Allergic to fruit and raw veg! HELP

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midge19uk
midge19uk Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been struggling with weight for so many years now I have lost count!! 25 years old, weighing 165lbs bit of a shorty at 5'2 and my bum sticks out like a sore thumb! About three years ago I got really sick with glandular fever and although I lost 3 stone at the time I put on 4 during the recovery. I also found my self having reactions to all fruit and many raw veg, starting off with an itchy mouth and now hives swollen mouth and unbelievable stomach cramps.

This year I am going to Canada in August, my aim is to look fabulous in a bikini (at this rate its never going to happen). I go to the gym as much as i can but I work with children with special needs and its an exhausting job, finding the motivation and time to do it after is very difficult and emotional. I have signed up for the Race for Life 5K in July which I am planning to run, currently I can run a mile without stopping!! But two more of them look like mountains!!

I am being very good with food. Given up the dreaded C word for lent (chocolate AND chips) and sticking to 1200 calories a day, currently I have lost 7lbs but I appear to have hit a wall. I've been stuck here for a week and could really do with a push in the right direction.

Any advice or a metaphoric slap round the face would be gratefully received!
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  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    How can someone be allergic to EVERY fruit and most vegetables? Seems a little strange to me. :frown:
  • HotBodUnderConstruction
    HotBodUnderConstruction Posts: 420
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    Specifically, *raw* vegetables? So, if they're cooked, and you eat them, nothing happens?
  • privatetime
    privatetime Posts: 118
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    I have been struggling with weight for so many years now I have lost count!! 25 years old, weighing 165lbs bit of a shorty at 5'2 and my bum sticks out like a sore thumb! About three years ago I got really sick with glandular fever and although I lost 3 stone at the time I put on 4 during the recovery. I also found my self having reactions to all fruit and many raw veg, starting off with an itchy mouth and now hives swollen mouth and unbelievable stomach cramps.

    This year I am going to Canada in August, my aim is to look fabulous in a bikini (at this rate its never going to happen). I go to the gym as much as i can but I work with children with special needs and its an exhausting job, finding the motivation and time to do it after is very difficult and emotional. I have signed up for the Race for Life 5K in July which I am planning to run, currently I can run a mile without stopping!! But two more of them look like mountains!!

    I am being very good with food. Given up the dreaded C word for lent (chocolate AND chips) and sticking to 1200 calories a day, currently I have lost 7lbs but I appear to have hit a wall. I've been stuck here for a week and could really do with a push in the right direction.

    Any advice or a metaphoric slap round the face would be gratefully received!

    All fruit? Many raw vegetables? Since hominids existed on almost nothing but plants for the first 2-3 million years of our evolution (prior to tool use), I'm trying to wrap my head around what coukd be going on.

    I guess my only suggestion would be to find those whole foods that don't cause an undesirable reaction, and try to build a complete and balanced diet around them. Weight loss could never be worth putting highly-processed foods and chemicals into your body.
  • mamamudbug
    mamamudbug Posts: 572 Member
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    It could happen. I'm allergic to quite a few fruits and a couple of vegetables. Reactions go from throat closing with raw to severe upset stomach with cooked or processed. Once you've had a severe enough reaction it makes you wary of trying others. Not everyone can afford allergy testing either so that may not be an option. My suggestion is to focus on what you can eat. Please do a search on eating at 1200 calories, you'll find some interesting information.

    Edited to unscramble post
  • midge19uk
    midge19uk Posts: 17
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    Basically its an allergy to blossom, the blossom gets inside the fruit and veg like peppers and carrots thus causing a reaction. I have to take fenofexadine three times daily. Generally I can eat fruit and veg cooked which will just result in uncomfortable bowel movement. I can eat satsumas/clemintines and bananas and thats about it on the fruit front. Veg is not so bad but peppers, carrots and raw potatoes will affect me if I peel or cut up, for example cutting up potatoes and i rubbed my eye, my eyes closed through all the swelling. Its bizare
  • spngebobmyhero
    spngebobmyhero Posts: 823 Member
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    I have this problem with a lot of raw fruit and some raw veggies too. Have you tried organic veggies and fruits? I can not eat regular grocery store apples, but I can eat organic ones! I almost wonder if is a pesticide problem, but no matter how well I was the fruit, it doesn't get better.

    If organic veggies and fruits don't work, try lightly steaming them so you are getting most of the benefits of raw veggies and hopefully not the reaction.
  • midge19uk
    midge19uk Posts: 17
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    I was lucky enough to have testing done. The worst fruits for me are apples, pears, peach, plum, strawberries and large oranges. If I eat any of those I will generally be laid up for a few days. first with the swelling then with cramps
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    This may sound strange, but if you are experiencing allergic reactions to a broad spectrum of fruits and veggies, especially if these reactions are beginning to appear as an adult, you may want to get checked to see if you have a gluten intolerance. I know several people who struggled with symptoms like these and after switching to a gluten free diet, they were able to reincorporate fruits and veggies into their diet.
  • rbbrrmqn
    rbbrrmqn Posts: 132 Member
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    If your diary was open, perhaps we could give you even better advice? Good luck!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you are looking for encouragement then I will offer what I can. You can do anything you put your mind to.

