04.08.06
Avocado Allergy
When I was growing up, I disliked guacamole. There was just something about that green combined with that texture - chunky and slimy at the same time - that turned me off. So I never ate it. Starting about 20 years ago, I experienced a few incidents of gastrointestinal distress after having meals with guacamole residue on the food I ate. (Given my dislike, I usually requested the guac be left off, or spooned it off for a dining companion.) So then I started claiming that I was allergic to avocados. It seemed almost silly at the time - who is allergic to avocados? And I think deep inside I felt like it was a flimsy excuse to hide my dislike. But those symptoms - believe me, you don’t want those symptoms.
A few years later, I began to notice that I had the symptoms after eating shrimp as well. This was somewhat devastating - shrimp had been one of my favorite luxury foods growing up! It definitely was a luxury in our house, so fried shrimp was the first thing I’d look for on restaurant menus when we were dining out. And once the “seafood trucks” started making deliveries to town, and we could have some at home - oh, I was in heaven.
Although I’ve never been formally tested, I did a few experiments on different occasions and determined that the symptoms showed up after eating shrimp. Once when dining in Boston’s Chinatown with my husband’s grad school friend, I tried a shrimp puff. “How much shrimp could be in that? It’s probably mostly flour!” I thought. Well, it was enough shrimp for an evening of misery - heightened because I was supposed to be finalizing a conference presentation for the next day. Since then, I just tell people I’m allergic to shrimp and avoid it at all costs. And without any formal food diaries, I decided that the incidents I’d previously ascribed to avocados, were probably shrimp incidents as well.
Flash forward to last month. Avocados were being served. I decided that since I wasn’t allergic, I should try it to see if I like it. After all, tastes change (as well frequently remind the boys). It wasn’t bad! Somewhat bland, but not bad. A few weeks later, I had a few more bites of avocado in a dish made by a friend.
Given all the known health benefits, I decided to dive in and buy avocados at the grocery store. They sat on the counter for a few days, then in the fridge, while I mused over what I should do with them. I still wasn’t up for guacamole, so eventually decided to just have a few slices available to go with tonight’s salad (which became tonight’s meal, when our pork roast took much longer than I’d anticipated!). As I was eating dinner, I noticed that my throat was itchy. When I mentioned this to Jonski Dad, he said I might have the same thing C-boy had earlier this week (just over a day of sore throat and fatigue). I responded that this was definitely not the beginnings of a sore throat, but an itchy throat.
Astute readers can probably see where this is going… I do have an avocado allergy. The itchy throat should have been my first clue - the gastrointestinal symptoms followed about an hour later (similar to what I experience with shrimp, but not as intense).
Apparently avocados are a fairly common allergen. Who knew? I suppose the 1% of the population so afflicted knew! And while 1% may not seem like much, avocado appears on the lists of ‘common’ food allergens (not the Big Ones, but the next tier down).
Once again I join the elite, the 1%.
There’s an awful lot of detailed medical information about avocado allergy (compared to shrimp, for example, but yet shrimp is commonly thought of as a ‘highly allergenic’ food, probably because it is commonly implicated in anaphylaxis). Apparently an avocado allergy frequently co-occurs with a latex allergy: people allergic to latex often have allergies to avocado (53%), potatoes (40%), bananas (38%), assorted other tropical fruits, and chestnuts.
But you know what? I’ve lived without avocados for most of my life, it’s not going to be a big hardship to continue to avoid them. But I see peaches in many of the lists of things cross-reactive with a latex allergy. If I develop an allergy to peaches, I don’t know what I’d do!
Update (2/22/07): links I had made to the immunocap [allergy testing] site were broken, so I fixed them.
Clarification (2/22/07): From what I’ve read, there’s no reason for avocado and shrimp allergies to co-occur, it’s just that my avocado reactions were the same as how I used to react to shrimp.
Chris said,
11 July 2006 at 12:10 pm
You know, avoccados are one of my favorite foods. Every day off I walk to the cafe and have an onion bagel with cream cheese and avocados. And about 10 minutes later my throat itches, my nose begins to drain like crazy AND I have to visit the bathroom. I too am allergic to bananas and latex, two common co-allergies. However, as long as there are no long term effects I’m going to live with the attacks. Avocados are that good. I can live without bananas though.
jonskifarms said,
11 July 2006 at 9:28 pm
I guess that’s where we disagree - I didn’t have enough intentional experience with avocados to decide they were “good” - I was still in the “not as bad as I anticipated” phase when I started having the reactions again! I’m concerned about it getting worse and having an anaphylatic reaction.
