Pollen vortex
New Supervillan or your worst nightmare? Could be both I suppose, especially if you or your kids suffer from seasonal allergies. With the late Spring this year, apparently all the pollen in the city (and maybe the world) will fall around the same time…and land on your children.
Fear not! If your child is sneezing all over everything this morning-don’t go to the doctor just yet. There are some natural remedies that can help you as well as additional ways to boost your immunity to counteract all the sniffling and itchy red eyes. Time to bring out the allergy ninja (that’s you).
Stop and smell the flowers…the proverbial flowers. By this I mean stop stressing! Stress is a major link to all inflammation in the body, including allergies. Take some deep breaths (maybe not directly next to a pollenating tree), plan some fun activities with your children and RELAX.
Exercise. Move your body every day. This will help your body flush out all the toxins, de-stress and boost your immune system, keeping you in tip top shape. Plus if you see the vortex coming, you can run away!
Increase antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet. A berry parfait made with probiotic yogurt or kefir, some BBQ’d salmon with a beautiful green salad, a handful of walnuts-the possibilities are endless. These will build your immune system to handle everything being thrown its way. Try to get as much vitamin C as you can through food (berries, citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli and kiwi to name a few) but if you find that difficult-take a good quality vitamin C supplement.
Hydrate and increase your fibre intake. Your body is a working machine and needs these items to work properly. Help your body stay healthy by drinking lots of water and eating whole grains. Vegetable trays are great ways to get kids to eat veggies and up their fibre too-just watch those dips. Hummus is an excellent option vs. high fat sour cream dips or salad dressings.
Get some sleep! This goes hand in hand with removing stress from your life. Sleep is necessary for your body to repair and rebuild, especially when it comes to children. Even with summer being unpredictable, try to stick to a reasonable and scheduled bedtime (as often as you can). A well-rested child will be stronger and better able to face the attacking allergens in the air. Like a ninja.
Last, and this is the hardest trick to follow, limit sweets. Sugar can wreak havoc on your immune system. It causes stress and inflammation. Try to stick to naturally sweet and delicious fruits that are available locally in the warmer weather, or natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup. If you must have something sweet, have it, enjoy it and move on. Don’t stress about it.
Allergies are going to happen. By following these immune boosting tricks, you’re at the very least giving you and your family the best chance against a full blown attack from the pollen vortex. Let the allergy ninjas take over and kick the pollen right out of that vortex. Take the pre-emptive strike and it won’t stand a chance.
By: Shannon Boyce