Have you ever noticed that the sniffles come at the most inopportune times, like when you eat?
Believe it or not, this is something that happens to nearly everyone, depending on what it is you’re eating.
One of the main culprits is hot and spicy foods, which triggers something called gustatory rhinitis. Your nose runs because hot spices stimulate the trigeminal sensory nerve.
Gustatory rhinitis can is more common in people with allergic rhinitis and those who smoke.
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The simplest way to prevent this from happening is to avoid spicy foods altogether. However, if you love chicken wings and just can’t live without them, they are medications that will help you manage your symptoms.
You may also have allergic rhinitis, which simply means that you’re allergic to whatever it is you’re eating, which doesn’t necessarily have to be spicy.
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You can also have something called vasomotor rhinitis, which is also known as idiopathic rhinitis.
This type of rhinitis is not triggered by an allergen, but by environmental and physical changes that cause your nasal linings to swell, and yes, one of those changes comes from food.
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Because all runny noses generally manifest in the same way, the only way to truly know what you have is to go to an allergist.
He or she will do a skin prick, blood, or intradermal test to see if you have any reactions to allergens and prescribe the necessary medication to stop your nose from running.
What foods make your nose run? Let us know in the comments below!
