By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
Spring is around the corner, meaning our Arizona desert will begin to turn (slightly) green, and plants and trees begin blooming again. But it also means that one more thing will be blooming. Allergies. With all the pollen and dirt in the air, some of us begin to get stuffy or runny noses, frequent sneezes, and itchy throats, which is no fun at all. Did you know that eating diets high in fiber as a child has been shown to reduce the risk of allergies, both food and environment related? 
A study published in Clinical and Translational Allergy found that there was an inverse relationship between fiber intake as a child, and allergy symptoms as an adult. In other words, the more fiber children consumed while they were young, the fewer allergies they possessed in adulthood.
So, with that being said, when making meals for your kiddos, try to incorporate a healthy serving of fiber into their diet. You’ll be helping them have a lesser risk of developing allergies later in life, and they’ll still reap all of the other health benefits of fiber, like satiety and digestive health! Some good sources of fiber include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and even nuts.
Want to know more about fiber? Check out these related articles from Fill Your Plate!