Allergies and the Mediterranean Diet

British Studies are showing that the Mediterranean Diet’s aspect of having antioxidant-rich foods is linked to the prevention of allergies and asthma symptoms. Scientists conducted a survey for children that are specifically from the Greek Island of Crete just to get an idea of their eating habits and how their body is functioning regularly. On a normal basis these children were eating “at least twice a day, [and] eight out of 10 children ate fresh fruit, and two-thirds ate fresh vegetables.” These children that followed a healthy eating style showed great benefits specifically towards ‘respiratory problems.’ Another interesting find was that the children who followed this healthy eating habit also showed that they were “less likely to develop air or skin allergies, or asthma symptoms.”

A lot of people seem to think that having allergies or asthma is not a serious condition. The funny thing is that you may think that you don’t have it and eventually develop symptoms for allergies or asthma as you grow older. The knowledge of this study could benefit all of us and it has made me aware of how I should go about my eating habits as well, especially if it is able to help me with these symptoms. At the end of August I began to have symptoms that I have never had in my life. Granted my mom does have Asthma and severe allergies so I’m sure she passed that on to me but it came out of no where. When an individual is suffering from asthma or allergies “their lungs [are] constantly bombarded by foreign bodies, or allergens in the air… [and when] these allergens enter the body, the immune system believes they are harmful….In an effort to protect itself, the body sends out antibodies to fight off the allergens.” It is important to be aware of your health and others around you because you may never know one day when it could possibly affect you.

Several doctors from London believe that everyone’s body needs to have some sort of balance, for instance “a balance between what we breathe in, and the body’s reaction.” Also when it comes to children, these doctors state that most children do not have allergies and an explanation to why they probably do suffer from this problem is because of their unbalanced diet. If this is what doctors seem to believe then the only thing one could think to do is to help other individuals have a healthy balanced diet. That’s where the Mediterranean diet comes into play. We all know, or if you don’t I’m letting you know, that the Mediterranean diet contains plenty of healthy foods and the power of these antioxidants is supreme. These antioxidants are believed to do a lot of good to many areas of the body; “antioxidants are known for their disease-fighting ability…[and] they work to sop-up the so-called free radicals left over in the body as a byproduct of a cell’s day-to-day functions.”

Honestly though, what more could you ask for? Studies have shown that “antioxidants are good for heart disease, good for cancer, and how asthma as well.” It’s a NO-Brainer! The Mediterranean Diet contains plenty of antioxidants. What else? Antioxidants help fight bad things in our body! I say, start the Mediterranean diet and give it a try. You will thank yourself for it ten years from now when you’re looking 20 years younger than all of your friends that didn’t listen to you. Start focusing on a healthy new you and get rid of the bad eating habits. You can do it!

Reference: (1) Owings, Laura. “Mediterranean Diet May Prevent Allergies.” ABCNews Internet Ventures. 2008. 5 April 2007 <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=3008436&page=1>