Unable to eat most Raw Fruits, Raw Vegetables or Tree Nuts

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Mtomeme
Mtomeme Posts: 2
in Food and Nutrition
I am looking to see if anyone has the same allergies that I have to most raw fruits, raw vegetables and tree nuts? I am able to eat raw lettuce and berries but allergic to spices as well, so most salad dressing and marinades 's are out of the picture.

I was hoping to find some good ideas/ recipes to help my weight lose adventure --As you are aware most diet's suggest fruits / veg /nuts.

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  • jdennington2003
    jdennington2003 Posts: 3
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    Frozen berry blends make awesome fruit smoothies, just take about a cup of frozen berries, add in some water and blend :)
    Also, you could make your own salad dressing with oil, vinegar and spices that are tolerable?
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    I am looking to see if anyone has the same allergies that I have to most raw fruits, raw vegetables and tree nuts? I am able to eat raw lettuce and berries but allergic to spices as well, so most salad dressing and marinades 's are out of the picture.

    I was hoping to find some good ideas/ recipes to help my weight lose adventure --As you are aware most diet's suggest fruits / veg /nuts.

    Do you know for sure that you are actually allergic to these foods? Or do you have what's called Oral Allergy Syndrome?

    If you've never heard of Oral Allergy Syndrome, here's a link on it: http://www.chop.edu/service/allergy/allergy-and-asthma-information/oral-allergy-syndrome.html It would be a good idea to read up on this and see if this is actually your issue.

    Basically, you aren't really allergtic to these foods if you have OAS. There is simply enough similarity between certain pollens that you also react to and these fruits and veggies that you get an itchy, swollen mouth, tongue and sometimes neck, sometimes you'll get hives, sometimes digestive upset as well. For me, this changes seasonally. When I'm in my worst pollen season (right now, actually) I can't go near canteloupe, carrots, peppers, celery, walnuts and a few other things unless they're cooked. But I could eat them raw all day in November (when the pollens that bother me are not in the air) without an issue.

    I have Oral Allergy Syndrome, which no one (even my multiple allergists over the years) undestood til I was in my 30s. They just kept saying "You're not technically allergic to those things, but don't eat them anyway."

    I think you should grab one of these articles and discuss it with your allergist. You may be pleasantly surprised. They can also give you a VERY THOROUGH list of likely cross-reactions. The OAS list is quite different from the true food allergy list.

    The fact that you say you CAN eat them cooked makes me really wonder if what you have is OAS, just like me.

    ETA: The tree nut thing may be a true food allergy though. So maybe you have both--a few actual food allergies and OAS.
  • anovasjo
    anovasjo Posts: 382 Member
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    My boyfriend has OAS, too.
    From what I understand the type of pollen you're actually allergic to can have an impact on what fruits/vegetables you can eat without becoming irritated... and it also depends on whether the individual fruit or vegetable was actually cross-pollenated or not??

    He enjoys raw vegetables like carrots, cucumber, celery, parsley, potatoes, yams, spinach, kale, and lettuce.
    Fruits include bananas, berries, and melon.
    Of course if they're cooked, he can eat anything!

    You should definitely go to an allergist and have a chat.
  • Mtomeme
    Mtomeme Posts: 2
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    I do have OAS, and it is great to have other talk about it. When I talk to others I swear they think I am crazy until it happens and my voice changes, or my face breaks out with hives.

    I am allergic to most trees, ragweed so the list for me is quite large and I learn of new items all the times. I just recently learned that I am severely allergic to tree nuts and sesame and was given an EpiPen.


    I will have to try to make my own salad dressing, just never thought of it. And years ago I use to make fruit smoothies for my children and loved them, sounds like a great snack / breakfast idea

    If you have more good idea's please let me know/
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
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    I do have OAS, and it is great to have other talk about it. When I talk to others I swear they think I am crazy until it happens and my voice changes, or my face breaks out with hives.

    I am allergic to most trees, ragweed so the list for me is quite large and I learn of new items all the times. I just recently learned that I am severely allergic to tree nuts and sesame and was given an EpiPen.


    I will have to try to make my own salad dressing, just never thought of it. And years ago I use to make fruit smoothies for my children and loved them, sounds like a great snack / breakfast idea

    If you have more good idea's please let me know/

    I don't know if you've already been down this road or not, but the allergy shots DO help. Once you knock down your reaction to the pollens somewhat, it extends to the foods on the cross-reaction list (well, most of them it seems). And for me at least, my food reactions seem to track seasonally with the pollens in the air. So MAYBE you can do that as well--be careful though.

    I got the shots for years, although these days allergists will tell you you only need them for 5--no additional benefit after that as long as your allergies have remained the same.

    The shots really aren't that bad. It's inconvenient just because of the time involed, but they are tiny, tiny shots.

    Roasting veggies is easy and really tasty, so that's a possibility. You can eat them hot or cold after that.

    Maybe go to some recipe sites and look for substitutions for the spices that bother you? I'm also guessing you'd do better with dried, ground spices (the ones in a jar) than fresh.

    And you definitely have my sympathy--it is maddening to have these ractions, go to the doctor and say 'I had a massive allergic reaction to XYZ food yesterday that really scared me" and they say, "No you didn't-you aren't allergic to that food". That happened for years to me as well. Why do they give you an Epi-Pen if you weren't allergic? LOL

    I thought I was losing my mind til I was in my 30's and OAS was better understood. And many of the things that bothered me were things I wouldn't eat as a kid--which gave me some vindication all those years later. ;)

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