Gail said,
16 August 2006 at 3:50 pm
Many years ago I tried some guacamole. Within a half hour I had the most excruciating stomach pains. I ran for the gas-ex which really didn’t help too much at all. So after an evening of stomach pain, I was ok in the morning. I decided it must have been the guacamole, and hated avocados, ever since. Today after years of not eating avocados I decided to be bold and sample some guacamole at my favorite market. Only one corn tortilla chip with probably 1/2 teaspoon of guacamole. What could it hurt? Tasted really good! Bought some to bring home! By the time I got home those wonderful stomach pains were there. I am telling you I will never eat anything with an avocado in it again! I on the other hand can eat shrimp and bananas with no reaction. I can’t figure it out. Could I be allergic to just avocados? Strange.
jonskifarms said,
16 August 2006 at 6:55 pm
Hey Gail, I’ve been meaning to post an update. You could definitely be allergic to just avocados! I had some testing done in July and more yesterday, and the only thing that’s been positive is avocado. She says avocado *by itself* is not very common, but definitely possible. She says that people with latex allergy often develop allergy to avocado and those other things, but the other way (avocado allergic developing latex allergy) is not really documented. (This is what I’d read, as well.)
Shrimp isn’t typically connected to avocado - it’s just that I have had almost the same reaction to both, and it took me a while to tease it out. I did “challenges” back in the 90s - e.g. shrimp fried rice, with nothing else suspect in the meal - and had the gastro symptoms, but my tests were negative for shrimp. I wonder if my shrimp antibodies are low because it’s been 10 years since I ate any - my doctor says it’s possible. Or it’s possible that my shrimp symptoms aren’t resulting from an allergy (I don’t remember any itchy throat stuff with shrimp, just the gastro symptoms - it’s the itchy throat that seems to worry the allergist more than the gastro stuff!).
Good luck figuring it out (and avoiding avocados - although that seems pretty easy, it’s not like eggs or milk or corn or something else common).
Amie said,
25 August 2006 at 3:01 pm
I was fascinated to find this web page after googling avacado allergy. I used to like avacado on salads & veggie sandwiches, starting when I was in college. I ate it a few times and liked it. But then once I had a big salad with avacado slices while eating out, and the whole thing came right back up in the restaurant’s bathroom about 15 minutes later. Of course I just thought it was a virus or something. Then at another restaurant not long after I had a vegetarian sandwich with avacado slices. I got the most EXCRUCIATING stomach cramps. Then I started to wonder if it was the avacado. Long story short, even eating the smallest amount of avacado gives me the most miserable stomach cramps…the kind where you want to lie on the floor and wonder, when could I have accidentally consumed ground glass?? Finding this web page (and a few others) has been really helpful…discovering I am not alone in having issues with avacado. I don’t know if I’m also allergic to latex…anyway. Thanks.
Amy said,
19 December 2006 at 5:39 pm
Okay, I am stunned. I just finished my second avocado in about two weeks. I have always liked guacamole, but just recently started craving it a lot! So I bought my first one about a week ago and smashed it up and ate it with tortilla chips. When I was almost finished, I felt a bit of an itchiness in my mouth and throat. My 4 year old son has food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts and eggs. So of course the thought crossed my mind, but I took a claratin and quickly dismissed it. Well, a few minutes ago I indulged again, and forgetting about the other incident, ate all of it. Almost immediately I felt the itching in my throat and mouth and most importantly down in my chest! I of course took a claratin, probably should have been liquid. What I find astonishing is that when I was a kid I experienced anaphalaxis while eating apples. At the time my mother had never heard of food allergies and sat me in the bathroom with a steamy shower to help fix my breathing. Yes, I am lucky to be alive! I can however, eat apples now with no problem. But I just learned that, same as apples, their is a correlation between pollen and birch trees for avocados. I am indeed allergic to pollen!! Who Knew???
