Disclaimer: After tons and tons of research this is what I decided to do to cure my allergies. In no way am I telling you to stop taking medicine and follow exactly what I did.. but if you want to try it make sure you research to see if it is right for you, and if you have any concerns speak with your doctor.
It's allergy season! Let the sneezing, itchy-watery eyes and runny noses commence!!
Dreading allergy season? I am happy to say I have not had any problems. Usually as soon as April rolled around I would be a MESS as far as sinuses and allergies go. My allergies were HORRIBLE. Seemed like I sneezed every 30 seconds of the day! I tried every medication and eye drops there were. Of course they worked temporarily, but I wanted my allergies GONE... What if I told you that you can get rid of your allergies? I did, along with others and I am going to tell you how we did it... But let me warn you, taking this route requires discipline. Most people are stuck in their ways and don't want to change up their diets, even if it means no more allergies. If you are willing to try this, again please research and get as much information as you can before making a decision.
JUICING
Around this time last year, my husband came home one day and told me about how he wanted to juice for a week after doing extensive research about it. Up until last year I didn't care too much about what I ate, I honestly didn't think it was a big deal. Once I researched about certain foods and nutrition, all of that changed. I started to really take my health seriously and my husband and I replaced everything in our refrigerator with fruits and vegetables. It was a challenge for me to just drink juice and eat whole foods for a week, but we did it together. We added juicing to our everyday lives and also developed a vegan lifestyle for 6 months. (Some of you may be asking to yourselves "why did you stop being a vegan?"or, "where did you get your protein?" I'll address that in another post :-).I researched about how juicing could reverse certain diseases and sicknesses as well as allergies, and I definitely saw it happening in my life not too long after I changed my eating habits. Grass and pollen no longer bother me, and it's all because of juicing, and adding raw honey to my diet. I hate taking medicine and I try to stay away from it as much as possible. The natural route is always best because you aren't putting anything harmful into your body (assuming you are eating organic), natural is pure, and good for you. Juicing is a great way to boost your immune system, and it doesn't just cure allergies, it cures skin problems, blood diseases and much more. Sickness cannot thrive in an alkaline body, and by juicing I had boosted the alkalinity level in my body, therefore eliminating certain ailments in my body including allergies.
"Why juice? Why not just eat the fruit?" This is a question most ask, and the answer is simply because when you juice, the enzymes in the veggies and fruit get into your system easier and faster because little to no digestion is involved. Also, wouldn't you rather drink 2-3 cups of juice than eat 3-5 pounds of fruits and veggies everyday? That would be exhausting.
Your body can naturally heal itself internally if you give it the right foods. It does so on the outside of your body right? Raw foods heal the body, they contain nutrients that your body needs in organic, whole, alkaline, complete and balanced forms. When you cook or eat veggies from a can, you are getting little to no nutritional value. Most of the vitamins and enzymes our bodies need are found in the juice of raw fruits and vegetables. Fresh juice doesn't only contain nutritional value, it contains life. You are drinking living enzymes, natural antibiotics, minerals, antioxidants and more that are essential for health. "Why not just buy the juice?" Bottled juices are pasteurized, and the heating and processing of the pasteurizing process can kill vitamins and minerals.
One of the first juices we made. |
After only 1 day of juicing I noticed a significant difference in myself. I had more energy, I was happier and after about a week I noticed a positive difference in my skin. It has benefits all the way around and I love the way juicing has impacted my life. Let me add I lost 15 pounds in a month, developed a healthy lifestyle, and did not get sick for the remainder of the year.
I juiced and ate raw foods for 6 months, I know most of you won't do it that long so I suggest a month. Hopefully you will ultimately add it to your lifestyle. You can still eat the things you want, but use the 80-20 rule. 80% raw whole foods and 20% of the other stuff. It is going to be hard at first, but you will look and feel great trust me!
***To get the most out of juicing use organic fruit and vegetables and only make enough for immediate consumption, storing the juice in the fridge will deactivate the enzymes. Don't cut out the greens, use both veggies and fruit.***
The $100 juicer we bought from Walmart. |
RAW HONEY
As far as honey goes, when honey is made by bees sometimes pollen grains left on the bee can fall into the honey, so when eaten over time the pollen grains get into your system, ultimately getting your body accustomed to the pollen and your system becomes immune to it. Honey contains a variety of the pollen spores that give allergy sufferers a hard time in allergy season, and introducing the spores to your body over time will decrease the chance of an immune response. Compared to actually sniffing pollen into your nose, the concentration of eating small amounts of pollen when you consume honey is low, and antibodies should not trigger an allergy reaction.
There is an obvious distinction between raw and processed honey. |
Don't be fooled, there are labels that say raw but are the complete opposite. Tips you can use to tell if your honey is the real thing:
1. Finger Test: Put some honey on the top of your thumb or finger, if the honey spreads or drips off as soon as you do this, it is not raw honey. Raw honey is thick and will not instantly spread or drip off.
2. Shelf Test: Over time pure honey crystallizes, processed honey remains looking the same no matter how long it sits on the shelf.
3. Water Test: Put water in a glass and add some honey, if the honey does not settle at the bottom of the glass in a lump and starts to dissolve, it is not pure.
***You can purchase raw honey at any health or whole foods store.***
Natural is best! God knew what He was doing. We have everything we need we just need to educate ourselves! .. By the way, I now use a Nutri-Bullet. Unlike blenders and juicers the Nutri-Bullet uses a process called extraction, and it doesn't get rid of the pulp and skin from the fruits and veggies like a juicer does. If you want to try using a Nutri-Bullet instead of a juicer that is perfectly fine. I would also like to add that you do not have to try both of these methods at the same time if you don't want to; you can choose one or the other. One more suggestion: If you are interested check out the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Awesome documentary about a guy who juiced for 60 days and ended up throwing all of his medication away and losing a ton of weight! You can find the documentary on Netflix.
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (Genesis 1:29)
Eat of the earth :-)