Allergic to raw fruits and veggies

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elysianashes
elysianashes Posts: 100
in Food and Nutrition
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
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Replies

  • hollyjeanw
    hollyjeanw Posts: 16
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    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
    arshness Posts: 60
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    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
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
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    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
    Partyofpugs Posts: 105
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    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
    kag1526 Posts: 210 Member
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    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
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
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    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
    elysianashes Posts: 100
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    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
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Fascinating! Food allergies suck!!
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
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    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
    supertracylynn Posts: 1,338 Member
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    How do you handle with canned or freezer section fruits/veggies?
  • mcdufour
    mcdufour Posts: 1
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    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
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    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
    lsegatti Posts: 77 Member
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    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
    elysianashes Posts: 100
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    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
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    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
    elysianashes Posts: 100
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    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
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    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
    MWinch73 Posts: 1
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    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
    MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
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    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
    v70t5m Posts: 186 Member
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    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

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