jjorey1 said,
30 January 2007 at 7:06 am
I just found out tonight that I am allergic to avocados as well. About a year or so ago, I started noticing that guacamole made me kind of queasy, but thought nothing of it. I have always been very sensitive to food textures, and figured that I was thinking too much about the nature of the guac. Then, I started having a bad reaction after going out for sushi, toward the end of each meal. I would have to run off the restroom and try not to liberate what I had just eaten. The sushi rolls I like always have avocado in them. Tonight, I made fajitas and my wife made guacamole. I tried a spoonful of the guac by itself, and immediately felt queasy. Never mind though. I put some in my fajita and sat down to enjoy it. After just a few bites, I had to run off the bathroom, and that was the end of my appetite for tonight! After putting two and two together, I feel pretty good that I know what’s going on with that now. I had a very bad reaction to a plantain thing one time, but not to bananas. No shrimp allergies, or latex, but soy milk really does me in. Swelling throat and tongue and all that. Nearly died one time from it. Anyway, that’s my experience.
Jenny said,
2 February 2007 at 10:42 am
I always used to hate bananas - they made me nauseous. I refused to eat them. I loved kiwi and would eat it. I bought some Philosophy lipbalm that had kiwi extract in it, and thought nothing of the daily rubbing of this stuff on my lips - fast-forward to 1996 - I was living in London and had free dental care - I had an anaphylatic(sp) shock to the latex gloves. I also had a kiwi soon after this and my lips would tingle and my thought would feel scratchy. Upon my return to the States I went to an allergist who informed me that I was allergic to bananas and kiwi - and to be careful with chestnuts and avocado. I had no problems with the avocado and would continue to eat it - until today that is. About a month ago I bought an avocado sandwich at Pret a Manger and my throat got all weird - like I had something caught in my throat. The same thing happened a week later, but I wasn’t sure if it was the avocados or not. Last night I was making dinner and mashed an avocado, and had a spoonful - my throat got all tight and felt like it had before, but this time, my lips tingled and my face as well. I guess no more avocado.
Cherie Cadena said,
2 February 2007 at 3:20 pm
I just found out that I’m allergic to avacadoes and latex….who knows what else. I get hives all over my face. It sucks.
kim said,
9 February 2007 at 4:36 pm
OMG! I am allergic to avacados too! I thought I was alone. Ive done some research and found that there is a whole list of things people with avacado allergies are intolerent to. Latex being a major one. My allergy is so bad I have to carry an Epipen because i go into anaphylactic shock and have about 15 minutes before I cant breath and will die…this allergy started out just like yours though. They say everytime you get some in your system, the next reaction will be way worse. Be really careful with this because I hate how terrified I am of avacado now. I wont buy anything that is next to it at the store, and I live in Califonia! AH!
jonskifarms said,
10 February 2007 at 4:12 pm
Amie, I get those stomach cramps, too! Ground glass - I’d never thought of it that way!
Amy, I didn’t know about birch tree pollen and apples and avocado allergies correlating. How scary your apple reaction must have been to your mother. Did you eventually get tested for apples?
jjorey, are you going to get tested for these allergies or just avoid the foods? Soy must be hard to avoid, with all the products that contain it these days! But I guess it’s one of those things that have to be listed on food label allergy warnings, so that must help.
Kim, thanks for your input. I have an epipen now (after my allergy testing summer 2006) but hopefully will never have to use it - I haven’t had any reactions since the spring, because I’ve been avoiding avocado (and still shrimp, even though that tested negative). I know that peanuts can trigger reactions by contact or through the air - do you have to worry about that? It certainly must be hard to avoid in product sections in California! :^)
jonskifarms said,
10 February 2007 at 4:16 pm
Jenny, my husband doesn’t like bananas - they make his throat kind of itchy, but he’s never been tested for an allergy. I wonder if he should, after what I read. My dentist is allergic to latex - I noticed that he wears liners under his gloves so I asked him about it. (Last time I was there, i overheard a comment that the entire clinic was going to start using latex-free gloves [this is at a dental school, not a private clinic], so maybe he’ll be able to ditch the liners).
Cherie - hives, yuck! Are you in the medical field? My dentist told me that developing a latex allergy was kind of an occupational hazard, but I guess other people (outside medicine) have that allergy, too.
