Comments on: I like walnuts, but they don't like me.

Question: I like walnuts, but they don't like me.

Soliloquy — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:53:02 -0800

Walnuts make my tongue hurt. Does this mean I'm allergic, or is it just their acidity?

I've never noticed swelling, itching, or redness when I eat walnuts, but chewing them makes the inside of my mouth sting for about an hour. Small amounts (say, a few chopped-up walnut bits in a brownie) don't seem to bother me, but I've given up eating them straight. Trying to determine if I should avoid small amounts entirely or if I should eat them in small amounts for my health.

By: elendil71

elendil71 — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:03:26 -0800

Sounds like a mild allergic reaction to me. I get the same thing from some fruits. I wouldnt worry about it unless it really starts to become irritating.

And walnuts are certainly not the end-all of nutritious nuts. Plenty of tasty and good-for-you nuts out there to take their place.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:21:13 -0800

I get that from raw walnuts. Also, from some apples. My dad is really allergic to nuts and apples and peaches, so I've always assumed it's a very mild variant.

My solution is to not eat them.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:22:00 -0800

And to make it clear, I have no other allergic symptoms at all. Just mouth irritation.

By: everichon

everichon — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:34:31 -0800

I get this too! Am all agog for The Answer.

By: JulianDay

JulianDay — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:38:53 -0800

If it's only when they're raw, you may have Oral Allergy Syndrome.

From what I understood from the allergist (I ate a raw peach one day and was very hoarse for a few hours) the reaction occurs when your body thinks the enzymes in the raw food are tree pollens (or whatever you may be allergic to), so cooking denatures them and then it's OK, I can eat cooked/canned peaches with no reaction.

Of course, food allergies (esp. nuts) are nothing to fuck with, so you should see an allergist and see what they think.

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 18:10:57 -0800

it might be the tannins in the skins. do you have issues with red wine?

By: peep

peep — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:43:25 -0800

I get this! I get little sores on the insides of my cheeks. I despise walnuts, so the only time I experience this is when, unbeknownst to me, someone has befouled a brownie with them.

I have also heard it's the tannins. My brother roasted some walnuts from my parents' tree once, and he said they were much, much milder than anything store bought. Less bite, and no oral allergy symptoms. He thought maybe the proper slow roasting reduced the tannins. BTW, my reaction to walnuts is pretty bad, and I have NO other allergy symptoms, oral or otherwise. I do get really terrible face flush from red wine.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:00:04 -0800

I started getting this from raw almonds a few years back; it also happens with apples and some wild berries. It's not just mouth irritation, though; it also includes minor throat swelling. And it only takes *very* minor throat swelling to spark serious worry about being able to breathe.

I've always wondered if it's a reaction of some kind to a pesticide or other human-produced chemical, but haven't gotten allergy tests to be sure. Probably should, though. Until then, I avoid raw almonds, apples and wild berries.

By: redteam

redteam — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:45:19 -0800

Son of a bitch, just thinking of walnuts enrages me.

Yeah, I get this, too. Especially when they're raw, but also when cooked or heated. Damn them.

You're probably just allergic to them. I get annoying mouth irritation (I say my mouth itches) from stuff like avocados, bananas, raw pine nuts, cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, coconut, cucumber, and other things. A good friend has the same reaction to almost all of the same foods.

I wonder if walnuts and all of those other foods have something in common.

I'm fine with red wine, btw.

Does your mouth get irritated when you eat any other foods?

By: Doofus Magoo

Doofus Magoo — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 03:37:23 -0800

My wife has the same thing with walnuts, but also dark chocolate.

By: electroboy

electroboy — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:19:59 -0800

I get the same thing. Walnuts are a poor substitute for pecans.