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I'm having another bout of allergies because I slipped backwards and started eating some wheat products, which really makes my seasonal allergies much worse. Yesterday I started researching foods that create mucus, and foods that are either very low to no mucus producers or also help eliminate mucus. Rather than treat the allergies after the fact, it surely makes more sense to eat a diet that should lead to a lot less reaction to pollen, and possibly even prevent the allergy blues.
I'm just beginning to switch over to a mucus free diet. It's been an eye opener seeing which foods are high mucus producers. Soy, rice, eggs, most grains, tofu, wheat, cereals, flour and potatoes are some of the highest. Who knew? There's all the usual suspects too like red meat, dairy, sugar, oils (especially cooked oils), oranges, etc. The diet I'm putting together for myself should be cruelty free (no dead animals, no milk products, etc), and also made with low glycemic organic foods that don't spike your insulin production. Roasted nuts seem to be a better bet than raw nuts, and of course organic is better than non organic. If you eat fish, baked or roasted non-farmed salmon looks very beneficial. Buying a good ceramic or other non stick pan will allow oil free cooking, and you can save the pure virgin olive oil for the salads.
There are links below to the food lists and two recipes. Upon first seeing these lists, you'll probably wonder what on earth you can eat, like I did. Well, there's a LOT of foods you can eat, and many which are not OK raw are fine cooked. These lists are NOT rules. Transitioning slowly to a mucus free diet is best for most folks, and don't be a fanatic. If you really like a food that's high mucus, just eat less of it initially. Anyone w/ allergies already knows to avoid cold foods, fatty foods, use a saline spray or nettie pot regularly, get plenty of rest, exercise, drink lots of filtered water, etc. The last link is a super easy sweet potato hash brown recipe. This is more about food as a medicine, as well as being nutritious. NOTE: The source ideas on one of the links below seem pretty "out there" to me, and there's no need to swallow anyone else's philosophies. I used these links only because they're well organized and concise, and the mucus free idea is sound, proven science. Checking w/ other sources, I'd say that the lists below are accurate. Use the source's philosophies at your own risk! Dr Sebi does sound relatively well grounded in reality to me though.
This morning I had homemade sweet potato hash browns w/ onions, garlic, Tahini, and roasted pecans, along w/ a half red grapefruit, and a power blend by throwing strawberries, blueberries, raw honey, grated ginger, 3 small sliced carrots, a hot pepper, and an apple, pear, and some pineapple w/ plenty of filtered water into the blender. For dinner, wild rice takes the place of regular rice, etc.
Sounds good, dairy products and wheats are huge and I need to stop eating some cheese especially later in the evening. Morning mucous is probably from cheese. I eat sweet potatoes a couple times a week....today it's sweet potatoe and asparagus and chopped sirloin steak stir fried in coconut oil. Grape seed ex has gotten me off all allergy meds.
I'm having another bout of allergies because I slipped backwards and started eating some wheat products, which really makes my seasonal allergies much worse. Yesterday I started researching foods that create mucus, and foods that are either very low to no mucus producers or also help eliminate mucus. Rather than treat the allergies after the fact, it surely makes more sense to eat a diet that should lead to a lot less reaction to pollen, and possibly even prevent the allergy blues.
I'm just beginning to switch over to a mucus free diet. It's been an eye opener seeing which foods are high mucus producers. Soy, rice, eggs, most grains, tofu, wheat, cereals, flour and potatoes are some of the highest. Who knew? There's all the usual suspects too like red meat, dairy, sugar, oils (especially cooked oils), oranges, etc. The diet I'm putting together for myself should be cruelty free (no dead animals, no milk products, etc), and also made with low glycemic organic foods that don't spike your insulin production. Roasted nuts seem to be a better bet than raw nuts, and of course organic is better than non organic. If you eat fish, baked or roasted non-farmed salmon looks very beneficial. Buying a good ceramic or other non stick pan will allow oil free cooking, and you can save the pure virgin olive oil for the salads.
There are links below to the food lists and two recipes. Upon first seeing these lists, you'll probably wonder what on earth you can eat, like I did. Well, there's a LOT of foods you can eat, and many which are not OK raw are fine cooked. These lists are NOT rules. Transitioning slowly to a mucus free diet is best for most folks, and don't be a fanatic. If you really like a food that's high mucus, just eat less of it initially. Anyone w/ allergies already knows to avoid cold foods, fatty foods, use a saline spray or nettie pot regularly, get plenty of rest, exercise, drink lots of filtered water, etc. The last link is a super easy sweet potato hash brown recipe. This is more about food as a medicine, as well as being nutritious. NOTE: The source ideas on one of the links below seem pretty "out there" to me, and there's no need to swallow anyone else's philosophies. I used these links only because they're well organized and concise, and the mucus free idea is sound, proven science. Checking w/ other sources, I'd say that the lists below are accurate. Use the source's philosophies at your own risk! Dr Sebi does sound relatively well grounded in reality to me though.
This morning I had homemade sweet potato hash browns w/ onions, garlic, Tahini, and roasted pecans, along w/ a half red grapefruit, and a power blend by throwing strawberries, blueberries, raw honey, grated ginger, 3 small sliced carrots, a hot pepper, and an apple, pear, and some pineapple w/ plenty of filtered water into the blender. For dinner, wild rice takes the place of regular rice, etc.
I see a lot of focus in your post on "health foods" and "natural foods". My question is have you ever tried getting simple conventional treatment for allergies?
I did exactly that. I saw an ear, nose, and throat doctor and underwent a series of allergy shots approximately once a week for three years. I would say that improved my allergies about 85%. Now, if you've already done this and you still have a serious problem, I could see considering diet and all these dietary changes. However, allergy treatment works for most of those who undertake it.