Liner said,
22 February 2007 at 8:08 pm
Oh I’m so relieved I’m not alone. After about 2 years of a constellation of ‘new allergies’ it all comes together with this one type of allergy. It’s funny because I used latex gloves for years (maybe 12) because of being in healthcare/research and never developed the allergy. Then after 3 years of using alternative latex gloves (now it’s all non-latex in the hospital) I distinctly developed new symptoms I never had before including: tingling of my lips when downing a ripe mango… and 3 separate incidents of eating avacado pieces (especially with eggs in a brunch setting) that induced GI disturbances most notably intense nausea within minutes. I now feel bad for the brunch place because they gave me my money back after I gave them a look like, “you cut your avacadoes on a dirty table did you?” It’s too bad because I love mangos and used to LOVE avacados. It will be difficult to cut these out forever. I haven’t developed a latex allergy yet (yet to be tested), bananas are okay for now, and shrimp is no problem. But somehow, subway sandwiches with all the fixings are producing some strange tender “reaction” at the edge of my mouth/lips it’s not itchy, more like irritated and swollen… has anybody noticed something like this before (possibly due to bell peppers, pepperocini, or onions)? The Subway sandwich reaction caused me to search out my potential allergic reactions.
Thanks again for your post.
Dr. Liner
jonskifarms said,
22 February 2007 at 9:43 pm
Dr. Liner, thanks for your input. I wonder if all those years of exposure to latex “primed the pump” for the “Latex-fruit syndrome” to develop? Too bad about the mangoes - I would miss mangoes!
The “immunocapinvitrosight” discussion about avocado allergens [broken link in my text, i'll go fix it] mentions tomatoes as another potential cross-allergen, I wonder if that’s what is going on with your Subway sandwiches? Or maybe it’s something entirely different (not an allergy). I have odd stuff happen in my mouth with fresh pineapple, but tested negative for pineapple allergy - I guess I’m just sensitive to some enzyme or some other element in fresh pineapple (but not canned).
Amy said,
25 February 2007 at 4:20 pm
As much as I am sorry to hear of so many people experiencing this kind of food reaction, I am at the same time comforted in knowing that I am not alone.
Jonskifarms, you asked if I was ever tested for the apples. No I have not. My son, who is almost 4, had a severe anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter when he was one year old. At the time I didn’t know much about food allergies, and with the go ahead from our pediatrician, gave him a taste of the peanut butter. It was awful! This experience reminded me of when I was little and had the experience with the apples. I asked my son’s allergy doctor about it and it was she who explained the pollen, birch connection to apples. I have since looked up some of the info on the internet and have seen it mentioned quite a bit.
I am having a blood draw this week by a friend who is a doctor. She is going to have it tested with a bunch of different kinds of foods. I will let you know how it goes.
KimSu said,
14 March 2007 at 2:18 pm
It all started with bad stomach aches - then I had sushi with a sliver of avocado - my eyes immediately turn heavy and bright-blood red, and then it goes to my chest and breathing. I always tell restaurant people, but last night the waitress wrote ‘avocadoes’ instead of NO avocadoes and I ended up being taken out in an ambulance! I now have epi pens at work and home, but haven’t developed any of the other allergies yet. I even had a reaction once when the kitchen merely cut an avocado and then made my salad with it. It’s getting more popular to put in salads, sandwiches and other dishes and we have to be much more careful!
jonskifarms said,
14 March 2007 at 2:41 pm
KimSu, that is very scary! When I ate at a Japanese restaurant last week, my bento lunch was supposed to come with a california roll. I told the waiter “I can’t eat avocado, can I substitute an asparagus roll instead?” (it was less $$ ala carte) - but then I got worried that I’d said avocado roll… Luckily, all was fine. I know I need to be more diligent about taking my epipen when I go out to dinner, in case of accidental exposure like your knife cross-contamination, this is a somber reminder to do it!
Molly said,
15 March 2007 at 4:32 pm
I am so happy to find this, I get horrible stomach cramps if I eat more than a bite of avocado and I get an itchy mouth, lips and throat when I eat kiwi. I had no idea that they may be related and that I should watch out for latex! I am going to go get tested for allergies so it doesn’t end up any worse.
Cathy said,
19 March 2007 at 3:15 pm
I thought that I was crazy. Over the last four year OI had avacado about three times and each time I was deathly ill about 30 mins later for about six hours. I was so happy to hear that I’m not alone. Thanks so much.
jeroen said,
23 March 2007 at 5:25 am
Hi,
Just had a salad today and only realised when almost finished that it had some avocado in it. I get the worst stomach aches when eating avocado however do not have any allergic reactions to bananas latex etc. I’m now 100% sure it is the avocado and will avoid it at all cost. It’s not that good either but it has become a trend in salads so be wary!
