Help me, I‘ve got hay fever!

Is there anything nutrition can do?

Well yes, there is.

I don’t know many people who aren’t feeling the effects of the high pollen count now. Unfortunately, it comes with the good weather. The itchy, painful eyes; sore throat and of course the sneezing can really dampen your spirits and your summer BBQ plans. It’s the immune system overreacting to the flying pollen, producing histamine and strong symptoms to help rid the body of the invaders. But knowing that doesn’t really help you in the middle of the park.

What should I do?

Ideally, you would start working on hay fever long before the spring. For myself, I used to suffer appallingly from hay fever when I was a teenager and in my 20s to the point where I wanted to leave the UK and live abroad. I had the injections at the beginning of the season and still needed daily anti-histamines to stop my eyes from looking like I’d been punched in the face. Once I discovered functional medicine and took action on my food choices, I realised the next summer that things were definitely easier. To be honest, I t took me 4 years of working on my immune system and gut health before I could finally say I was rid of hay fever. Nowadays if I feel any symptoms at all I know it’s really bad for everyone else. I might need to take a Piriton 1 or 2 days a year now at the height of summer when I’m outside all day, but that’s it.

So is it too late?

No. There are foods and products you can use to support yourself now during high season. Firstly you’re looking for immune support. That’s things like vitamin C, quercetin, vitamin D, vitamin E, as well as some of the power foods such as garlic, ginger and honey. If you can find an unpasteurised, local honey, you’re onto a winner. Try a teaspoon every day (unheated) and keep going with that all year round.

Foods containing quercetin are most fruits and vegetables, but especially apples, onions, tea, grapes, cherries and other dark berries, parsley and sage.

Foods containing vitamin E include avocados, almonds, sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens, red peppers and mangoes.

The vitamin D may sound surprising, but we’ve had a long, sunless winter and it takes a while to build up vitamin D stores. I’m still taking my 3,000 iu of D3 with K2 every day.

Then alongside the immunity boosting foods and supplements, you can add in some anti-inflammatories such as turmeric and Omega 3.

Any Foods to Avoid?

Histamine Promoting Foods

Dairy products don’t do well when it comes to hay fever unfortunately. Dairy produce can encourage production of mucus in the throat and nose, making symptoms worse.

Alcohol contains histamine, so when you drink those beers and cocktails, you are increasing the histamine load in the body. The same goes for chocolate, processed meats, refined grains and certain additives.

Recipe Ideas?

We’ve put together 20 recipes that should help alleviate your hay fever symptoms here