Is Your Bedtime Snack Causing Inflammation?
How many times do you hear your kids sniffle? or sound stuffy in the winter months?? It’s so frustrating and sad to think that they might not feel well. Could you stand it if your nose was running 24/7 or you couldn’t breathe without your mouth open? Having been an allergy sufferer for many years, I can truly relate! Nasal and head stuffiness is our bodies way of showing excess inflammation.
I want to share a story about my little Genevieve and her daily banana. Last winter, Genevieve was stuffy from November until March and I couldn’t figure out why? What was she eating? Was she developing year round allergies like me? Because I’m a nutrition/food geek, that is where my mind goes instantly! Some people might say, eh, it’s just a cold, it will go away sooner or later. Well after several months, it should have gone away. Then I worry about a sinus infection after 10 days of stuffiness, but I can’t stand the thought of my kid being on antibiotics every other month. Side note - if you knew the complete picture of antibiotics and your gut, you might feel the same way. We had been to doctors after one round of antibiotics for a sinus infection, then they just kept telling us to try zyrtec and pretty much an adult dose was what worked for her. For a 60 pound little girl, that just didn’t add up right in my mind.
So we started really paying attention to what she was eating. I already knew from past experiences that dairy wasn’t her best friend. She could handle some milk on her cereal or maybe a piece of cheese one day or mac and cheese on the weekend, but multiple days would make her super congested! Milk wasn’t the culprit here. That being said, my daughter was making healthy choices for the most part and having a piece of fruit before bed as her go to snack! Wow, that’s my girl! She was choosing a banana. Now, I know some might say this is a high sugar fruit and it makes belly fat (not true). A banana is a whole food and that, to me, is a great option. I have always done well on having a banana a day for years, so I figured she was good. Then I did a little research and low and behold found that bananas can cause more mucous in some people! What the?? Well, Genevieve was one of those people! Eating a banana every night before bed, causing excess mucous, then laying down for 10 hours was wrecking havoc on her sinus cavities! We did a little experiment, we took away the bananas and tried a pear every night. Wow, that was it! Her stuffiness decreased within a couple days and she was on the mend! I still can't believe it was that simple, but it was!
Now this isn’t too say that she doesn’t eat bananas anymore….. she does, but just not every day and we pay attention to the seasons. Bananas during her fall allergy season cause a little more of a problem for her. A little unknown tip, bananas are related to ragweed allergies. Weird, but good to know for allergy sufferers. The reason I tell this story is not for you to get rid of bananas, it’s that we all need to evaluate what we are eating at some point in our life. We don’t need to obsess over it, like most dieters might, but we need to be more mindful as to how foods affect us or make us feel.
After many years of tearing down my gut with what I thought was healthy choices, turned out to be not so good for me! Don't let this story discourage you in any way! In fact, this is more proof that every food heals or hurts people differently.
Realizing what you eat every day has a huge impact on your body, brain and emotions. This is the greatest gift you can give to yourself!
Be Mindful of how YOU feel each day!
It's all about, Your Best Foods for Your Greatest Life!
