“Fruity vegetables” like tomatoes are high in vitamin C and a good choice for the sneezing season. Studies show tomatoes can build your tolerance against asthma and respiratory issues. Vitamin C is an immune system booster and natural antihistamine, which suppresses swelling.
The antioxidant compound lycopene in tomatoes is also good for the body. A study from the University of Tel Aviv found that men who added 30 milligrams of lycopene to their daily diets improved their bodies’ ability to fight off asthma attacks by 45%. You can get lycopene not only from whole tomatoes, but also from tomato sauce and extract. “The added protection may come from lycopene’s antioxidative properties within the body,” study author Dr. A. Ben-Amotz, told ABC News.
Other “fruity vegetables,” aside from tomatoes, are also key: in a seven-year Spanish study, children who consumed more than 40 grams of fruity veggies a day — including eggplants, cucumber, green beans and zucchini — were much less likely to suffer from childhood asthma than those who ate less.
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