Foods that trigger Asthma

Asthma being a chronic inflammatory condition, food will inevitably play a part in triggering an attack or managing the condition. Do you know the list of foods that can trigger asthma?

 Let’s firstly understand how food plays a part in increasing your risk of asthma symptoms.

Food can be a trigger for your asthma symptoms because you are either allergic or intolerant to it.

• If you are allergic to certain foods, this means that you can have an allergic reaction very quickly when you come into contact your allergenic food. The allergic reaction then triggers your asthma symptoms (coughing, wheezing and difficulty breathing). The allergy is typically connected to the immune system.

• Being intolerant to a food is different to being allergic. Typically, symptoms will manifest 30min to days after ingestion of an intolerant food. Once again, it is the intolerant symptoms such as stomach bloating, cramping or diarrhoea that can trigger the asthma symptoms.

The most common foods that can trigger asthma:

Although there are many foods that may cause an intolerance or allergy in someone, there are some foods types that are more common than others.

The most common foods allergens are:

• gluten (from wheat and cereal products),

• cows milk

• shellfish,

• eggs,

• tree nuts,

• peanuts,

• sesame seeds, and

• soya.

The most common food intolerances that can trigger asthma are:

• Histamine – this is a naturally produced ingredient in some foods such as yogurt, mature cheese, fruits, left over food, fermented food and smoked meats.

• Sulphites – these are used as preservatives in foods such as processed meats, pickled foods, dried fruits, sprayed onto fruit such as grapes and also found in drinks such as wine, beer and cider.

You know what your food triggers are, so where to from here?

It may seem obvious that avoidance of known food triggers is key, but this is just managing the symptoms and a band aid approach. It doesn’t stop here.

The work continues with treating the root causes so that the body can better handle the allergen or intolerant food. The root cause(s) include:

• Nutrition and gut microbiome

• Internal & external toxins

• Stress and mindset

To take an holistic approach, I like to use the 4 R approach:

1. REMOVE – all packaged and processed food in addition to any known trigger foods

2. REPLACE – with whole & real food

3. RESTORE – balance with healing nutrition such as bone broth and fermented foods

4. REPLENISH – the whole person with lifestyle choices that enhance emotional wellbeing

With the 4 R approach, you can either do it step by step or simultaneously, the choice is yours.

In order to speed up your results, maintain momentum and keep you on track, it is highly recommended that you work with a specialist so that a plan can be tailored to suit your family’s unique needs.

To find out how I can assist you on this journey or if one of programs are fit for you you, email me at info@chantalkhoury.com.au or send me a message via my contact page.

Chantal is a Certified and Accredited Nutrition Wellness Coach with a very special interest in helping stressed and overwhelmed mums transform the health of their family using healing nutrition and transformational wellness practices.