Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Food Intolerance Intolerance

Boy, do I not like food intolerances. Years ago my very wonderful sister realized that she could no longer eat red bell peppers. How rough is that? I personally love red peppers, so I can only imagine that it is particularly frustrating for her. Naturally, I control my urge to make red pepper heavy treats until she is back at her apartment in Brooklyn. And then......I like to make red pepper bruschetta. It involves a little sauteing of onion, pepper, and garlic and then a little olive oil "grilling" of crusty bread. For good measure, it may include a quick grate of parmesan.
I lived most of my life thinking that I could eat whatever I want. That is, until last summer, when I started to have allergic reactions to raw apples. Occasionally I can eat one unscathed, but when I start to feel my throat swell, I am quickly reminded that I should probably avoid those sweet, tempting fruits. Every time, it just leaves me wondering, how do other people cope with being told they can't eat something that they love?

5 comments:

Midge said...

A few summers ago I also started having problems eating raw apples, and then it extended to raw peaches and cherries. I noticed that the allergies are only with pollen fruit and that it happens when my seasonal allergies are bad. However if I cook the fruit I'm fine - leading me to believe that my fruit allergy is pollen based. Maybe your apple allergy is similar?

lili ash said...

I have the exact same problem- and it does get worse when my seasonal allergies are acting up, too. I internet diagnosed myself with OAS which is caused by pollen on the fruit skin. It is good (yet sad) to know I am not alone...

Just Ma said...

Think I may also have food allergies---too much makes me larger all over.
Love, Ma

cecile said...

Your blog is great ! For the apple allergie, it's something well known, there is a crossed reaction between apples and the pollen of some trees (alder, birch for example). So when these pollens are in high concentration, you have allergic reactions to apples as well. Usually not the rest of the year.

Lapiz de la Guerra said...

Girl, I feel for you. I'm allergic to MUSTARD of all things. I've never been able to eat it, so really it's an issue of just avoiding it, which is hard considering that it's pretty insidious. I hope for your sake that it's just a pollen thing and that maybe you can eat apples at other times of the year. They are so yummy and good for you! Love your blog, by the way~