Sour cream, smoked fish and other products that increase the risk of spring allergies

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Hay fever is an allergic reaction caused by pollen, a fine powder of plants. For some, hay fever can cause reactions so severe that it interferes with their daily lives, especially since there is currently no cure.

Those who suffer from hay fever should try to avoid foods with high levels of histamine — a chemical substance that is released to fight allergens in the body. It's usually released around areas of infection, such as around the nose and eyes, which means symptoms will affect those areas.

While all foods contain some amount of histamine, nutritionist Priya Tew emphasized that some have lower levels of histamine. higher than others. She said:

“If you already have a lot of histamine in your body because your body is reacting to an allergen, then by eating higher levels of histamine, you potentially increase that inflammatory cascade. That's why, for some people, switching to a low-histamine diet can relieve hay fever symptoms.”

Continuing to explain which specific foods have higher levels of histamine and should therefore be avoided by hay fever sufferers, Tew said:

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“It is known that high levels of histamine are found in everything that is packaged. We are talking about meat and fish. But it is also found in fermented foods, including fermented dairy products. It's actually in a whole bunch of different foods, and that's what can make it difficult.

When you're trying to eliminate all of these foods from your diet, it can be quite a chore. These are things like aged milk cheese, sour cream, packaged meat and smoked fish.