I Don?t Normally Hate on Mother Nature, But?

GO AWAY RAGWEED!

Just looking at this evil plant wants me to sneeze all over the place.

Thanks to the amazing weather we have had (which I have loved by the way!!), the ragweed plant has flourished way before its usual due date. Therefore, my seasonal allergies have kicked in early and they have kicked in with a vengeance. Not only has this plant (if you can call it that) has bloomed early, it has higher than normal amounts of pollen! Yay!! (Not).

It also doesn’t help that I did not get my allergy shots this year, and so I have to rely on the over-the-counter meds which don’t work at all . poo!

According to Rodale, Ragweed can have many negative impacts on life.. Check out their article here: http://www.rodale.com/ragweed-allergy?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_08_31-_-Top5-_-NA

It has a negative impact on sex life and quality of life, not to mention sinus headaches and lack of sleep. How fun! So, what can we do to avoid these pesky side-effects of ragweed pollen?

1) See an allergist: If regular meds do nothing, visit an allergist or your doctor to look at prescription meds that can do the trick better than the over-the-counter stuff.

2) Eat local honey in the winter: Strange, maybe. Awesome, totally!  Bees use pollen to make honey. Therefore, if you ingest the honey made from local pollen in your area, your immune system will get used to these pollens and react to them less when allergy season rolls around. One more reason to buy locally!

3) Pollen-free your home: Check your local pollen reports (I check mine at weathernetwork.com), and on days of moderate to high pollen levels, keep your windows closed in your house and your car. Do not hang dry your laundry outside either.

Hopefully these tips will help out those like me who suffer with these annoying allergies that put a damper on summer days.

For breakfast, I branched out from oatmeal yet again and had a Greek yogurt Parfait. Filling and refreshing!

Creamy and delicious!

I layered 0% greek yogurt with a tbsp of Almond Butter Extreme, 1/2 a banana, a bunch of local strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, a tbsp of honey, and some Kashi flax Cereal Clusters on top.

Crunch goodness…. enjoyed with a cappuccino!

I love this mug! I got it from the Tea Store in the ByWard Market. It was hand-made… so cute!

Cappuccinos are my favorite in the mornings, especially with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the yummy foam

Overall, a wonderful breaky

Question of the day: Do you suffer from allergies? If so, what are you allergic to and how has it affected your everyday life?