rhamnosus for three months and their eczema disappeared, while others took it for half a year and saw no change. To put it bluntly, it is related to each person’s own intestinal flora status, and there is no universal “god strain”.

We ordinary consumers really don’t need to pay attention to those imported superfoods that are priced at hundreds of dollars per kilogram. I have calculated that the vitamin C content of Camu Camu powder is indeed high, but if you eat two fresh kiwis every day, plus half a kilogram of cherry tomatoes, you will consume the same amount of vitamin C and antioxidants, and you don’t have to worry about buying fake products adulterated with maltodextrin.

A final word of caution: Don’t think that eating these foods will make everything okay. I’ve seen too many people stop taking antihistamines after eating kale juice for a week, and end up with so much swelling that they can’t even open their eyes and ask me why it didn’t work. Food is always a supplement. If allergies have affected normal sleep, work, and school, the first priority is to go to the hospital to check the allergens and follow the doctor's advice to take medication.

Oh yes, there is another tip that I often use. If you sneeze and get a headache when you have rhinitis in spring, don’t eat high-sugar milk tea cakes, and don’t touch alcohol or spicy things. Boil some onion water and drink it, add a few slices of lemon to it. I have personally tested that it can slightly relieve the symptoms of nasal itching. Of course, if you say that drinking this will make you feel better immediately, that is impossible. It is just a small way to make yourself feel better.