Crudités and oral allergy syndrome
January 8, 2018 10:03 AM   Subscribe

If you have oral allergy syndrome, what do you like to eat for snacks and salads?

I like having bowls of fruit, vegetables, etc around, for snacking on. I like how they taste, I like them nutritionally, I like their crunchy entertainment value. But my oral allergy syndrome is getting worse over the years, and that discourages me from snacking on raw apples, raspberries, bell peppers, carrots... all the standards.

I'm fine with cooked fruits and vegetables, but those are less convenient for snacks. Right now my favorites are roasted broccoli, and frozen-then-reheated blueberries. I'm looking for something with the convenience and portability of baby carrots.
posted by The corpse in the library to Food & Drink (14 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
Do dried fruits bother you? I like dried apricots and cherries.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:29 AM on January 8, 2018


Do sugar snap peas give you problems?
My coworker was just raving at lunch about how much she likes sugar snap peas as finger food. We ordered from this salad place that shreds them like this (bottom right quadrant) and that evidently solves the sinewy problem those peas can sometimes have.
posted by phunniemee at 10:35 AM on January 8, 2018


Can you blanch veggies and then chill and eat them cold? They wouldn't be quite as crunchy as raw, but you would keep the healthy part of it.
posted by LKWorking at 10:47 AM on January 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


Do you require only fruits and veggies? I like cheeses and roasted nuts for snacks. Veggies/fruits: I like cauliflower and raw zucchini or cucumbers, bananas, clementines. This is all allergy specific--my oral allergy issues are birch-based so eliminate uncooked apples, pears, and stone fruits. But I'm fine with all berries and most other veggies.
posted by greta simone at 10:58 AM on January 8, 2018


Not knowing quite what your allergies are, here are some other ideas for deliciousness:

Celery
Edamame (buy it frozen and microwave for a bit) - you can buy shelled or unshelled, depending on your preference
Pistachios and other nuts
Hard-boiled eggs (make 4 at a time and keep them in your fridge until you're ready to eat)
Jicama gives a great crunch
Beef jerky
Sunflower seeds
Kale chips
posted by hydra77 at 11:09 AM on January 8, 2018


Do you know which type(s) of pollen you're sensitive to? That may help narrow it down. I have oral allergy syndrome but I'm sensitive to far, far fewer plants than you are so it's hard to know how much your OAS eliminates or doesn't.
posted by mosst at 11:51 AM on January 8, 2018 [2 favorites]


Any root vegetable can be sliced thin and turned into chips. I love beet, watermelon radish, taro, and sweet potato chips. Sprinkle them with a little garlic powder and a little dried lemon rind, and they're utterly delectable.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 12:58 PM on January 8, 2018


I have OAS. Without knowing your allergies, roasted corn snacks are crunchy and delicious. Crackers and rice based snacks are okay for me, as are bananas and citrus fruits.

I can generally eat well cooked, dried or frozen products I’m allergic to.

I can eat spinach, lentils, passion fruit, roast chickpeas, edamame/soy beans, hummus, dried fava beans, etc. YMMV.

Good luck!
posted by NoiselessPenguin at 1:23 PM on January 8, 2018 [1 favorite]


Are cucumbers ok for you? Those are my favorite crudite. If you like bitter greens, belgian endive seems like it might be a possibility since I think it's not closely related to any of the problematic veggies you mentioned. I think blanched green beans would be great too and should hold in the fridge for a couple of days if raw veggies are totally out.

Does freezing alone work to solve the allergy problem, or do you also need to heat the food? If freezing alone works, frozen mango, peaches, cherries, grapes, and pineapple are all excellent snacks and should more or less keep their structural integrity if they defrost before you eat them.
posted by snaw at 2:04 PM on January 8, 2018


For salads, I like adding raw red cabbage, sliced up thinly, to the base of lettuce. I find that it provides a bit of the snap and crunch that I'm missing (from not being able to eat carrots, tomatoes, peppers, etc.).
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 2:39 PM on January 8, 2018


Response by poster: I'm waiting to hear back from my allergist about the specifics, which I've forgotten, but I know I get a reaction to carrots, raspberries, apples, mango peel, kiwis, and dark chocolate. I'm set for snacks in general but would like to up my fruits 'n' vegetables consumption.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:07 PM on January 8, 2018


I like to munch on radishes because of the natural spiciness, which adds some mouth interest. (Lately they've kind of been making my mouth itch, though, so...for me it might be yet another easy snack lost to OAS.)
posted by desert outpost at 7:48 PM on January 8, 2018


I have the same thing. I steam them lightly in big batches and toss them in the fridge so I can snack on them later — cooked enough to prevent the discomfort for me.

I do carrots, broccoli/cauliflower, sliced red pepper, green beans, and sugar snap peas.
posted by amaire at 8:37 PM on January 8, 2018


I get this, and for me, raw sugar snap peas or snow peas both work -- if you get clever, you can peel off the little sinew-strip before snacking. I also really like lightly steamed and rapidly chilled asparagus spears for this type of snacking; you can steam it to your preferred level of crispness. Also great: pickled green beans.
posted by halation at 11:33 AM on January 9, 2018


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