Allergic to raw fruits and veggies

elysianashes · March 2012

For those who haven't heard of it, there's a pretty good explanation of Oral Allergy Syndrome on Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome] but the gist of it is that people who suffer from hayfever are sometimes allergic to raw fruits and vegetables because of cross-pollination. Cooking the food removes the allergen. That means that I can't eat raw apples, but I can eat apple pie, for instance. I've dealt with this almost my whole life. Some fruits and veggies are worse than others. Blueberries, for example, make my mouth a little itchy but only if I eat a lot of them. Peaches, on the other hand, make my skin break out if I just touch them. Even being in the same room while they're being cut makes me sneeze and my throat gets scratchy. I had one scary run-in with boysenberries where my throat actually started to close up; but other days I've been able to eat them with only minor scratchy throat. Usually I can take Benadryl and that helps a lot, but I'd prefer not to take it every day. And like I said, I can eat them if they're cooked - just not raw.

Anyway, it makes trying to eat healthy really difficult sometimes. I would love to be able to eat an apple for a snack, but I can't. Raw carrots would be wonderful. I can't even remember the last time I had a slice of fresh peach.

Does anyone have any ideas on some alternate ways I could fix them? Every recipe I know of adds butter or sugar, and I know a lot of the nutrients get cooked out anyway. Anyone else have OAS?

Worst offenders - these are the ones where I often break out if I even touch them:
Peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, blackberries, boysenberries, mangoes, guava, passion fruit, figs

Not quite as bad, but these give me a very scratchy throat:
Apples, carrots, kiwifruit, tomatoes, pomegranates, parsnips, peas, broccoli, cauliflower

These make me a bit itchy if I eat a lot, but I can tolerate them for the most part:
Almonds, avocados (but I don't care for them), pears, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, hazelnuts, walnuts, cucumber, sometimes watermelon, potatoes, parsley, peppers, coconut, pecans, cranberries

Usually no problems:
celery, bananas, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, oranges, tangerines, sunflower seeds, pineapple, dates, grapefruit

hollyjeanw · March 2012

This would be awful to have! I feel for you. There is nothing like fresh cold fruit. But as an alternative, I would try steaming them. Some may not turn out good but others might. Experiment with it a bit. I'm under the impression that steaming retains more nutrients than other cooking methods.

arshness · March 2012

That's awful and fascinating. I'd think removing the outer skins and peels would fix this but I guess not eh?

What about steaming? Or boiling?

Can you boil an apple for 5 minutes and then eat it? Will that reduce the allergens? have you ever tried that?
It shouldn't change the apple too much... should still taste like an apple.. if you let it cool, it should even be kinda normal... just without as much allergen hanging on I'd think?

Berries... You could boil berries down in water with splenda to make jam/preserves/pie fillings. Of course you don't wanna make normal pies because the crusts are AWFUL but it'd be great on a bagel or such.

I'm really curious if the boiling briefly would work since cooking works.

dls06 · March 2012

My daughter has it. Very serious. She has trouble going to restaurants because you have no idea what they cook with. She almost died a couple times. She carries an epi pen now where ever she goes.

They have a recipe section
http://allergicliving.com/index.php/category/food-allergy-2/fruit-vegetable/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/food-allergy/DS00082/DSECTION=symptoms

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/t/46925/help-for-those-with-oral-allergy-syndrome

http://www.livestrong.com/article/481219-weight-loss-diets-for-people-with-oral-allergy-syndrome/

Partyofpugs · March 2012

I steam veggies and love the taste. I throw them in a bowl with a tiny bit of water, cover and microwave 5 minutes. Good for broccolli, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage. Cook down apples with some water (and cinnamon) smash them and have an applesauce. Blueberries, peaches, strawberries - same thing (peel peaches first. Rely more on melons and banana's. Are frozen a problem? If not rely more on them. Good luck!

kag1526 · March 2012

does removing the outter layer of an apple make it ok? Looking at your list things with outer layers that are thrown away (oranges, bananas, etc) all seem ok. So I'm guessing its an issue with pesticides or something that is getting on the outside of the fruit, not the fruit itself...

I hope your not offended by the above and I would completely understand if your reluctant to try it... I'm just kind of curious.

Savyna · March 2012

I know how you feel because as I've gotten older I've gotten these oral allergies. Apples make my mouth itchy and sometimes I guess hives or something break out inside my mouth. I also can no longer enjoy a lot of the nuts I used to enjoy eating (they make it hard for me to swallow and my tongue feels thick).

elysianashes · March 2012

It really depends on which one it is. Steaming broccoli or carrots, for example, doesn't help. If it's still crunchy, I'm still itchy. But it's not as bad with cauliflower or pears.

