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t’s that time of year again. The trees are budding, flowers are blooming, the grass is turning green, and the sun is shining. Spring is in the air; and your seasonal allergies are keeping you indoors. Did you know that taking certain vitamins can help you deal with common allergy symptoms? While vitamins can’t cure or prevent allergies, they can boost immunity and act as an anti-inflammatory, thereby reducing the severity of seasonal allergies. Here are five vitamins that can help provide some relief this season:
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VITAMIN A
Vitamin A improves your immunity because it promotes healthy mucous membranes, which keep bacteria out of the body and help defend your body against the sniffles. Great food sources of vitamin A include: milk, cheese, spinach, sweet potato, carrots and kale.
PLEASE CONSULT YOUR HEALTH-CARE PRACTITIONER FOR ANY HEALTH CONCERNS.
PRICES MAY VARY PER LOCATION
2
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C gets huge marks for its antioxidant properties, boosting your immune system and helping to reduce inflammation. Vitamin C also reduces histamine release, which is part of many allergic reactions. Vitamin C works best in conjunction with Vitamin E. You can get your daily Vitamin C dose in fruits like papaya, kiwi, strawberries, and in greens such as kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and even red peppers.
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VITAMIN E
Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant. Research shows that it may be effective in suppressing allergic reactions while also building your immune system and protecting you against viruses. Vitamin E is found naturally in dark leafy green vegetables such as spinach, and also sunflower seeds, almonds and papaya.
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4
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
5
PROBIOTICS
Omega-3 fatty acids boost your immunity and are wellknown for reducing inflammation, which in turn can help lessen the severity of allergy symptoms. Increase the amount of salmon, tuna, flax seed and other foods high in Omega-3s in your diet, and look for a quality Omega-3 supplement. There are many on the market and not all taste like fish oil – some even come in gummies VIVA RECOMMENDS that are fun to take! ADULT ESSENTIALS PURE SOURCE OMEGA-3 GUMMIES (GOT KIDS? TRY Look for a product IRONKIDS GUMMIES OMEGA-3’S FOR SMART KIDS) (90 GUMMIES, $14.99) that is pure source fish oil, distilled to remove contaminants and approved by Health Canada.
Experts say keeping your intestines healthy with probiotics can play a key role in alleviating allergy symptoms. Probiotics aid in digestion and fight off disease-causing bacteria. We need to replace the good bacteria in our digestive systems since eating processed or high- VIVA RECOMMENDS sugar foods, or taking NATREN HEALTHY START SYSTEM (90 CAPSULES, $44.95) antibiotics can cause the bad bacteria to multiply. Look for yogurts and fermented foods with live probiotic cultures and, if needed, take a quality supplement. VM SPRING 2014 / VIVAMAGONLINE.COM
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