On request from folks I know, I now catalog all the foods I eat and/or try to avoid.

Overall, the important news is that there’s no food allergy I have that causes anaphylaxis but there are two foods I avoid because of less bothersome but still extremely inconvenient symptoms.

Those two foods are: (1) strawberries - almost instantly cause asthmatic symptoms, strongly and (2) scallops - no serious consequences yet, but last time I had them, they made my throat worrisomely itchy.

Of food allergies I have, the lion’s share of symptoms express as an intense heartburn, with a few that may instead/also cause some asthma/allergy type effects. I try to avoid any exposure to the really extreme ones, but I can generally tolerate a fair bit of exposure to the ones where those symptoms are mild. Following is an ordered list of those foods by strength of symptom:

• strawberries (extreme symptoms - cooked fine)
• walnuts (strong symptoms - cooked and uncooked)
• musk melon (moderate)
• raw brassica - cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc. (moderate - cooked are fine and tasty!)
• raw carrots (moderate - cooked fine)
• raw peas (moderate - cooked fine)
• navel oranges (moderate)
• pineapple (moderate - actually atypical for me, these make my mouth raw, no other serious symptoms)
• raw sweet potatoes (weak - cooked fine)
• other raw, especially root vegetables - i.e. celeriac, etc.
• raw jicama (weak)
• raw celery (weak - cooked fine)
• honeydew melon (weak)
• peanuts (weak)
• scallops (weak but itchy)
• brazil nut (very weak)
• watermelon (very weak)

Safe foods of similar types:

• Nuts: cashews, macadamia, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, chestnuts.
• Veg: almost any cooked veg.
• Fruits: tangerines, almost any other other citrus.

Also, as I’ve said to various friends, though I am a rather adventurous eater and generally enjoy spicy foods and also have acquired tastes for foods other people have problems with (bird’s nest soup, cold jellyfish salad, etc, from Chinese/Asian cuisines especially), there are some that defeat me. I do not think I will ever try a deep fried whole scorpion, or fugu, for that matter. It’s just not going to happen.

So, in summary, crudite plates are not very easy for me to navigate, nor are uncarefully prepared fruit salads or candies not made with my restrictions in mind, but I can negotiate almost everything else, especially as long as I’m allowed to pick stuff out.

Those of you who know me already, and think/know I’ve left something out, let me know!

Tags:   allergies · eating · food2 Comments