Food allergies are affecting 4% of adults and 4% – 6% of children every year [1]. When people suffer from this condition, then their immune system is making mistakes. It is mistaking some substances or food as something that is harmful for your body. This leads to antibodies which are released by your body because your body needs to neutralize the foreign substances. This is a reason why you have many allergic symptoms. The symptoms of the food allergies can range from mild to severe and they can involve the respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract and the skin. There are many symptoms which you can have if you suffer from food allergies such as dizziness, a runny nose, swelling of the lips or other parts of the body, rashes, repetitive coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, hives, stomach pain and vomiting. In the most cases the symptoms of this condition are happening in the first minutes after you have eaten some food to an hour. Any kind of food can cause an adverse reaction. But also there are some kinds of food which can lead to food allergies in the most cases and they are very common such as strawberries, soy, corn, wheat, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, milk and eggs. Any single person can develop food allergy. A history of food allergies, a young age and environmental factors are risk factors that can increase your risk for getting food allergies. Talk with your doctor before you start using some of the mentioned natural remedies.
Here are some natural treatments that can help you to treat food allergies
Apple cider vinegar
It has an antihistamine and medicinal properties which can help you to fight against the symptoms of the food allergies. This product will restore some nutrients in your body which means that you will have better regulation of your immune system. Also when you consume apple cider vinegar, then this natural cure will restore the alkaline pH in your body. In one glass of warm water you should add one tablespoon of unfiltered, raw and organic apple cider vinegar. Add one teaspoon of honey and lemon juice in this mixture. You need to drink this natural remedy two to three times per day until you feel better.
Avoid food allergens
One of the most important things that you should do if you suffer from food allergies is to identify the food which is responsible for this condition. This will help you to get a relief from the symptoms of the food allergies. You know that they cause distress in your body and this is a reason why you need to eliminate them from your diet. You need to write all foods that you have eaten two to three days prior the symptoms of the food allergy have appeared. You need to look for some foods that were new for your body. You need to avoid these foods until you have noticed improvements in your condition. You can consume those foods after the symptoms of the food allergies have disappeared completely. If you have noticed that they cause you allergies again, then you should completely forget about them. Before you buy some kind of food, you need to read the labels and you will know if they have some ingredients which you should avoid. Also, when you are ordering some kind of food in the restaurants, talk with the waiter about the ingredients.
Ginger
If you have some gastrointestinal discomfort that is associated with the food allergies, then you can use ginger as your natural remedy. It has antibacterial, antioxidant and anti – inflammatory properties which can help you to get a relief from diarrhea, indigestion, vomiting, nausea and digestive spasms [2,3]. You need to drink two to three cups of ginger tea every day. In two cups of boiling water you should to simmer a few slices of ginger. Boil them in a period of ten minutes. You need to strain this remedy. You can add honey in the tea if you want to improve the taste of it. You need to drink this remedy while it is still warm. Also you can mix one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of freshly extracted ginger juice. You should consume this remedy before you eat your meals because it will help you to improve your digestion.
Probiotic foods
If you want to ease the diarrhea and stomach pain, then you need to consume more probiotic foods [4]. They have big amounts of lactobacilli which is a good bacteria. This kind of bacteria can help you to treat the digestive problems and to restore the natural balance of your gut bacteria. These foods will boost your immune system. You should consume yogurt with active or live cultures. You should eat two to three cups of unsweetened and plain yogurt. Also there are other probiotic foods which you can consume such as tempeh, kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, kefir etc. You need to use two to three probiotic foods in your diet in a period of one to two weeks.
Green tea
One of the best home remedies which you can use as your natural remedy for treating stomach symptoms that are associated with food allergies is the green tea. The green tea has antihistamine, anti – inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This will boost your immune system and it will improve the function of your digestive system [5]. In one cup you should put one to two teaspoons of green tea and you should pour hot water over it. You should cover the cup and you should allow this remedy to steep for few minutes. You should strain this remedy. You can add lemon and honey in it if you want to improve the taste. You should drink three to four cups of green tea every day.
Lemon
This citrus fruit will boost your immune system [6]. It can help you to prevent the food allergies and also it will help you to treat the symptoms of this condition. It can help you to flush toxins from your system because it works as antitoxin. Also this fruit will keep your body alkaline. In one cup of warm water you should add one juice of one lemon. You should add some honey in this mixture and then you should mix it. The first thing that you should do when you wake up is to drink this mixture. Drink it few times per day. You should drink this mixture every day until you feel improvements in your condition.
Stinging nettle
This herb has anti – inflammatory and antihistamine properties which can help you to treat different types of allergies including food allergy. The stinging nettle will help you to get a relief from some symptoms such as stomach pain, nausea, skin rashes, sneezing and runny nose. In one cup of hot water you should put one tablespoon of dried stinging nettle leaf. Cover this cup. Let it steep for five minutes. Strain this mixture and then you should add small amount of honey in it. You should drink this tea two to three times per day until you feel improvements in your condition. Also you can take nettle capsules but you must talk with your doctor before you start using them.
Garlic
This is a very effective natural cure for food allergies because it has quercetin that is natural antihistamine [7]. Also it has antioxidant, antibiotic and anti – inflammatory properties which can reduce the symptoms of this condition and also they will promote a quick recovery. You should chew two to three garlic cloves every day if you want to win against the symptoms of the food allergies. You need to talk with your doctor before you start using garlic supplements.
Eat foods rich in Vitamin C
This vitamin has immune – boosting and antioxidant properties. This vitamin aids in the removal of toxins from your body and it prevents the formation of histamine. You need to add more fruits which are rich with Vitamin C in your diet such as tomatoes, sprouts, strawberries, bell peppers, kiwi, grapefruit, broccoli, oranges and lemons. Before you start using some of the mentioned fruits, you need to be sure that you are not allergic to some of them. Also you can add Vitamin C supplements in your diet. They can be taken daily but you need to talk with your doctor before you start using them in your diet.
Castor oil
This is also a very effective home remedy for food allergies. This will improve the resistance and the strength of many food items. This will help you to ease the gastrointestinal discomforts that are associated with this condition. In one glass of plain water, vegetable juice or fruit juice you should add ½ teaspoon of castor oil. You should drink this remedy every day on empty stomach. You should drink this remedy every day until you have noticed improvements in your condition.
References:
[1] Liu AH, Jaramillo R, Sicherer SH, et al. National prevalence and risk factors for food allergy and relationship to asthma: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2010;126(4):798-806.
[2] Lete I, Allué J. The effectiveness of ginger in the prevention of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and chemotherapy. Integrative Medicine Insights. 2016;11:11-17.
[3] Ernst E, Pittler MH. Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. British Journal of Anaesthesia. 2000;84(3):367-71.
[4] Harper A, Naghibi MM, Garcha D. The role of bacteria, probiotics and diet in irritable bowel syndrome. Foods. 2018;7(2):13.
[5] Shirai T, Hayakawa H, Akiyama J, et al. Food allergy to green tea. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2003;112(4):805-6.
[6] Talib WH. Consumption of garlic and lemon aqueous extracts combination reduces tumor burden by angiogenesis inhibition, apoptosis induction, and immune system modulation. Nutrition. 2017;43-44:89-97.
[7] Arreola R, Quintero-Fabián S, López-Roa RI, et al. Immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of garlic compounds. Journal of Immunology Research. 2015;2015:401630.
