But I love snap peas :(

June 24, 2009 10:06 AM

Recently, after eating raw sugar snap peas, I've been getting tender spots on my lips and my throat gets dry and slightly sore. It goes away after a half hour or so. What is this? An allergy?
posted by downing street memo to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

Best answer: Do you have any seasonal/pollen allergies? Your symptoms sound a lot like oral allergy syndrome.
posted by phoenixy at 10:09 AM on June 24, 2009

Had they been treated with pesticide? You might want to wash them better and see if the symptoms continue.
posted by sephira at 10:15 AM on June 24, 2009

I have much the same reaction to raw carrots, and I have a pollen allergy. It's never really stood in the way of my enjoyment, though.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 10:42 AM on June 24, 2009

I get this if for some reason I haven't eaten that food in awhile, most notably with celery for me. If I continue eating them (over days, "from now on," etc.), it ceases to occur. I think of them as temporary allergies.
posted by rhizome at 11:05 AM on June 24, 2009

It's what phoenixy said. You may notice the same thing with raw apples, pears, strawberries, carrots, and other things. If they're cooked, you won't have a problem
posted by Think_Long at 11:30 AM on June 24, 2009

I have a friend who gets this reaction whenever she eats fresh fruits or vegetables during summer. Yeah, only in summer. Apparently it runs in her family, and certain veggies are worse than others. She says peas are especially bad. Her father, who is a doctor, has told her that it's just a mild allergy. She has no problem with cooked food and rarely has trouble with raw foods during the winter.
posted by Cygnet at 12:34 PM on June 24, 2009

Response by poster: It does sound a lot like oral allergy syndrome...I wonder if my symptoms will stay minor, or if there's a chance that I could have a more serious reaction? I really love raw veggies and, so far, the minor symptoms aren't enough to stop me from eating them.
posted by downing street memo at 12:55 PM on June 24, 2009

I wouldn't worry about it. My mouth reacted like this to some kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables when I was younger, but the allergy has actually gotten milder over time.
posted by dreamyshade at 1:35 PM on June 24, 2009

I know other people who have these issues, and they circumvent them by blanching the vegetables. Basically, you boil water in one pot, and fill another pot or bowl with ice water, and then you toss the veggies into the boiling water for 5 seconds, then remove them and plunge them into the ice water.

They won't taste any different from raw vegetables, but that brief immersion may well alleviate your allergic response.
posted by Sidhedevil at 3:38 PM on June 24, 2009

I have the same thing....after speaking with a nutritionist, she said it was indeed oral allergy syndrome.
Blanching is a good way to avoid the discomfort and still enjoy the food.
Pesticides do it too...but that is different....so I always make sure I wash everything really really well.
posted by bdoop21 at 5:46 PM on June 24, 2009