Removing the peels helps a little, and most of the allergens do seem to be in the skin, but with apples the flesh is still pretty volatile for me.

I avoid sugar substitutes if I can help it!

UsedToBeHusky · March 2012

Fascinating! Food allergies suck!!

Jennisin1 · March 2012

Almost all fruits can be poached in apple juice! This would make a lovely topping for whole grain english muffin... or over some yogurt with a touch of a protien granola.... you could even reduce the juice to a syrup for most yummy goodness without any 'added" sugar.

Some of the worst offenders can be bought frozen and you would never have to touch the raw fruit. Frozen fruits are still very nutritious. Sometimes better than fresh in off season.

supertracylynn · March 2012

How do you handle with canned or freezer section fruits/veggies?

mcdufour · March 2012

there are many ways to cook vegetables and fruits without the added fat or sugar: for berries, use frozen berry and cook them until the water is almost gone (you have to be careful it does not burn) it will concentrate the natural favour and sugars. It also works great with cherries and peaches. There is nothing better than a baked apple, a pear or a peach with cinanmon some nutmeg. You can also add a bit of orange, lime or lemon juice. Herbs like terragon (for strawberries), mint or lemon balms are also great to use with a cooked fruits.

For vg's try to bake them, it concentrates the flavor and you do not need the extra fat; baked fries done with carrots, parsnips, celery are really good. Use herbs and balsamic vinegar to add flavour if you can eat it.

Eating your cook vegetable in a soup is also great. Lettuce and peas make a great soup. You can "cream" them without the cream just using a zucchini or celery roots it acts as a natural thickener.

Best of luck

kelseyhere · March 2012

This is very interesting, thank you for sharing. I suffer from food allergies and wonder if this could be the cause. Bananas and melons are the worst for me, but those are on your list of things that usually don't cause problems. It does make sense though because when I eat raw bananas my throat starts to close, but I'm completely fine with banana bread.

It also explains why I only sometimes have problems with other fruits and veggies (apples, pears, carrots, avocados). I always assumed it was the pesticides I was allergic too and that I only had problems sometimes because different farms use different pesticides.

Very interesting also how one poster said the cruncy vegetables still make them itch even when steamed, but the soft ones are ok.

lsegatti · March 2012

Interesting information. Have you considered the genetic "family" of these foods? For example: watermelon, cataloupe, honey dew melons and cucumbers all come from related genetic species of foods. I have sensitivities to most of them in terms of digestion but can eat cucumbers as pickles. I am not sure if the vinegar changes their composition or if it just promotes better digestion of the foods.

Have you tried eating such veggie foods that are pickled? There is chow-chow: a combination of all fresh veggies pickled in one jar, there is 4 bean salad, pickled cauliflower etc.....Most of these recipes would be considered Pennsylvania German/Dutch.

How about all of the squash family? Zucchini, yellow or green, acorn, spaghetti, butternut etc? Sweet potatoes?

There is also some research done on where the foods are grown. Check out and try local foods stands, if the produce is grown within 50 miles of where you live, the allergens are ones that you are more exposed to and thereby can more likely tolerate the pollen and other local aspects? Produce grown farther away and shipped into your area would have different allergens and other aspects to consider. Pesticides would also be a factor.

Keep searching and good luck!

elysianashes · March 2012

Kelseyhere, I would take a look at that Wikipedia article. Just because I'm not allergic to something doesn't mean you wouldn't be! It's different for every person, and it all depends on where you live and which allergens affect you most.

As far as canned fruit, the canning process cooks them a little, but for example the peaches are still bad. Pears, not as much. It all depends how allergic I am to the raw version. Frozen veggies aren't cooked at all, so I'm still very allergic to them and can't eat them raw, but it does make it easier to make cooked food from them.

Thanks for all your suggestions so far! Mcdufour, thank you for reminding me that baking is a good option.

SuffolkSally · March 2012

What about dried fruit /veggies? I don't like them myself, but you can get allsorts of dried apples, mangoe, cranberries etc. Some ranges have no added sugar. I guess they're a bit high calorie as the natural fruit sugars will be concentrated, but healthy all the same and OK as a treat

elysianashes · March 2012

Usually I can tell if I'll be allergic to something because it's in the same family... for example, it's pretty obvious that I'm very allergic to all the "stone" fruits, while melons only affect me a little bit.

I don't know if they're as bad when they're pickled - I hate vinegar lol.

Re: the squash family, zucchini makes me a little itchy when I cut it, same as cucumbers. It seems to be the skin that's the problem in those. Do people eat squash raw? I've only ever had it cooked or grilled. Same with sweet potatoes!

fitterpam · March 2012

My sister has this, her worst are the raw veggie tray pieces (Carrots, Celery, Cucumber, Broccoli)....