Samantha said,
2 April 2007 at 12:04 pm
Wow…I have been getting major stomach aches after eating avocados, and it is semi-comforting to know that it is not in my head and that I may be allergic to avocados, and it really is a food allergy.
Amy said,
12 April 2007 at 2:32 pm
I too am allergic to avocados. Have tested the theory three times in the last 15 years and am certain of the horrible outcome. I have disliked bananas since I was a child (not sure of an allergy), Pineapple causes my lips to swell and feel tingly and numb. I have gone to a dermatologist to test for latex allergy and was told it is rather difficult to be certain. But I am curious of all who have responded - no one mentions an allergy to any medications. I have an anaphylactic reaction to CIPRO.
Doris said,
14 April 2007 at 7:48 pm
Count me in the 1% category allergic to avacados. I discovered my allergy through trial and error by eating guacamole. I have anaphalactic reactions to pine nuts…immediate reaction and each accidental exposure the reaction is worse. I too carry Epi Pens everywhere but fortunately have never had to use them. I work in healthcare and do not appear to have a latex allergy but I use latex free gloves just to be safe.
Barb said,
16 April 2007 at 7:43 am
This is an eye opener for me!! I had no idea there was such a thing as an avocado allergy. Recently, I’ve changed my eating habits for health reasons and added regular and sometimes large amounts of avocado to my meals. I too was having severe stomach pains and a gassy bloated feeling. When I first started eating them about six months ago, I thought that I had developed an ulcer, my doctor agreed because my symptoms fit and started treating me. While being treated, I stopped eating foods that might irritate my “ulcer”. I ate a lot of salads with avocado at the time and stopped during my treatment thinking the roughage was too much for my stomach. The pain went away, I thought I was healed and started my salads with avocado again. The pain came back and again I put off salads with avocado. Well, last night I had some guacamole dip and my stomach pains and gassy bloated feeling came back. Someone jokingly suggested that I might be allergic to avocados and after researching it, I think they might be right. I’m going to check into the allergy test for avocado and especially latex because this could be a life or death situation for me some day.
juliefried said,
17 April 2007 at 9:04 pm
s.o please answer quick-any information would be helpful-i am going for allergy testing on thursday. while taking levaquin(an antibiotic related to the cipro mentioned above)9this was also not the first time taking levaquin) i stated getting hives,rashes,bumps and itching which has lasted about two weeks on and off after my last pill. i thought it was a nut allergy but that did not explain all incidents-i have also been eating alot of apples,avocados and bananas. i am now going to ask to be tested for all of these things
jonskifarms said,
17 April 2007 at 10:10 pm
Juliefried, I’m not a health care provider so don’t really have any additional information that might be helpful. A good allergist should be able to listen to your symptoms and incidents and come up with a suite of things to test. Based on one of the web sites I looked at (immunocap, links above), I got the impression that there’s a sort of protocol where if you are potentially allergic to X, you should also be tested for Q, R, S, and T, because they commonly occur together. The allergist is likely to do that. Before I had my testing done, I had to fill out a lonnnnnnnnggggg questionnaire.
As far as the specific things you mention: in my reading, i do not remember reading about a known relationship between avocados and any medications. *But everybody is different* The common links are not the only allergens that co-occur, and not everybody has all the common links.
Barb, concerning latex - from what I’ve read, people with a latex allergy often go on to develop the related allergies (such as avocado), but the opposite situation isn’t discussed (people with avocado allergies then developing latex allergy). That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, just that I haven’t read it! However, I wonder if it’s possible that long-term exposure to latex causes the other related allergies to arise? Interesting possibility!
juliefried said,
20 April 2007 at 6:50 am
unfortunately all of my skin testing was negative so now i am going for blood work(this is despite the fact that i know i am allegic to sesame seeds-my tongue swells) any ideas what to do next if the blood work is all negative?
jonskifarms said,
20 April 2007 at 12:07 pm
julie, you’re really better off asking your doctor for advice than asking me - I only know my own experience and what I’ve read online. My doctor did the blood testing first (because I didn’t take an avocado in with me, and they didn’t have any serum [or whatever it is they use] to test for avocado). I had been convinced that I was also allergic to shrimp, but tested negative for that in both the blood test and the scratch test. It had been more than 10 years since I’d eaten any, so the doctor said it was possible the allergy was latent. She said if I really wanted to know, I could do a controlled challenge with shrimp in one of their other locations (located in the hospital). So that might be an option for you.
