Dr. Psenka's Seasonal Allergy Solution by Jonathan Psenka

Author:Jonathan Psenka
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rodale
Published: 2014-02-20T16:00:00+00:00

Modifying the Mediterranean Diet for You

I recommend the modified Mediterranean diet for more than just its potential as an antiallergy diet. Aside from its antiallergy powers—which are great—I recommend this diet to my patients because it is a varied, vegetable-rich plan; it has a low glycemic load, so it doesn’t cause rapid elevations in blood sugar; and it provides adequate protein and fiber. Perhaps most important, the modified Mediterranean diet is not restrictive—it provides lots of food choices. With a lot of other diets, you’re limited to eating certain foods for a defined period of time, but the modified Mediterranean diet is an eating plan you can stay on—and enjoy—indefinitely.

As an important side note, if you have an allergy or sensitivity to one of the foods in the modified Mediterranean diet, you will want to find appropriate substitutes for that food. Luckily, this eating plan is very flexible and offers lots of healthful alternatives.

To make the modified Mediterranean diet even more palatable, both in the true sense of the word and in terms of your lifestyle, here are some tips to try.

Boost your omega-3s. The most important element of the modified Mediterranean diet in terms of allergies, inflammation, and overall health is omega-3 fatty acids. As discussed, both omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are essential, meaning your body doesn’t make them; instead, you have to get them from food or supplements. Some omega-6 fatty acids, like those found in vegetable oil and many processed foods, are proinflammatory unless you balance them with the appropriate amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Most experts recommend aiming for an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1:1 or 2:1.

Not only do omega-3 fatty acids help keep inflammation at bay by counteracting omega-6s, but omega-3 fatty acids may also help fight allergies.31 One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids is oily fish, but there’s a limit to how much fish you can eat. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, all fish and shellfish contain some mercury. To be safe, I recommend that you limit yourself to no more than two servings of seafood per week. This is especially important for children and women of childbearing age.32

Besides oily fish, there are a number of other food sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These include flaxseed, chia, and spirulina (a blue-green freshwater algae). Recently, food manufacturers have been making an effort to advertise their products as being fortified with omega-3s. Products like cereal, milk, and eggs are often labeled as good sources. Those with allergies or sensitivities to wheat, dairy, or eggs will obviously want to avoid these foods. Furthermore, how much beneficial omega-3 fatty acids these products really contain is sometimes suspect, so I certainly wouldn’t rely on these foods to fulfill your omega-3 quota.

One of the best nonfish ways to get some omega-3 fatty acids is to consume flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid that has been found to be protective against the symptoms of asthma.33 You can buy flaxseed in bulk in most health food grocery stores.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.