Spring is officially here! We’ve had a few warm days on the East coast, and I am looking forward to more this week!  But with Spring and warmth, come buds, bugs and allergies! For me, every year is different. Sometimes I get hit with seasonal allergies, other years I manage to avoid it entirely.  I have concluded that the key is keeping your immune and digestive systems clean, so your body can do its job properly. How do you keep your systems clean? Here are a few tricks I have tried that have worked over the years.

1. Acupuncture: I am a HUGE advocate of this ancient Chinese practice. I have gone to acupuncture for nearly everything from the common cold to allergies to bunions on my feet.  After several acupuncture visits one year, I noticed my allergies clearing up, and am happy to say they have rarely come back after that.

2. Diet “No’s”:  Limiting foods like gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, pasta), dairy and sugar in the Spring help keep your body clear of phlegm and that general “stuffiness” feeling. Dr. John Douillard, a leading Ayurvedic practitioner and founder of Life Spa  in Colorado, suggests that avoiding milk and other dairy products (yogurt is exempt in my opinion) in the spring will help prevent colds and allergies.   Milk is a strong mucus-producer and refrigerating or drinking it cold produces even more mucus. In the Spring, you want to avoid mucus-making foods.

3. Seasonal Eating: Along with what to not to eat in the Spring, focusing on seasonal eating will help keep your body in check with nature’s rhythms. Nature is the time to detoxify from the heavy foods of the winter.    Foods to concentrate on are low-fat, lower calorie foods like tender, leafy vegetables such as swiss chard, spinach and romaine lettuce, sprouts, berries, legumes like lentils and yellow split peas, radishes and onions. These all help promote the body’s natural function to reset its baseline and begin the ability to metabolize fat and detoxify.

4. Do some light exercise: Exercise like yoga or walking will help get the body in shape, promote deep breathing (which helps cleanse and detoxify your body), and keep your body systems healthy and more able to fight germs and allergens.

Keeping your body strong and healthy is not as difficult as it seems. Aim to make one change per week, such as adding in a new leafy green, trying a new recipe or walking 10 minutes per day. One by one, you will notice improvements in your diet, lifestyle and overall health.

If you have any ideas to share on how to prevent or get rid of seasonal allergies – share them here!