If you have an issue with phlegm coating the back of your throat overnight and then trying to cough it up in the morning- try some fresh lemon juice in a half cup of warm water. It breaks up the phlegm in a minute or two.
I have a particular problem with my sinuses draining down the back of my throat when tree pollen is really bad. I buy 3 lemons and squeeze out the juice into a measuring cup and add water to make one cup of liquid. I put this mixture in one of those mini ice cube trays to freeze. First thing in the morning I heat a half cup of water in the microwave and then add one small ice cube. It quickly takes care of the build up of the sticky phlegm in the back of my throat.
Don't overdue this by doing this more than once a day - as too much can cause your sinuses to drain non stop. You might want to try it to see if it works for you.
I did a lifetime of antihistime drugs and the allergist visits and his shots, even got to the point of taking the needle and solutions home to give myself shots...and NEVER got better.... Grape Seed Extract did it in 1995...I'd never be off this antioxidant. I'm 78 this year so started the drug world probably in my 20's....or sooner.
Dairy products do mess us up mucous wise.
Last edited by jaminhealth; 03-18-2016 at 11:52 AM..
Here's an update. Two days after starting this diet, along w/ Flonase daily, my usual vitamin supplements, and once a day sinus rinse w/ OTC saline spray (just turn your head sideways and squirt the liquid in one nostril, then the other one, and watch out that you don't unsqueeze the bottle and suck the stuff back into in), my sinuses cleared out totally, and I had the best night's sleep in a long time. Spent a long time blowing my nose getting all this crap out, but it was worth it. It's very important to drink lots of good water daily too and avoid cold foods. Not doing this will cause your mucus to thicken and cause all sorts of problems. I bought a Brita pitcher from a thrift store for $2, some filters on eBait, and use that for all our drinking and cooking water at home.
You still have to follow common sense when dealing w/ allergy problems, like wiping down your shirt, head hair, face, arms, and whatever is exposed to pollen when you come home from outside on high pollen days. I do this as a routine, often hopping back into the shower for a quick rinse off, and here in Florida heat, that feels great. I can feel my breath at the back of my nose for the first time in a long time, and my my energy level and mood have gone WAY up. Eyes don't have that puffy, tired out look. You know how it is when allergies hit, it's hard to get out and exercise, so this part has been a treat.
I suspect that along w/ my allergies, I have been making myself sick by eating totally the wrong things. Even though I'm basically vegan, many of the things I ate were all wrong, like soy, cooked olive oil, granola, grits, the wrong type of nuts (almonds are one of the few somewhat alkaline nuts) and a lot more. There is a ton of research and hard science on why everyone should eat a highly alkaline diet, and below is a better list of acidic and alkaline foods. It's important to remember that while some foods may be somewhat acidic, they may turn alkaline in the digestion process, which is why some of the foods seem contradictory. I am really beginning to like quinoa, a seed actually and not a grain, mixed up w/ a few almonds and some fresh pineapple, along w/ a pepper or two and a dash of hot sauce. Some raw, organic, unfiltered honey is fantastic w/ anything, as is a little ginger, and organic, unfiltered apple cider (w/ the mother) are all powerful alkaline anti oxidants.
Actually, I never mentioned health foods or natural foods. Those terms are marketing hype that have no meaning. What I said was to eat organic if possible, since who wants to consume pesticides?, buy fresh and local if possible, and go to an alkaline diet that is plant based if possible. That's the key, along w/ the other things I mentioned. Why go to a doctor when you're sick, when the idea is to get yourself healthy, stay healthy, and not get sick? And yes, I have seen numerous specialists, and participated in many allergy trials. Trust me, most pharmaceutical drugs are poison, and living a healthy life on a healthy diet will work for everyone, to one extent or another.
Now if I broke my leg I would go to a doctor, but otherwise, western medicine has been proven to be a bad way to go for many illnesses that are really about toxic diets and lifestyles. If someone is looking for a pill or a shot to fix themselves, good luck. One needs to look at the whole picture of health and optimize it. Or spend all your time and money going to doctors for problems we probably created ourselves. Sounds dumb, unless you're the doctor getting rich I guess. But still, a good physical and labs once a year if you're an elder like me is good advice just to see, and the cost is minimal. If someone has a physical issue like blocked sinuses or a deviated septum, then that should be addressed, but even w/ such problems, this diet will really help.
I did see your post on another thread on grape seed extract jaminhealth, and thanks! After reading about your results, I bought a bottle of French Maritime Pine Bark capsules, which has similar content and effect, and eat one of those caps daily w/ my supplements. The science on this and grape seed extract is very sound. Some of this stuff attracts the tinfoil hat crowd, but I am interested in provable hard science, and everything I have suggested is based on facts, not hype or internet myths.
I have been watching those alkaline/acid food charts for some yrs.
As I've said the grape seed ex has kept me free of drugs for 21 yrs soon. Good that you are working with this antioxidant. I also like Muscadine grape seed as it's high in resveratrol. I ignore the tinfoil hat naysayers...I know what works for me and many doing what I do.
This last year has been hard on many including myself. I was taking a collagen product which contained 22 amino acids and one is histidine....histidine is related to histimine and after some months on it I was beginning to have horrible mucous issues when I woke up...so with some others we deduced the histidine amino acid was the culprit...so I went off this collagen product.
The morning mucus is so much less and IF I don't eat any cheese later in the day, it's almost magic, no mucus....last evening I had some celery with cream cheese and sure enough mucus this morning, not bad but it was there.
So working with foods and knowing the food charts is valuable. Being aware of what is doing negatives to our bodies.
And of course, for a break or major issues, I'd see a western MD, but otherwise I'm been awakened starting over 25 yrs ago.
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