Achoo To Food Too

If you suffer from a late-summer allergy, you might be bothered by some foods, as well.

Each August, when certain plants begin to bloom, people who suffer from hayfever start sneezing, and their eyes itch and water.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology recently found some allergy sufferers can also experience an itchiness in the mouth and throat after eating certain fruits and vegetables, known as “pollen food syndrome” or “oral allergy syndrome”.

This “cross-reactivity reaction” occurs when allergy antibodies that react to pollen proteins also react to similar proteins that are found in other parts of the plant.

People who are allergic to ragweed could have a reaction to bananas, cucumbers, melon, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea, and echinacea.

People who are allergic to birch tree pollen may have a reaction, as well, after eating peaches, apples, pears, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, kiwi, and almonds.

Usually these reactions are mild and are only a problem if your throat swells and you experience other complications. Then again, even if you’re allergic to ragweed or birch tree pollen, you may not have a reaction to the foods at all. If you do have a mild reaction, eating the foods cooked instead of raw might help, but you might have to avoid eating them this season.

If you find that you must severely limit your diet to the point that you are missing out on the important nutrients these foods contain, see an allergy specialist. Getting the right treatment early in the season can reduce the odds you’ll have any symptoms from ragweed or any of these foods.