    For running have you tried the c25k program? I'm on week three and it is a great way to build up your running endurance and it's free! There are apps for about any phone or mp3 player or written plans available online.

    Just curious, is the fruit problem due to severe pollen allergies?
  • rllewell
    rllewell Posts: 234
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    Have you tried organic veggies and fruits? I can not eat regular grocery store apples, but I can eat organic ones! I almost wonder if is a pesticide problem

    If organic veggies and fruits don't work, try lightly steaming them so you are getting most of the benefits of raw veggies and hopefully not the reaction.

    This is where I was going, is it a reaction to pesticides? Steaming is as far as I would go for cooking since 60-80% of the nutritional value is lost once totally cooked.
  • missfancy1980
    missfancy1980 Posts: 326
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    I used to get an allergic reaction to most fruit and raw veg too - itchy mouth, swollen roof of mouth and sometimes tongue, itchy throat. Sometimes with avocado i was seriously scared it was an aniphilactic (spelling??) reaction! But for me personally (Not suggesting this for everyone as obviously could be dangerous for some), simply incorporating them into my diet more has eliminated the reaction. I have never eaten much of either and my body simply wasn't used to it. Now that i eat them more my body isn't so bothered :)
  • vicmonster
    vicmonster Posts: 297 Member
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    You should research Oral Allergy Syndrome, I have the same issues and that's what I've been diagnosed with. One thing that is really important is to get and keep an EpiPen. I understand that the fruits/veggies are grouped so if you react to one food in a group then others in that family are likely to cause a reaction also. Some people can have these food without the skin, some can have them when processed in any way, like frozen or cooked. I have been able to identify a lot of fruits and veggies that I can have and just focus on those and not on the things I cannot have. Good luck! Friend me if you'd like, I will support any way I can :)
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    I have a friend that suffers from OAS. She can't eat a lot of fruits/nuts or raw veggies either. She can still eat healthy but she eats evrything cooked or in the dry version. Yours sounds a bit more severe so I would just look online for some recipes and ideas. I am sure there are lots of sites that can help you out!
  • momwhosbusy
    momwhosbusy Posts: 154 Member
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    Wow, I thought that I was the only one out there like this! I am not allergic to ALL fruits but quite a few and not ALL veggies, but quite a few. The potatoe post with itching, sneezing, swelling, and hives when peeling them...I can so relate. So, what I have found that works is to simply steam or roast what I want to eat for veg/fruits that cause reactions. I have NOT had testing done but my Dr. says that it is actually a celulose in the fruits and veg that causes the reaction and it is destroyed by heat! Even 1/2 cooking them to just before al dente texture works to destroy the offending. I do try to avoid potatoes 90% of the time even if they're cooked because sometimes they just don't want to go down, if thats the case then I probably shouldn't eat them. You do lose some nutrients due to steaming or roasting but you're still getting a lot of benefits too! Good luck!
  • tofindmyselfprettyagain
    tofindmyselfprettyagain Posts: 46 Member
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    This may sound strange, but if you are experiencing allergic reactions to a broad spectrum of fruits and veggies, especially if these reactions are beginning to appear as an adult, you may want to get checked to see if you have a gluten intolerance. I know several people who struggled with symptoms like these and after switching to a gluten free diet, they were able to reincorporate fruits and veggies into their diet.

    I never had an issue with raw fruit and vegetables before I switched to GF, I actually couldn't digest any animal products, or anything processed, fruits and veggies were the only things that didn't make me horribly sick.

    But she said she was already tested, so I don't think that would be a problem at all anyways.
  • Healthyby30
    Healthyby30 Posts: 1,349 Member
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    I have severe allergies to pollen, mold, grasses, etc. Because of this, my body is highly sensitive to proteins in raw fruits and vegetables. Not ALL but A LOT. I had allergy testing in November and talked to my allergist about this. He explained to me that its not pollen getting inside the fruit as others have stated. It's actually protein IN the fruit/veg that is similar to the proteins in the pollen I am allergic to. So, when I eat them, I have allergic reactions b/c my body acts as though I've just ingested the pollen; I am not actually allergic to the fruit/veg. Sneezing, itchy eyes, throat, hives..swelling, upset stomach, etc. During certain time of hte year, its worse than others. For instance...watermelon is like ragweed...so its worse for me to eat it in late July thru September. Apples in the spring, etc. Cooking it is suppose to fix the problem. I can eat cooked tomatoes, etc. but not raw. ( I generally eat them anyway as I can deal with most of the reactions). Some foods, however are much more severe for me like bananas, watermelon, etc.
  • Teksavvy
    Teksavvy Posts: 133 Member
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    Basically its an allergy to blossom, the blossom gets inside the fruit and veg like peppers and carrots thus causing a reaction.

    Are you ok with leafy-type vegetables? I don't know if these have blossoms.
    Salads made with spinach and lettuce really fill me up instead of breads. Cooked greens like collards and mustards are good also.
  • psychopiglet
    psychopiglet Posts: 130 Member
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    Hmmm... This smells suspiciously like the countryside...
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    How can someone be allergic to EVERY fruit and most vegetables? Seems a little strange to me. :frown:

    Shocking, but it is true, I actually have a friend who is allergic to nearly all fruit. Not all of the veggies though!

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