Anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory foods

There is currently no "special effect food" that can 100% cure allergies or chronic inflammation. It has been jointly verified by the global nutrition community and allergology departments that it can indeed help alleviate allergies and reduce low-level inflammation. The core is foods rich in Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, quercetin, plant polyphenols, and active vitamins C/D. The premise of all effects is that you are not allergic to such foods and do not destroy the active ingredients with high-sugar and high-oil cooking methods.

A while ago, I helped a colleague who suffers from allergic rhinitis every March to adjust his diet. He followed the trend and drank the "anti-allergic soup" uploaded online for half a month, which was composed of pears, honey and ginger slices. As a result, he sneezed more fiercely. After checking, I found out that he was moderately allergic to pollen-related raw honey, which is equivalent to actively eating allergens every day. It would be strange if the inflammation can be eliminated.

The first anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory ingredients that many people think of are deep-sea fish, such as salmon, sardines, and saury. The EPA and DHA in them are animal-derived Omega-3s. They are the anti-inflammatory ingredients with the most research data at present. They can reduce the level of inflammatory factors in the body, and their alleviating effects on eczema and allergic rhinitis have been supported by many clinical data. However, there are also differences here: scholars in the field of vegetarian nutrition research believe that plant-derived Omega-3, such as chia seeds and flax seeds, can increase the conversion rate and achieve similar effects as long as they are eaten in sufficient amounts for a long time (about 10g per day) with a small amount of vitamin E. However, some clinical nutritionists from tertiary hospitals pointed out that the conversion rate of plant-based Omega-3 is less than 5% for ordinary adults. Unless they are strict vegetarians, it is not as straightforward as eating about 100g of deep-sea fish twice a week. Both statements are supported by their own research. Everyone can choose according to their own dietary preferences. There is no need to argue about right or wrong.

Let’s talk about affordable prices. You don’t have to buy imported super foods every now and then. I was prone to facial contact dermatitis in the spring of the past two years, which caused redness and itchiness. During that time, I was too lazy to bother with it. I bought a bunch of purple grapes with skins on my way to get off work every day, and occasionally drank a cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice without sugar. The redness faded almost faster than before by simply applying ointments. 3 days - The anthocyanins and ellagic acid in these two are strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients, and can also help inhibit the release of histamine. To put it bluntly, it suppresses those immune cells in your body that are always ready to "explode" and prevent them from causing allergic reactions such as redness, swelling, and itching. Oh yes, there are also onions, one of the common ingredients with the highest quercetin content. Don’t feel rushed, cut it and let it fry for 10 minutes, or add a little bit when mixing salad. It is much more cost-effective to take it for a long time than buying hundreds of quercetin supplements.

Oh, by the way, there is another point that is easily overlooked: don’t make up your cooking methods.

If you wrap salmon in bread crumbs and fry it until golden brown, and boil purple grapes into jam with half a can of sugar, the active ingredients in it will have been destroyed long ago, and a bunch of extra pro-inflammatory sugar and trans fat will be added, which will have the opposite effect.

A lot of people have been asking about turmeric recently. Is this internet celebrity ingredient really useful? There are indeed in vitro experiments proving that the anti-inflammatory ability of curcumin is several times that of aspirin, but please note that it must be combined with the piperine in black pepper to increase the absorption rate by 20 times. Otherwise, no matter how much you eat, it will be in vain. And there are different opinions: Doctors of gastroenterology generally do not recommend that people with gastric ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome eat more turmeric. Its irritation will aggravate the inflammation of the digestive tract and have the opposite effect. So don’t follow the trend of drinking turmeric milk every day. First, check whether your stomach can tolerate it.

Last time I met a little girl in the nutrition department of the hospital. She had stocked up on the so-called "anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory super food powder" worth nearly 2,000 yuan. After drinking it for half a month, she broke out in rashes all over her face. She thought it was "detoxification". However, after checking the allergens, it was found that she was allergic to the chia seeds added to the powder. It was equivalent to drinking allergens every day. What a loss.

By the way, let me mention a pitfall that many people step on: Don’t just eat food with an “anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic” label. The first step is always to find out what your allergens are. For example, many people say that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and kale are anti-inflammatory, but a small number of people are allergic to cruciferous isothiocyanates. Eating them can cause respiratory edema and rashes. Then to you, this is a “pro-inflammatory food”, no matter how good it is, it will be useless.

If you really encounter acute allergies or severe inflammation, take medicine first and see a doctor first. Don't rely on diet therapy. Diet therapy is a long-term supplement. You don’t need to deliberately stock up on expensive internet celebrity ingredients. Eat two meals of deep-sea fish a week, eat some dark fruits with skins every day, drink less milk tea and eat less high-fat fried foods. It is much more effective than spending a lot of money on a bunch of supplements, right?