Hello and welcome to Ask a Nutritionist, our weekly mini episode of Dishing Up Nutrition.

I'm Leah Kleintrode, registered and licensed dietitian with nutritional weight and wellness.

And today we're talking about something that a lot of people

might have questions about. Why do seasonal allergies and digestive problems so often show up

together? Maybe every spring your nose gets stuffy, your eyes get itchy and watery, but you also

notice more bloating, an area or loose stool, nausea,

reflux, upset stomach, or maybe during allergy season, your digestion just feels off.

You're not imagining it. Your gut and your immune system, and by extension, your allergies

are deeply connected. and today we'll break

down what causes this connection how to manage symptoms and how to support your

gut to improve your allergy resilience overall so let's dive in so first

let's answer the question can seasonal allergies be a contributor to your digestive problems?

The short answer is yes, absolutely.

Seasonal allergies can contribute to digestive symptoms in several different ways.

Some of those common GI symptoms, I mentioned them earlier, would be diarrhea, maybe actually

constipation, bloating, gas, nausea, acid reflux,

and you might even notice that you seem a little bit more sensitive to some of the foods

that you're eating. For some people, allergy season can even flare up other conditions like

IBS or eczema, migraines, or even just kind of an overall fatigue. So what's happening?

Why are allergies and digestion connected? To understand this where my brain goes is we have

to think about where our immune system lives. About 70 to 80% of your immune system lives

in and around your gut.

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