Most of us reach for medication like an antihistamine to ease some of the hay fever symptoms. If you don't want to constantly take antihistamines, there are so many natural remedies you could try.

First of all, let's look at the symptoms: they include sneezing, runny nose, swelling, itchy and watery eyes, reduced sense of smell, hypersecretion of mucus, and headaches. Sounds like a common cold, right?

Improving our immunity is very important. Eating a well-balanced diet and avoiding junk food can help!

Try these diet and natural remedy tips to prevent and calm hay fever:

I recommend a diet rich in raw vegetables and fresh fruit, which contain vitamin C.

Start cooking more with onion and garlic. These have anti-allergen properties that make them great natural remedies. Garlic also boosts the immune system and acts as a decongestant.

Drinking hot lemon and honey in water can help a cough. Stinging nettle or chamomile tea contain antioxidants and antihistamines as well, which act as anti-inflammatory agents.

Ginger and turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties may also be beneficial for treating hay fever.

Research has shown that foods rich in magnesium like bananas, kidney beans, almonds, soya beans, or peas could help with a hay fever attack.

Local honey can also work wonders on hay fever sufferers, but it has to be local! A regular supermarket one will not do the trick! The bees need to create the honey from local pollen. If you start eating the honey, you will build a natural tolerance to the pollen in your area. One teaspoon a day is all you need!

Avoid alcohol, especially wine and beer, because they contain a lot of histamines and sulphates, which can make the symptoms worse.

Take a good vitamin C supplement. Vitamin C is an immunostimulant, an anti-inflammatory, and also controls natural histamines.

Another immune boosting and histamine level-balancing vitamin is B6 and zinc.

Taking a probiotic supplement a few months before the hay fever season could help, because healthy gut bacteria plays a huge part in keeping our immune systems healthy.

You may also want to avoid or limit wheat and dairy, because they both encourage mucus production. (It’s interesting that the most common allergens are pollen, dairy, and wheat, which are originally all grass products!) Dairy and wheat avoiding or at least limiting the two.

Essential oils like eucalyptus, lavender, ravensara, and myrtle can be used to reduce sneezing and a runny nose.

Steam is great when you have a blocked nose and feel congested. Add a drop of eucalyptus and lavender essential oils, as they have antihistamine properties!

Hay fever rises much more in cities than rural areas.

Why? It's because during the summer months, polluted areas contain more free radicals due to the action of sunlight on oxygen molecules, so people in the city breathe in more pollutants. Taking an all around antioxidant supplement helps increase your resistance. And of course, try to avoid traffic fumes!

Reduce exposure to pollen if possible! Wearing sunglasses or putting organic coconut oil around your nose to trap the pollen before they come in the nasal passage might be a good idea too.

Do you suffer from puffiness under the eyes? Give yourself a quick eye massage to help drain away any excess fluid. I love using my Cryo ice tool! The cooling sensation calms inflamed skin, promotes lymphatic drainage, and boosts blood circulation, which is perfect for irritated and puffy eyes. Use cold chamomile tea bags to help with sore and red eyes.

In conclusion, in order to manage hay fever naturally and reduce symptoms, boosting our immune system and improving our gut is key. Certain foods and supplements boost our immune function and reduce histamine production.

Give these tips a try!