How to prevent hay fever this year (Plus: what’s in season in March)

You don’t have to spend another year suffering through hay fever. Not this year.

Every year, we’re told the same story... pollen is the enemy, symptoms are inevitable, and the solution is to manage, suppress, and get through it. But that narrative misses something important. Hay fever isn’t actually caused by pollen, it’s caused by your body’s reaction to it. And that’s something you can change...

First things first, lets not suffer

Seasonal allergies can feel like a cruel joke when all you want to do is bask in the sunlight. But don’t resign yourself to a season of discomfort just yet, there’s a way to thrive through spring without being held hostage by pollen. Every wonder why you're drowning in tissues while a friend is just fine?

Histamine is a naturally occurring compound that plays a crucial role in your immune system. When your body detects a potential threat, like a speck of pollen, it releases histamine to help fight it off. But when your immune system overreacts, histamine floods your bloodstream, triggering that familiar cascade of sneezing, itching, and congestion.

Why histamine builds up

Your body is constantly producing and breaking down histamine. The problem starts when that balance is disrupted.

Your gut health, liver function, and metabolism all influence how efficiently you clear histamine. Around 70% of your immune system lives in your gut, so when it’s inflamed or imbalanced, your tolerance to allergens drops and reactions become exaggerated. At the same time, your liver is responsible for breaking down excess histamine, so if it’s overburdened, clearance slows down. Alcohol, ultra-processed foods, and chronic stress all increase histamine or slow its breakdown. Even small reductions can make a noticeable difference.

There’s also an enzyme called DAO (diamine oxidase), largely produced in the gut, that helps break down histamine from both food and the environment. When gut health is compromised, DAO levels drop, meaning histamine lingers longer than it should. If your liver is sluggish, your gut is inflamed, or your metabolism is dragging, histamine clearance slows down, and spring suddenly feels a lot harder than it should.

Nature's anti-histamine

Believe it or not, the very thing triggering your allergies might also be the cure. Bee pollen. It sounds mad, eating pollen to combat pollen allergies, but it works by desensitising your immune system to local allergens. Think of it as exposure therapy for your sinuses.

Beyond this, bee pollen is brimming with B vitamins, enzymes, amino acids, and antioxidants, helping build resilience from the inside out. It’s essentially immunotherapy straight from the hive.

To get the most out of it: 

• Start small: ½ teaspoon per day, and gradually increase.
• Always buy locally sourced pollen, the key is that it matches allergens in your local area
• Sprinkle it on yoghurt, smoothies or raw honey for a tasty, functional boost
• Consume it daily throughout the spring to build and maintain tolerance.
• Or try our Hayfever Bee Shield Smoothie

Spring clean your liver

The liver is the body’s main filter and metabolic hub. All winter, it’s been working overtime, breaking down heavier foods, excess alcohol, and stress hormones.

Your liver plays a crucial role in breaking down histamine, so if it’s overburdened or sluggish, allergy symptoms are going to hit harder. An overworked liver can’t efficiently clear histamine, and you end up puffy, congested, and mentally foggy.

And remember, the supplement industry will always try to sell you the next “detox”. Most of them do more harm than good. Your body already has an incredibly intelligent, built-in detox system, it just needs the right inputs to do its job properly. Bitter greens like dandelion, rocket, and chicory stimulate bile flow and help clear metabolic waste. Even more, collagen-rich broths provide glycine, essential for detoxification. 

Liver-loving practices: 

• Start your morning with warm lemon water to support bile production.
• Sip on nettle tea to reduce inflammation and provide crucial minerals.
• Include bitter greens, like dandelion and rocket
• Bone broth is rich in glycine and proline, amino acids crucial for liver repair.
• Enjoy raw honey and a pinch of sea salt to balance electrolytes and reduce stress.

But honestly, it’s the environmental load. Supporting your liver is less about adding more, and more about removing what’s burdening it.

March's seasonal produce

Nature has a funny way of knowing what you need before you do. As the weather shifts, the earth gives you exactly what your body craves, light, detoxifying, and mineral-rich foods. We did a foraging course recently, and here are the foods we learned about...

What’s in season in the UK

• Wild Garlic: You’ll start noticing it everywhere once you know what you’re looking for, lining forest floors, filling the air with that unmistakable, delicious scent. It’s one of spring’s first signals that the earth is waking up, sharp, cleansing, and deeply supportive for detox.
• Nettles: The plant most people avoid is actually one of the most nourishing things you can eat. Once tamed (by heat or blending), nettles become a mineral-rich, deeply restorative food, calming inflammation and supporting your body through seasonal shifts.
• Cleavers: More commonly recognised as that sticky plant you threw on your friends as a child. Fittingly, they’re one of the best herbs for unsticking what’s stagnant in the body, especially the lymphatic system, helping you feel lighter, clearer, and less congested.
• Common Sorrel: Bright, tangy, almost citrusy, sorrel cuts through heaviness like nothing else. It’s a reminder that spring food is lighter, sharper, and more alive.

Some recipe ideas

• Wild garlic & sorrel pesto on roasted meats or fish
• Cleaver-infused water with lime
• Nettle soup or tea

Why you're suddenly hungrier

As daylight hours increase, your metabolism picks up the pace, a biological adaptation to the changing environment. Your body is moving out of winter conservation mode, shifting from storing fat to burning it. You might notice carb cravings or bursts of energy, that’s your metabolism reminding you it’s time to wake up and move.

How to support spring metabolism

• Morning sunlight exposure stimulates the hypothalamus, increasing cortisol production. This boosts metabolic activity and prompts your body to burn stored fuel.
• Prioritise easy-to-digest carbs like fruit, honey, and root vegetables to support thyroid function.
• Spring is about shedding winter stiffness and letting your body move freely again. Get outside... climb, crawl, stretch, and use your environment as your playground. Think long, unstructured walks through fresh fields, flowing mobility drills on the grass, and bodyweight calisthenics that reconnect you with your own strength. Let your movement feel instinctual and alive.
• Avoid fasting or low-carb extremes, which can tank your thyroid function just as it’s waking up

Dive into more resources

Spring is the season of reading books outdoors, soaking up the sun, and letting your mind wander. Looking for some inspiration while you’re stretched out on the grass?  Check out our picks here: The ultimate ancestral booklist

If your gut health is suffering, it can leave your immune system hypersensitive to allergens, amplifying histamine responses. This 4 part meal plan for gut repair may help.

For little ones we did a separate guide here: Our guide to children's gut health

While we welcome fresh air and open windows, hidden toxins still linger in our routines, disrupting hormones, burdening detox pathways. Ready to make your home a spring time sanctuary? Read 6 steps to a non-toxic spring clean