Cooking to Outsmart Oral Allergy Syndrome

When fruits and veggies are at their freshest, some people start to feel mouth and throat itching and irritation after eating them. It’s due to a health phenomenon related to allergy, called Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS), that can cause local reactions. Why does fresh produce cause symptoms, but cooked produce does not? Let’s find out.

What Is Oral Allergy Syndrome

Seasonal allergies to things like ragweed, trees, grass, and other plants occur because pollen is inhaled and the body interprets it as harmful. It reacts by releasing histamine into the bloodstream, and symptoms like itching, sneezing, rashes, and more start to surface.

The proteins in pollen can be similar to the proteins on the surface of some fruits, vegetables, and other foods. If you have an allergy to pollen, your body may also react when biting into fresh produce.

Here are a few common cross-reactors:

• Birch allergy: apple, celery, pear, potato
• Ragweed allergy: cantaloupe, zucchini, mango, cucumber
• Grass allergy: legumes, tomato, carrot, grains
• Cedar allergy: cherry, bell peppers, kiwi, apple

Why Cooking Helps Reduce Symptoms

Just because you react doesn’t mean you have to avoid the food forever, just learn how to prepare it. A simple steam, grill, or bake can help make eating produce enjoyable again.

The proteins that cause a reaction break down when exposed to heat – so the body no longer recognizes them as a threat. Find a different way to enjoy the food by:

• Baking fruit into pastries, pies, breads
• Making sauces like pasta sauce, applesauce
• Roasting carrots, potatoes, zucchini
• Sauteing or grilling vegetables

There are a few other treatment options to make OAS symptoms more bearable.

Treating Allergies

Antihistamines might provide some temporary relief from allergy and OAS, but it’s not a long-term solution. Allergy immunotherapy helps kick allergies to the curb for life, and allergy drops are a patient-friendly option.

Following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol, allergy drops are custom to each patient’s specific level of sensitivity to all offending allergens. It’s a safe and effective way to slowly introduce the body to the allergens that cause symptoms until tolerance is built. Most patients are left with reduced, or eliminated, symptoms. Find a provider that offers testing and treatment to see if it could be an option for you.