By Setareh Kiumarsi
Do you struggle with seasonal allergies or catch colds often during the colder months?
According to Ayurveda, frequent colds and allergies are closely linked to the imbalance of Kapha dosha (the dosha associated with mucus, heaviness, and moisture). When the digestive tract becomes filled with undigested phlegm and mucus, your body becomes much more susceptible to colds and allergies. (Note: viral infections and epidemics have different mechanisms.)
This undigested Kapha then overflows into your respiratory system, filling your lungs and sinuses with thick mucus. When this happens, your body starts protesting by sending signals like Scratchy throat, Post-nasal drip, Sneezing, and Occasional dry coughs.
If you ignore these warning signs and continue eating Kapha-increasing foods, you’ll likely come down with a full cold or allergy attack!
Those who have a dominant Kapha constitution, or whose Kapha is currently imbalanced, are more prone to colds and allergies, especially in winter and spring.
What Happens When You Catch a Cold or Have an Allergy Flare-Up?
Your body is trying to eliminate toxins and excess mucus through the nasal and throat passages. In other words, your body has entered a self-cleansing mode.
Now imagine that, instead of supporting this process, you start taking cold medicine or antihistamines while still consuming Kapha-producing foods. What happens?
Those medications may seem like they’re working by drying up your symptoms, but what they’re actually doing is thickening the mucus and slowing down the detox process. Your symptoms might subside temporarily, but the root cause remains—and cleansing is interrupted.
So What Should You Do Instead?
The best approach is to support your body’s natural cleansing process!
For 3–4 days, avoid all heavy and mucus-forming foods.
Here’s a list of foods that heavily increase phlegm and clog both the digestive and respiratory systems:
- Carbohydrates, especially wheat-based products:
(bread, pasta, lasagna, noodles, cookies, etc.) - Rice and bulgur
- Dairy products, especially cow-based:
(milk, yogurt, cheese, sour cream, cream, butter) - Heavy meats:
(beef, veal, lamb, seafood) - Oily and fried foods:
(fried items, oils, avocados, nuts, etc.) - Very sweet or sour fruits:
(grapes, figs, dates, bananas, sour plums, sour cherries)
Even one small bite of these foods during a cold adds another lump of mucus to the ocean of phlegm already sitting in your respiratory system, delaying recovery.
(Source of this home remedy: Vasant Lad, Home Remedies: An Ayurvedic Guide to Maintaining Good Health, translated by Zahra Abbasi (Tehran: Nasle Noandish Publications, 2017))
So What Can You Eat?
Wait for the next article on home remedies for colds and allergies to find out what foods and drinks help your body eliminate mucus and recover faster!
Please be sure to credit the author, Setareh Kiumarsi, when sharing or republishing this article, which was written with love and the hope of well-being for all.
