If you have food allergies, then your symptoms may include nasal congestion, skin rashes, swollen lips and tongue, airway obstruction, sneezing, and runny nose. These responses are caused by high levels of histamine in your bloodstream caused by an allergen. While you may need to have immunotherapy injections on a regular basis to relieve your symptoms, your physician specializing in food allergy treatment services may recommend the following interventions to help minimize your allergic reactions.

Consume A Low Histamine Diet

Your allergist may recommend a low histamine diet to prevent mast cells from releasing large amounts of histamine into your bloodstream. While low histamine diets may be more effective in people who are histamine intolerant, they work well in those who have food allergies.

Your allergist will recommend that you avoid histamine-rich foods such as fermented foods including pickles, sauerkraut, and kefir, processed foods such as deli meats, bacon, and hot dogs, canned tuna, chocolate, ketchup, spinach, and eggplant. Instead, your doctor will recommend that you eat low-histamine foods such as broccoli, apples, brown rice, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, fresh meats and poultry such as chicken, turkey, ground beef, and egg yolks.

Vitamin C Supplements

Another effective remedy for food allergy symptoms your allergist may recommend is taking vitamin C supplements. Vitamin C has antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties and may be just as effective as over-the-counter antihistamines such as diphenhydramine in managing the symptoms of food allergies. Taking vitamin C supplements may be preferable to eating vitamin C-rich foods such as oranges, pineapple, and lemons because these foods can trigger the release of histamine.

It is important to note, that while vitamin C supplements can help prevent your mast cells from releasing large amounts of histamine into your circulation, they can raise your risk for acid reflux, bloating, abdominal cramping, and diarrhea. If you suffer from acid reflux disease or other digestive problems, your allergist may recommend that you take a non-prescription antihistamine to reduce your food allergy symptoms instead of relying on vitamin C supplements.

To learn more about food allergy symptoms and treatments, make an appointment with your primary care physician or allergist. You may need to undergo allergy testing in addition to following an elimination diet to determine which foods you are sensitive to. After your doctor determines which foods you are allergic to, a treatment plan will be then implemented to help reduce future allergic reactions.

Contact a food allergy treatment service to learn more.