Allergies and gut health

Food as Medicine column

What do allergies, food intolerances and histamine reactions all have in common? Inflammation and poor gut health! This time of year lots of people suffer from hayfever but instead of taking anti-histamines it is a good idea to look at reducing inflammation in the body and improving the gut.

Allergies and hayfever are now incredibly common but this wasn't always the case and it seems modern lifestyles and habits are to blame. We are spending more time indoors, less time in the sun soaking up vitamin D, less time getting our hands dirty in the soil producing our own food and we are often dealing with more stress.

There is a strong link between allergies and an adrenal gland imbalance, the gland that produces hormones such as cortisol. Cortisol regulates stress in the body but also controls inflammation. Adrenal hormones are all synthesized from cholesterol and as I mentioned a few weeks ago cholesterol has an important role to play in immunity by producing vitamin D in the skin, fighting infection and aiding digestion. Butter, eggs, raw milk, cheese, bone broths, meat on the bone and organ meats are good sources. The adrenals also need a high level of vitamin C to function properly, food based supplements or powders such as amla and acerola berries are preferable to more synthetic sources along with plenty of chemical free fruit, berries, veg and herbs. Fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi are not only high in vitamin C but are also full of enzymes and probiotics that help with digestion and improve gut health. Natural unprocessed foods are the body's fuel! If we take medications such as cortisone for allergies this suppresses and weakens our adrenal glands over time so what we need to do instead is repair the adrenals with the above foods and a healthy lifestyle.

Since the adrenals are involved in blood sugar regulation it is good to avoid refined (white) carbohydrates and processed sugars, choose wholegrains such as sourdough bread and brown rice and natural sugars such as ripe fruit and honey instead. The adrenals are also involved in mineral balance in the body so a good unrefined salt such as celtic sea salt is important, along with lots of greens.

Local raw honey helps immunise us against pollen and thankfully there are lots of great beekeepers around the Midlands!

Some herbs that are anti-inflammatory and can help with allergies and hayfever include chamomile (in tea form or as an eye compress), ginger, elderflowers, neem, echinacea and my favourite free food of all, nettles!

Fermented Honey Garlic

Three-quarters fill a jar with peeled garlic cloves and then with raw, local honey. Place the lid on loosely and put a plate underneath in case some liquid escapes and leave to ferment for a month. Then enjoy both cloves and honey as an immune boosting, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergy, adrenal nourishing tonic! Store in a cool, dry place.

Lynda McFarland is a local nutritional therapist, cheft and co-owner of Lowe. & Co Organic Grocery on O'Connell Street, Athlone along with her partner Eddie Lowe. Lowe & Co. opened in 2016 to provide nourishing chemical free food that Lynda's nutrition clients were finding it difficult to source locally, such as sourdough breads and other fermented foods, organic vegetables, meat and dairy. Lynda manages the shop and Eddie manages their small-holding where they grow vegetables and keep chickens and pigs, and hopefully this year, bees for honey. Lowe & Co. is open Thursday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.30pm.