Have you experienced itching or swelling in your mouth after biting into an apple? While apples, carrots, celery, peaches, pears and other uncooked fruit and vegetables might not be the most obvious food allergy triggers, they are a common cause of oral allergy syndrome symptoms. Fortunately, allergic reactions tend to be fairly mild when compared to many other food allergies. However, to protect yourself or your child from uncomfortable symptoms, it’s important to stay informed about the best oral allergy syndrome prevention and treatment approaches.
What Is Oral Allergy Syndrome?
Food pollen or oral allergy syndrome might occur if you ate food and didn’t know you were allergic. This allergy syndrome remains one of the most common of all food allergies experienced by adults. This syndrome works like a contact allergy to vegetables and fruits. You’re very likely to have these food allergies to fresh fruit and vegetables if you suffer from hay fever.
Oral allergy syndrome is a result of cross-reactivity between proteins found in both pollen and raw fruit, vegetables and nuts. When your immune system has developed antibodies against pollen allergens like birch, ragweed or grass, it may also consider similar proteins (found in various plant foods) to be threats as well. Therefore, if you have a seasonal allergy, you are at a greater risk of having oral allergy syndrome.
While many food allergies develop in early childhood, oral allergy syndrome usually starts in late childhood, the teenage years, or in early adulthood. Usually people have been eating these fruits and vegetables for years without an issue. However, after the pollen allergy develops, consuming foods with similar proteins will begin triggering a response due to cross-reactivity.
Common Symptoms of Oral Allergy Syndrome
- Your throat feels itchy.
- You feel a tingling in your throat or mouth.
- Your tongue feels swollen or full.
- The back of your throat or lips feels like they’re swelling.
People who have a reaction to pollen coming from such plants as birch, grass, and ragweed might also have problems with some foods during the spring and summer.
Triggers for Seasonal Allergies to Food
A few triggering plants can pollinate and cause your allergies to fruit and vegetables to get triggered. Some of the most likely offenders for pollen-related allergy triggers to produce products include the following plants.
Birch Pollen
This pollen from the birch tree spreads during March and April in Atlanta. The produce items that birch pollen triggers include:
- Fruit with pits such as apples, peaches, pears, and plums.
- Vegetables such as carrots and celery.
- Nuts like almonds and hazelnuts.
Grass Pollen
Grass pollen tends to occur from May to July. Produce products that this pollen effect includes:
- Tomatoes.
- Melons of many kinds.
- Potatoes.
- Oranges.
Ragweed Pollen
Ragweed tends to pollinate from the middle of August until mid-September in Atlanta. When ragweed pollinates, it might cause food allergy symptoms when you eat:
- Cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelons.
- Bananas.
- Zucchini.
Why Pollen Affects Allergies to Fruit and Vegetables
You’ll know whether pollen stirs up your allergies to certain produce items almost immediately during certain pollen seasons. So you might get to eat melon in the winter, but have to avoid it when grass pollinates.
These reactions occur due to the proteins in the uncooked fruit or vegetables. Your body gets confused between the pollen forming allergen and the similar protein in your uncooked veggies or fruit. The confusion occurs quite quickly, and irritation in your mouth or throat remains mild. The annoying feelings caused by the reaction quickly dissipate because the acid in your stomach quickly breaks down the protein.
People who have hay fever can continue to eat small amounts of the offending fruit or vegetables if the reaction remains mild. But some individuals have more severe and annoying reactions while the offending pollen remains in season.
You can only get oral allergy syndrome when you’re allergic to pollen. You can only get these reactions from plant foods. Plus, reactions occur when you eat uncooked plant foods in the wrong seasons. Once you heat the fruit in question, the offending protein gets destroyed.
To eat your favorite fruit or vegetable in the pollen season, zap it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Or wait to enjoy it until after the offending pollen is gone.
Top Treatments for Oral Allergy Syndrome
Successfully treating oral allergy syndrome involves a combination of avoidance, food preparation and medication. Avoiding the specific raw fruit, nuts or vegetables likely to cause a reaction is most important during allergy season. For example, as discussed above, if you are allergic to birch pollen, consider avoiding apples during spring.
If you want to continue eating the food item, food preparation is key. Baking, boiling or microwaving the food changes the protein structure of the fruit or vegetable, reducing the chances of a reaction. Peeling the skin can also prevent oral allergy syndrome symptoms, as the highest concentration of proteins is in or near the skin. If your symptoms are more severe or distressing, your allergist could advise taking antihistamines or other allergy medications.
Get Help Treating Oral Allergy Syndrome
We treat oral allergy syndrome sufferers from any of our locations. If you need help identifying if you have a pollen allergy or a food allergy, call Chacko Allergy, Asthma and Sinus Center today at (678) 668-4688 or request an appointment online.