You might also want to check some of these web sites:
list of support groups online & nationwide: http://www.foodallergyproject.org/support1.html
food allergy and anaphylaxis network:
http://www.foodallergy.org/
Jonathan said,
2 May 2007 at 2:10 pm
Thanks for this page. My wife Erika has stopped eating shrimp (which she was only mildly fond of anyway) a few months ago because we associated horrifying trips to the bathroom with the aftermath.
Just today she had another lesser spate (no shrimp in months), and we associated it with half an avocado she ate earlier this morning, and another avocado-bathroom spate about a week ago.
So we looked up avocado, started reading your blog and then oh my dawg, there was shrimp on it too.
It will be much harder for Erika to give up avocado. And watch me eating it.
Karen said,
7 May 2007 at 7:39 pm
I started getting nauseous after eating avocado about a year ago and once threw up. I didn’t think I could possibly be allergic because I’ve always associated allergies with difficulty breathing, sneezing and hives. Now I guess it’s real. Damn! I love avocado and my guacamole used to be legendary, at least among my friends.
I’ve sometimes felt kind of nauseous after eating banana too, but it’s not that bad, so I’ve never really thought about it. I guess I will from now on! I hope I don’t also develop allergies to mango (I love it; no negative reaction so far), potatoes (how do you live without potatoes?) or latex (are there condoms without latex out there?)
How the heck do you suddenly develop an allergy to something anyway, when you’ve happily eaten it all your life?
jonskifarms said,
7 May 2007 at 10:33 pm
Karen, allergies can have lots of different symptoms - also, feeling nauseated is not necessarily a true allergy. If nausea is your main symptom, the only way to know for sure is to get tested. As far as how you suddenly develop an allergy: my understanding is that an allergy is a “memory” response - you can’t have an allergic reaction on your first exposure to something (although sometimes the initial exposure can be ‘covert’, like when a baby gets exposed to certain proteins through breastmilk). But for whatever reason, your body decides to produce antibodies when that substance is detected, and it typically produces more and more each time - so eventually you have symptoms. (And some food allergies can be outgrown, too, just to make things even more complicated!)
This info at the coolnurse web site is fairly informative.
Amber said,
8 May 2007 at 12:20 am
Wow amazing~ I now know im not crazy!
Thank you for this site, I had wondered for several years now actually around 15 if the swollen lips, heart burn, itchy ears and throat were an allergy to bananas, then as the years went on (all the time working in the medical field wearing non stop latex gloves) the list grew to include most fruits especially kiwi, cantelope, watermelon, and my one true love avacados terribly painful! I have always had pollen allergies but around the same time 14-15 years ago also after the birth of my son, I developed allergy induced asthma, I have never had breathing problems just horrible heart burn or a sensation that something is lodged in my chest just above my stomach horribly painful, I know this sounds crazy but even though i know it will do it i still eat avacados and kiwi if i see them. However i was never sure how serious this is. I no longer work in the medical field and around 1996 or 97 latex gloves started being replaced with latex free due to the severity of the reaction. I suppose my question is should i be tested or could it be related to the pollen allergy? I have always since i was a child reacted to those flavored chapsticks lips swell like a blow fish.. thank you for any input.
jonskifarms said,
8 May 2007 at 11:42 am
Karen, if nausea is your main symptom, you might be ‘intolerant’ rather than allergic. The only way to know for sure would be to get tested. (True allergies involve an histamine response in our body, but the visible signs can vary widely - gastro, respiratory, skin (hives), etc.)
As far as “suddenly” developing an allergy: this page helps explain how allergies develop - http://www.coolnurse.com/allergies.htm . Basically, allergies are “memory” responses by your body, and it might take quite a lot of exposures before you get to the point of showing an allergic reaction.
This page also has a lot of good detail: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/factsheets/food.htm
Liz said,
15 May 2007 at 10:19 pm
Hi, I am a doctor, and I hope you’ve made it to see a doctor about your food allergies, especially an allergist. Allergies in general get worse as time goes on, and can be life-threatening (not to mention often sudden and unexpected in the case of food). You should have an Epi-Pen on you at all times. Be careful with seafood allergies–people with seafood allergies have anaphylaxed just being physically near seafood (like a fish market) without even ingesting it.
