Anyone diagnosed with a food allergy as an adult?

Allergy or intolerance? There's a big difference.

Over the last 30 years (I'm now in my 50s), I've developed intolerance to multiple things, but it won't kill me if I eat them. Cutting them out for a period of at least 3 months, then gradually reintroducing them, helped determine whether I still reacted, how quickly and how badly.

The biggest change was being able to breathe properly after I cut out yeast. I no longer felt like I'd got a lump in my throat (which I was constantly trying to clear). I already knew that that's what some dairy products did to me but, about 20 years later, I started getting the same reaction when I definitely hadn't eaten any dairy. It took quite a long time to identify that one. When I cut out yeast, the bloating in my stomach reduced too.

Once I knew what was causing the problems, I could make informed choices for my meals. I still eat cheese and drink wine every so often but, if I have too much over a few days and start reacting, at least I know what to avoid completely for the next week to eliminate the symptoms.

At least there are plenty of alternatives in the shops, these days, for most things.

yirara wrote: »

What Strudders said. Not sure if it's fairly new, but there are a few things I might have problems with: fresh walnuts, bananas that aren't brownish yet, sometimes kiwi or pineapple, sometimes tomatoes fresh from the garden, sometimes courgettes. This causes some kind of blistering or swelling inside my mouth and pain. Might have that problem for half an hour or so after eating, and then it just vanishes again quickly as if nothing happened. What all these things have in common is a somewhat bitter taste, but I don't know if that's part of the problem. Have had similar problems with certain soft rubber/latex since childhood. Sometimes new bike grips and getting close to my face with is is enough, sometimes I need more contact. It also doesn't seem to be the rubber itself as I can suck on some rubbers. But again when it has a somewhat bitter taste and a very strong smell things go wrong. Maybe a softener? No idea. It's not life-threatening though.

Oral Allergy Syndrome. I have it, diagnosed by an allergist. I get the raw burning mouth and hives behind my ears and along my jaw line from many of those foods (cantaloupe and pecans are two others). The hives were concerning enough for him to prescribe an epi pen, just in case. It’s not a food allergy in the traditional sense, but it can definitely take a turn if you aren’t careful.

yirara wrote: »

What Strudders said. Not sure if it's fairly new, but there are a few things I might have problems with: fresh walnuts, bananas that aren't brownish yet, sometimes kiwi or pineapple, sometimes tomatoes fresh from the garden, sometimes courgettes. This causes some kind of blistering or swelling inside my mouth and pain. Might have that problem for half an hour or so after eating, and then it just vanishes again quickly as if nothing happened.

I have identical symptoms EVERYTIME I eat the foods you listed. I also get an itchy tongue from eggplant (aubergine).
I also developed a sensitivity/allergy (don't have a formal diagnosis) to eggs this past year after being sick with Covid in February. So strange, I had horrible hives during the illness (never experienced hives in my adult life before) and after being recovered I started getting hives that came and went. I eliminated the top 8 known allergens and then reintroduced them. Eggs were the culprit. I was so sad....I like eggs a LOT! I was very careful for several months with making sure to avoid them. Recently I wanted to see what would happen if I reintroduced them back in. In the last month I 've had some baked things with eggs as an ingredient here and there. I had no hives! A week or two ago I started having strong cravings for eggs in their pure form. Well, hives came back after a day of savoring a single fried egg...full.force. I am disheartened. I hope someday I will get to enjoy eggs without itchy bumps....

beulah81 wrote: »

yirara wrote: »

What Strudders said. Not sure if it's fairly new, but there are a few things I might have problems with: fresh walnuts, bananas that aren't brownish yet, sometimes kiwi or pineapple, sometimes tomatoes fresh from the garden, sometimes courgettes. This causes some kind of blistering or swelling inside my mouth and pain. Might have that problem for half an hour or so after eating, and then it just vanishes again quickly as if nothing happened.