I have to say that she's quite limited in her food choices; mostly corn, peas but has been branching out into leafy greens sauteed. She can eat salad though (lettuce, tomatoes basically....LOL) She has to pick out everything else (she lives at home with my parents and other siblings so it's not like she's cooking her own food).

She's found that sometimes limited cooking to where it's partially cooked is usually okay (so very very lightly steamed almost to the point of not being so) seems to work....She takes carrot sticks to work, but partially steams them first......It doesn't sound like this would be of help for you.

Mostly she swaps the crudites for the chips though.....LOL so not a lot of help.

MWinch73 · October 2012

I have the same problem. Just touching peaches, plums, nectarines can cause me to itch. However, I can eat.bananas, melons, grapes, and grapefuits. I too use benadryl if I consume apple, but then I sleep for hours. High price to pay for eating an apple. I wont even attempt peaches as they are the worst!

MuddyEquestrian · October 2012

For those who haven't heard of it, there's a pretty good explanation of Oral Allergy Syndrome on Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome] but the gist of it is that people who suffer from hayfever are sometimes allergic to raw fruits and vegetables because of cross-pollination. Cooking the food removes the allergen. That means that I can't eat raw apples, but I can eat apple pie, for instance. I've dealt with this almost my whole life. Some fruits and veggies are worse than others. Blueberries, for example, make my mouth a little itchy but only if I eat a lot of them. Peaches, on the other hand, make my skin break out if I just touch them. Even being in the same room while they're being cut makes me sneeze and my throat gets scratchy. I had one scary run-in with boysenberries where my throat actually started to close up; but other days I've been able to eat them with only minor scratchy throat. Usually I can take Benadryl and that helps a lot, but I'd prefer not to take it every day. And like I said, I can eat them if they're cooked - just not raw.

Anyway, it makes trying to eat healthy really difficult sometimes. I would love to be able to eat an apple for a snack, but I can't. Raw carrots would be wonderful. I can't even remember the last time I had a slice of fresh peach.

Does anyone have any ideas on some alternate ways I could fix them? Every recipe I know of adds butter or sugar, and I know a lot of the nutrients get cooked out anyway. Anyone else have OAS?

Worst offenders - these are the ones where I often break out if I even touch them:
Peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, blackberries, boysenberries, mangoes, guava, passion fruit, figs

Not quite as bad, but these give me a very scratchy throat:
Apples, carrots, kiwifruit, tomatoes, pomegranates, parsnips, peas, broccoli, cauliflower

These make me a bit itchy if I eat a lot, but I can tolerate them for the most part:
Almonds, avocados (but I don't care for them), pears, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, hazelnuts, walnuts, cucumber, sometimes watermelon, potatoes, parsley, peppers, coconut, pecans, cranberries

Usually no problems:
celery, bananas, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, oranges, tangerines, sunflower seeds, pineapple, dates, grapefruit

I have severe OAS, i try to steam stuff as much as possible!

v70t5m · October 2012

I don't have OAS (and considering my other allergies, I hope I never develop this ... I really feel for you). I cooked a plum in the microwave the other day and drizzled a Tbsp of chocolate peanut butter on it for dessert. It was really tasty.

Usually, we are reacting to proteins in/on the food we are eating. So, you want to get your food hot enough to denature (destroy the structure of) the proteins so your body no longer recognizes and reacts to them (think of a cooked egg, denatured/destroyed protein - it cannot be returned to its original form).

In your place, I think I would cook up a bunch of fruits (wear gloves?) and make jams/spreads out of them. Kept in the freezer, you have access to cold fruits when you want. They will last a short time in the fridge as well.

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/cooking/a/sugarfreejam.htm

lyttlewon · October 2012

For those who haven't heard of it, there's a pretty good explanation of Oral Allergy Syndrome on Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_allergy_syndrome] but the gist of it is that people who suffer from hayfever are sometimes allergic to raw fruits and vegetables because of cross-pollination. Cooking the food removes the allergen.

You are misunderstanding what Oral Allergy Syndrome is. OAS is your body recognizing a protein in a food and thinking it is the same protein you are allergic to in a pollen. It is NOT the same thing as this pollen getting on your food. Possibly the cooking is denaturing (not necessarily removing) the proteins to a point where you can eat these foods. I know this is possible with milk, but I have not researched this happening in other foods. I suggest seeking the advice of a board certified allergist (not a general practitioner or an ENT) and determining what you are allergic to. Allergies can potentially be life threatening if they become severe.

