Hay fever season is upon us, with the allergy impacting millions of people across the country.
Up to 37 per cent of adults are affected by hay fever, according to Allergy UK, and with the Met Office warning of a "pollen bomb" in the coming days, things may be going for bad to worse for sufferers.
However, there are some ways sufferers can manage reactions during hay fever season, one of them being by watching what they eat and drink. There are various foods that can increase the severity of symptoms, meaning that avoiding them can help.
But the bad news is some of the products are firm favourites when it comes to our diets and lifestyles - including cheese, wine and coffee.
To explain little more about the impact of certain foods, the wellbeing experts at The Organic Pharmacy has listed some foods and drinks sufferers may want to avoid this hay fever season and why.
5 foods and drinks hay fever sufferers may want to avoid
Aged cheese
Bad news for the cheese lovers out there, but the dairy favourite is actually one of the worst foods you can have for your allergies.
This is because cheese often contains histamines - something that hay fever sufferers may want to avoid.
These histamines are created by bacterial microbes, which can grow on the rind of aged cheese to help it ripen as well as protecting it from harmful pathogens.
Dairy
Cheese is not the only dairy product that can prove problematic for those with hay fever. In fact, most types of of dairy can make the symptoms of an allergic reaction more severe.
This is because the products increase the body's mucus production, making it more difficult to get rid of blocked noses for example - something that hay fever sufferers are often troubled by.
You may want to try replacing the dairy products in your diet with some dairy-free products, for example swapping cow milk out for almond milk to help reduce the amount of music produced.
Alcohol
Cutting back on alcohol can also help lessen the impact of hay fever.
Various types of alcohol contain histamines that make reactions more severe. Further, the sulphites found in many types of alcohol can also worse symptoms.
Melon
Getting your five-a-day into your diet is important, but there are some fruits that can cause bad reaction in some hay fever sufferers - such as melon.
Pollen-food syndrome - otherwise known as oral allergy syndrome - is a form of hay fever triggered by types of pollen. But it can also be triggered by some fruits and vegetables that contain protein similar to these of pollen. It means that people with a pollen allergy eat the foods, the body mistakes them for pollen, which then causes a reaction.
Melon is one example, with the fruit being a major trigger for some with pollen-food syndrome, as it is bad for those who are sensitive to both grass and ragweed pollen. But there are many other foods that may trigger this allergy too, such as celery, bananas, and pitted fruits.
Coffee
Another tough one to take for many, but coffee can increase the symptoms of hay fever.
As well as triggering histamine, coffee has been found to cause liver congestion which can in turn make symptoms more severe.
Experts advice swapping out your morning coffee for a chamomile tea as this helps to clear excess mucus and helps to keep sinuses clear.
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