I have identical symptoms EVERYTIME I eat the foods you listed. I also get an itchy tongue from eggplant (aubergine).
I also developed a sensitivity/allergy (don't have a formal diagnosis) to eggs this past year after being sick with Covid in February. So strange, I had horrible hives during the illness (never experienced hives in my adult life before) and after being recovered I started getting hives that came and went. I eliminated the top 8 known allergens and then reintroduced them. Eggs were the culprit. I was so sad....I like eggs a LOT! I was very careful for several months with making sure to avoid them. Recently I wanted to see what would happen if I reintroduced them back in. In the last month I 've had some baked things with eggs as an ingredient here and there. I had no hives! A week or two ago I started having strong cravings for eggs in their pure form. Well, hives came back after a day of savoring a single fried egg...full.force. I am disheartened. I hope someday I will get to enjoy eggs without itchy bumps....

I always assumed it was a cross allergy against.. no idea what. Fresh food from the garden is the worst, for example a small restaurant cooking with own produce in southern Europe. At other times though things are fine. The strands in bananas make me shudder by just thinking of them. Most things do get very edible when cooked though. Apart from walnuts and pecans, as they remain hard and don't really cook I suppose. *shrugs*

Find your triggers and do your homework. Did you know that pepperoni has dairy? I didn't and had a big reaction.

Yes. Sulphite/sulphur dioxide allergy diagnosed in my 30s which means no sausages, burgers, wine or vinegar dressings, dried fruits, coffee or pickles. After a few years of worsening asthma, skin reactions, allergic reactions like puffy eyes, exhaustion and arrhythmia it was also picked up that I had salicylate sensitivity after a massive asthma attack when given some painkillers. It was discovered that I'm really quite sensitive to anything with high natural levels of salicylic acid, which is mainly found in plants or plant based foods and teas. I found that reducing fruits and vegetables has had a massive benefit on my overall health but my weight has suffered as a result of reducing so-called healthy foods and high levels of steroid and antihistamine drugs I gave to take to control any reactions.

I was found to have sensitivities to wheat, dairy, eggs, and soy after doing a food allergy test. Like others said, nothing that's going to kill me but enough to make me super uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I try to limit these things but it's really hard to eliminate all of them all the time.

I also get the weird tingly mouth from walnuts and bananas. But only sometimes.

Strudders67 wrote: »

Allergy or intolerance? There's a big difference.

Over the last 30 years (I'm now in my 50s), I've developed intolerance to multiple things, but it won't kill me if I eat them. Cutting them out for a period of at least 3 months, then gradually reintroducing them, helped determine whether I still reacted, how quickly and how badly.

The biggest change was being able to breathe properly after I cut out yeast. I no longer felt like I'd got a lump in my throat (which I was constantly trying to clear). I already knew that that's what some dairy products did to me but, about 20 years later, I started getting the same reaction when I definitely hadn't eaten any dairy. It took quite a long time to identify that one. When I cut out yeast, the bloating in my stomach reduced too.

Once I knew what was causing the problems, I could make informed choices for my meals. I still eat cheese and drink wine every so often but, if I have too much over a few days and start reacting, at least I know what to avoid completely for the next week to eliminate the symptoms.

At least there are plenty of alternatives in the shops, these days, for most things.

Not all allergies cause anaphylaxis or risk of death. It is completely possible and common to have mild allergies that are still not just an intolerance. I have an immune response to dairy. I also have lactose intolerance because I dont have enough dairy to keep up my gut bacteria. But I can still eat enough that people probably couldn't even tell. For this reason I would never mention it at a restaurant or anything. If I eat too much, by skin blows up in an incredibly ichy rash that lasts for weeks. Luckily... my inability to digest it well actually hits me well before I get to that point! If I eat smaller amounts but often, I just get eczema (different from the other rash). Who knows what would happen if I ate a truck load.

My wife was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia many years ago. So, we quit gluten together. Then, she had an allergy test which showed clearly that her biggest allergy was cow dairy (not a huge intolerance to gluten, but going gluten free did help her with pain, I believe, and helped heal her digestion).

She's the type of woman that will be sad and pout if I'm eating these things in front of her, so I went cold turkey on gluten and cow dairy with her -- I mean, I didn't cheat, at all.

