Foods that can ease your spring allergies

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - If the skyrocketing spring pollen count is making you miserable, your local drugstore offers plenty of over-the-counter remedies. 

But Dr. Taz Bhatia, founder of CentreSpring MD, recommends hitting the grocery store, to load up on some inexpensive natural allergy remedies.

"One of my favorites is quercetin," Bhatia says. "And quercetin is an antihistamine and it's also an anti-inflammatory."

Leafy greens like kale are rich in quercetin. So are broccoli, red onions, tomatoes and apples.

Dr. Bhatia also recommends bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapples.

"Bromelain also helps to control histamine and inflammation and acts as a digestive enzyme as well," she explains.

Ginger is another natural allergy-fighting.

"It seems to help the digestive system, and it's also really helpful with inflammation," Bhatia says.  "So, combining apple and pineapple and ginger together into a fun daily drink is something you could do to help you with your spring allergies."

Dr. Taz also swears by honey – especially local honey.

She says local honey can help introduce your immune system to tiny amounts of local pollen, dampening down your body's reactivity when you go outside and are exposed to tree and grass pollens.

And Bhatia says foods that boost digestive health can also help with allergies.

"Some of the foods I like to talk about are probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, or kefir, or kombucha," she says. "In addition to that, things like bone broth can help put good bacteria into the gut."

Finally, Bhatia says, pick up an inexpensive bottle of apple cider vinegar.

"One of the things we know it does is, it balances gut bacteria, and it helps the digestive process," Dr. Bhatia says. "So, maybe adding in a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar once a day, diluting it with 3 tablespoons of water, could help you with spring allergies as well."