The Connection Between Seasonal Allergies and Food Sensitivities
Seasonal allergies are super annoying all year long, especially during the spring and fall. In the spring, all that new growth elevates the pollen in the air and then in the fall when the season changes the left over, moldy pollen is again stirred up and blown around. Both seasons cause many people respiratory distress in the form of asthma, excessive mucus production, runny noses and watery eyes. But did you know that the same culprit – grasses- are one of the most used category of ingredients in baked goods! If you get sick when you breathe them, they may also be making you sick inside when you eat them!
Seasonal allergies, more commonly referred to as ‘hay fever’, are estimated to affect 10-30% of people worldwide (1). That is between 7.98 million and 2.94 billion people! Hay is made from dried grasses and is used to feed animals in the winter, typically. The edible grasses that we typically consume as humans (in the form of flours, grains and sweeteners) are wheat, barley, rye, oat, millet, sorghum, teff, spelt, corn, rice and sugarcane.
Now, take a step back and think about this. If 10-30% of the population, which is roughly 1/3 of the population, suffer from upper respiratory inflammation and problems when they breathe these grasses, then it wouldn’t seem too far a reach that when they ingest/eat them they could then develop digestive inflammation problems.
Get the connection?
Furthermore, one of the most overlooked connections to the alarming rise in autoimmune disease development is the detrimental affects of chronic inflammation in humans. This chronic inflammation is widespread in the body, affecting all parts of the body.
When the immune system is running constantly, as with chronic inflammation, then the propensity to develop whatever autoimmune problem that a person has in their particular genome (genetics) is greatly amplified. According to Hopkins Medical;
“On a basic level, autoimmune disease occurs because the body’s natural defenses — the immune system — attack the body’s own healthy tissue. Researchers have several ideas about why this happens. When the body senses danger from a virus or infection, the immune system kicks into gear and attacks it.”(2)
What we eat is so important for our health. It is the first person consuming of foods that will either enhance or detract from our overall health. Yes, there are lots of environmental toxins we encounter, but by sheer volume what we eat is the largest contributor to our digestive health. With that in mind, if we do suffer from seasonal allergies it would be wise to at least consider reducing or eliminating the grains, flours of grains (both gluten and non-gluten) and sweeteners from corn and cane sugar to see if it makes a difference in our overall health.
I know this can be overwhelming to think about, let alone do, because I was once right where you may be. My daughter got sick and we found out that the combination of wheat and sugar ingredients were the culprit. I couldn’t even imagine a life without wheat and sugar as I had been raised eating the Standard American Diet (SAD for short). My daughter and I made a pinky promise to one day provide the resources and products that we wished would have been available for us back then (in 2004). Grain Free Mama’s has officially launched our online training, Sustainable Clean Eating Made Simple.
In this 5 module, self-paced course you will learn:
- Why gluten free eating is only scratching the surface and how all the grains cause elevated inflammation.
- The connection from gut health to clear thinking (Having a ‘gut feeling’ is really the truth.)
- How establishing a healthy mindset toward food is the most important factor for success.
- How to take back control of your food choices and enable yourself to eliminate food guilt.
- An overview of foods and how they interrelate to optimize good health.
- How to read ‘between the lines’ with ingredient labels.
- And much, much more!
We are committed to helping people to take back control of their health, eating patterns and enjoyment of eating. Life is a beautiful adventure and eating is one of the truest pleasures. As a sign of our commitment to be part of the solution, we are offering our online course at 50% off for the first 100 who sign up! Instead of the regular price of $99.95, this course can be yours for $49.98 (for a limited time).
Take action and sign up TODAY.
Sources:
(1) World Health Organization. White Book on Allergy 2011-2012 Executive Summary. By Prof. Ruby Pawankar, MD, PhD, Prof. Giorgio Walkter Canonica, MD, Prof. Stephen T. Holgate, BSc, MD, DSc, FMed Sci and Prof. Richard F. Lockey, MD.
Written by Margie Traxler
Grain Free Mama’s is a FoodTech Consumer Product Goods company. We make gluten/grain/sugar free (Edible Grasses Free), dairy free and botanical nut free baking mixes that put the simple back into simply good for you. We also have educational resources to help you on your healthy eating journey. Margie, the Founder/CEO, received her B.S. in Biology from Portland State University. She has 22 years of experience as a successful Restaurant owner. She lives and operates her business in Henderson, Nevada.
