Hi. I have read recently that during hayfever season, one should avoid high allergy foods e.g. milk, soy, gluten etc. for at least four weeks.... Is this proven to work- worth to try? Also, I’ve heard we should eat foods high in antihistamine e.g. Red Pepper's. I get hay fever every summer and have prescribed pills from the doctor (fexofenadine) since regular antihistamine does not work, but I’d prefer to use something more natural and healthy, to prevent the onset of hayfever. Any ideas? Many thanks.

Hi there, certain foods can exacerbate the symptoms of hayfever so some people find it helpful to reduce their intake of these. This includes foods that are high in histamine such as caffeine, processed foods, foods high in sugar (cakes, sweets etc.), alcohol and foods with artificial colourings. As an alternative, I’d recommend you stick to fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and chicken as these are all low in histamine.

There are, as you say, a number of foods that are considered natural antihistamines and these can actually ease hayfever symptoms to some extent. This includes anything with vitamin C in it including citrus fruit, red pepper, strawberries and broccoli. Nettle tea is another natural antihistamine so it might help to drink some of this during the hayfever season.

As for milk, this could make symptoms such as congestion and a runny nose worse as it has the ability to make mucus thicker. 

I haven’t come across any research that suggests you should change your diet for a period of 4 weeks or more to see the best effects. I usually recommend that people make these changes in the weeks leading up to the hayfever season, and then maintain it whilst the pollen counts are high. 

I have written a number of blogs on hayfever and diet so if you’d like to know a little more about the topic then I’d recommend having a read of these. I’ve included some links below:

7 nutritional tips to help you survive the hayfever season 

Everyday food and drinks that can make hayfever worse

Finally, for a more natural hayfever solution, you could try our Pollinosan Hayfever Tablets. These are made from a combination of tropical herbs and can bring relief from symptoms such as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing and more. They can be used alongside antihistamines and don’t cause side effects such as drowsiness.