A few years later, I got gluten in Mexico. We had chips we thought didn't taste like corn -- we were told they were -- well, they weren't. They were flour. She was fine. I had an autoimmune rash on my rear (blisters) for a week. Turns out I'm Celiac. Signs were there all along -- ezcema, TMI but bloody stools, rashes and many other signs. When I drank beer in my youth, I got really physically ill. So there were a lot of signs I simply ignored. I'm really careful now about gluten. Extremely careful. Though most celiac isn't fatal, it can really make me sick for days. If I even get a little, it can be bad for 24 to 48 hours.

My wife was around 53 when she was told to stay off cow dairy and I was like 52 when I finally figured out I'm Celiac. There are many celiacs out there that don't know they are and many think that can be a huge contributing factor to colon cancer.

Great news is there's never been a better time in history for replacement foods/flours and ideas. We have no problem eating great and buying things, though we mostly stay away from junk food anyway.

26 when I found out wheat and corn were big problems for me- not gluten, wheat.

In terms of change, if I avoid those foods, I don’t suffer depression, asthma, cystic acne, GERD, or migraines. So it was a significant improvement. Doesn’t affect my weight at all though.

charmmeth wrote: »

acpgee wrote: »

According to the allergist my pollen allergy has crossed into food allergy with all fruit. I meant to microwave for 30 seconds which destroys the protein that causes the allergy.

Yes, I have had this experience too. I started out with a pollen allergy which did not affect me except in spring (along with allergies to house mites, and a few other things). In my mid-30s I suddenly started have allergic reactions to apples (until then my favourite fruit), which began as a tingling mouth but then fairly quickly (and rather scarily) went to the throat-swelling-up-to-block-the-windpipe stage. Organic seems to be less problematic, and peeling them can help, but I have stopped eating them after a few of these experiences. Apple juice and stewed apple are fine. However, I now react also to all thin-skinned fruit (peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, pears etc), pineapple, and on occasion strawberries and tomatoes. At present organic tomatoes seem OK, and I eat a lot of them. I SOOO miss the fruit.

Apparently developing from a pollen allergy to a thin-skinned fruit allergy is an adult is quite common, but no-one had warned me!

My own particular allergic reaction is to a protein that is broken down when fruit is cooked. Just microwaving on high for 30 seconds (and then chilling to a palatable temperature) does the trick for me.

charmmeth wrote: »

acpgee wrote: »

According to the allergist my pollen allergy has crossed into food allergy with all fruit. I meant to microwave for 30 seconds which destroys the protein that causes the allergy.

Yes, I have had this experience too. I started out with a pollen allergy which did not affect me except in spring (along with allergies to house mites, and a few other things). In my mid-30s I suddenly started have allergic reactions to apples (until then my favourite fruit), which began as a tingling mouth but then fairly quickly (and rather scarily) went to the throat-swelling-up-to-block-the-windpipe stage. Organic seems to be less problematic, and peeling them can help, but I have stopped eating them after a few of these experiences. Apple juice and stewed apple are fine. However, I now react also to all thin-skinned fruit (peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, pears etc), pineapple, and on occasion strawberries and tomatoes. At present organic tomatoes seem OK, and I eat a lot of them. I SOOO miss the fruit.

Apparently developing from a pollen allergy to a thin-skinned fruit allergy is an adult is quite common, but no-one had warned me!

Same for me. I had known that cherries and peaches would make my throat scratchy and itchy, but then suddenly had a severe reaction to apples, and I often eat apples. And also had a reaction to zucchini. Oral Allergy syndrome. I'm not really allergic to apples but my body thinks I am. If they are peeled or cooked its less severe of a reaction. Sucks that I live in orchard country and can't really enjoy orchard fruits!

carakirkey wrote: »

Same for me. I had known that cherries and peaches would make my throat scratchy and itchy, but then suddenly had a severe reaction to apples, and I often eat apples. And also had a reaction to zucchini. Oral Allergy syndrome. I'm not really allergic to apples but my body thinks I am. If they are peeled or cooked its less severe of a reaction. Sucks that I live in orchard country and can't really enjoy orchard fruits!

You have my sympathy! Thankfully, it is only fruit for me, and I have not had this reaction to zucchini. That would be a challenge as we eat a lot of it.

I developed an allergy to peanuts.