An explanation of Oral Allergy Syndrome from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology

http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/library/allergy-library/outdoor-allergies-and-food-allergies-can-be-relate.aspx

shinkalork · November 2012

I have it too... It started around age 13...so 20 years ago I would say.
I cannot eat all the apples,peach,pears,plum etc.... but all the melons,pineapple,banana,orange etc...are fine.
So the ones you bite into.... No more for me.

Veggies are complicated....I can for some,not others....

It's sad cause I like them all.

sak90027 · November 2012

I'm really surprised at the non-judgmental responses on this. Every blog, news article, message boards etc. that takes on the topic of food allergies seems to garner a negative or skeptical response from most people. people here are more empathetic which is nice :happy:

i became allergic to nectarine and peaches in my early 30's. until then i was fine with eating those fruits. i get OAS with fresh mangoes. if they're previously frozen or processed i'm ok. or course i passed my allergic genes to my child who has sever tree nut and peanut allergies.

i think with apples you can make cooked applesauce. i know it's not the same as eating raw apples but you can puree and then cook it down with a bit of water and maybe some cinnamon.

schell81 · November 2012

I'm not sure if it would be cooked enough for you, but I love grilling fruit. My favorite is pineapple with lime juice and black pepper but I've tried lots of different fruits and veggies. You need very little oil or none if you have a good non stick grill.

kenazfehu · November 2012

How about dropping them into boiling water, then freezing?

Baked apples is pretty awesome.

casiej11 · March 2013

I have a very similar problem with raw fruits and veggies. If they are cooked at all or processed I have no problem with them. I have started peeling apples and dicing them. I then will toss them with some cinnamon and just a touch of sugar (sometimes) and put them in the microwave for a minute. Taste like the apple pie filling but without all the fat. I like to steam veggies or boil them. It may lose some of the nutritional value but in my opinion I am at least getting some of the nutrition, better than not eating them at all. Its nice to see I'm not the only one out there with this problem. It didn't start till I was in college. Weird! And yes, I have horrible hay fever and pollen allergies.

baileysmom4 · March 2013

I love to take an apple, chopped up and put some cinnamon on it and microwave it just until they are soft. I sometime put a bit of brown sugar on them but if its a sweet apple it doesn't need it. Very yummy.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane · March 2013

Steam, boil, and bake everything.

trtviper · May 2013

I have a very similar allergy. You need to have a full allergy test done by a specialist so that you know what to avoid. For myself, I found that I am not allergic to white fish, but I am allergic to the algae they eat. I am allergic to the grass pollens that mix with orchard fruits(which can be greatly helped with weekly allergy shots), I am allergic to citrus fruits, particularly those grown in areas that they can cross pollinate with rubber trees(very sensitive to latex). Some are in these genetic families, such as avocados are made from the same proteins as rubber. Cooking will only work if you get the temperature high enough to denature the proteins and break down the allergin. Which also breaks down the nutrients. But there are some ways around this and your allergist will know exactly what to do for you. I am allergic to onions and garlic, cooking doses not break them down enough, but dehydrating does. So I can now cook with powdered onion and garlic and still retain some nutrients. Again the allergist can give you specific advice how to get around each allergy or how to avoid it.

SongbirdSweetie · January 2014

I see that this discussion thread is from a while ago so I don't know if anyone will see it, but I discovered through dumb luck and trial-and-error when I was in high school that Zyrtec (or its generic equivalent, which is now available OTC in 300-day supplies, so it's a relatively cheap solution spread across the year where it wasn't before) helps significantly. Essentially, I had been given a few free samples from the doctor's office and randomly noticed afterwards that I could eat raw cantaloupe without my mouth or inner ear itching. (For me, my mouth does not always itch, only for the worst offenders, but always the inner ear, which always made me feel like a big weirdo until I confirmed tonight that this condition is actually "a thing" that has a name. It is more annoying than anything else, for me.) I think my body has developed somewhat of a tolerance to the medicine over time since I have been taking it daily or nearly daily for several years now as an adult, and some foods are still more prone to bother me if not cooked (raw carrots always seem to get me), but I can eat most raw fruits now without experiencing symptoms or they are at the very least noticeably dampened to the point where most things don't bother me. This discovery was a big deal to me since I love fresh fruit and had outright avoided it for several years growing up. I have been curious if, after maintaining this regimen for some time now, if I tried not taking it for an extended period of time, would my symptoms be worse (as I would expect), better, or the same - but I haven't tried that experiment yet. But anyway, in addition to cooking foods and occasionally avoiding them, this method has allowed me to enjoy many of the offending foods raw, with seemingly no negative consequences. I hope this solution is helpful to others as well. If anyone tries it and it works, I'd be interested to know.

Allergic to raw fruits and veggies

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