I’m allergic to trees and avocado.
juliefried said,
16 May 2007 at 8:50 pm
besides for all the food allergies i have not really beem aable to figure out(but i am still avoiding nuts,avocados,bananas and apples and now onions-but i still keep getting itchy and rashy) i have oral thrush i can’t get rid of despite taking nystatin,some homeopathic drops,adecipilos and going on one of those yeast diets. it has beed two and a half weeks so far.anyone have any ideas
Irene said,
17 May 2007 at 3:24 pm
In addition to avocado, does anyone have a reaction to okra, celery root or seaweed (i.e. in a traditional Japanese dish that a friend made…no avocado around) this last one caused a trip to the hospital.
Karen said,
24 May 2007 at 9:42 am
Karen again. Thanks for your input, Jonskifarms. I’ve long had kind of a sensitive stomach but have never really known why. I’ve kind of been experimenting on myself a bit over the last few weeks and between my recent self-diagnosing and my other exposure, I can say I seem to have the following reactions:
- Avocado, even in small quantities: intense stomach pain, cramping, severe nausea, occasional vomiting, general gastrointestinal distress lasting about 12 hours
- Bananas: slight queasiness lasting a few hours
- Mangos: lips tingle a little, slight queasiness lasting a few hours
- Kiwi: lips tingle a little, tongue and throat feel like they swell a bit, but no nausea
No discernable reaction to latex, tomatoes, pollen, potatoes or shrimp
Does this make any sense to anybody?
juliefried said,
25 May 2007 at 2:58 pm
karen what about apples? avocados,apples and bananas are supposedly related
Nicole said,
5 June 2007 at 4:17 pm
I never tried guacamole or avocados until my adult years and soon realized how much I loved them. I started getting stomach cramps at college when I ate the salad from the cafeteria but couldn’t figure out what the problem was. Then I started getting cramps after I would eat guacamole. I still figured it was something else since I had eaten it before and never had a problem. But then it happened every single time after that and got even worse when I had just a plain avocado on a sandwich. The pain was horrible. The only way I could describe it is someone taking my stomach and intestines and wringing them like a towel. They start off small and then slowly build until it’s unbearable and then slowly go away. I’m not allergic to anything else (bananas, latex, peanuts) but I’m so glad I finally figured it out, except I really miss guacamole.
Sid said,
8 June 2007 at 6:09 pm
Oh My God! What I have been suspecting is correct.
I ate avocado two days ago, knowingly for the first time… in salad. Went to sleep after dinner, God!.. after 1hour I woke up and my throat was terriblly sour. No stomach pain or other symptoms. I did not understand what the hell could have gone wrong. Only thing I could think of was dryness, since climate here in Calgary is very dry, but wondered how could it happen within one hour. Since then I still have my through sour, it is better than yesterday when I had a feeling of something stuck in my throat. But I still feel the tightness.
I am 29 and havn’t had noticed allergy to anything ever. Bananas, apples & mangoes never caused any problem. I do not like the look of shrimp and tried no more than couple times, do not think of anything gone wrong.
Michele said,
8 July 2007 at 4:22 pm
Sadly my doctors (primary, allergists and my naturopath) don’t really seem to know very much about this! I had to find out about my raw tomato, avocado, banana, nuts, and actually sometime egg unbearable stomach cramp woes via my own research. I am soooooo glad to read about others who have similar food issues… you know what I mean! I also am gluten intolerant and allergic to shellfish & quite a few antibiotics; such a joy to hear me order my meal when dining out! I have had many allergy tests and the only positve reactions are to: Birch, dust mites and cats! I don’t react adversly to cats! Also, I got the “green light” to eat shellfish!! NO WAY! Even though my testing for shellfish gave me the all clear, I will never overtly consume shellfish with my HORRIBLE hive reactions (last a week even while taking Benedryl!) Oh it feels so good to get that out!
Best to all!
Chele
Diane said,
9 July 2007 at 11:05 am
I developed my avocado allergy in Calgary too! First I discovered I was allergic to bananas, and after eating one was in such agony I had to go to hospital where I was put on an IV and given antihistamines. The doctor said I had the equivalent of hives in my stomach and gut. Next it was chestnuts. Same procedure, even more agony, ambulance this time. Then later I had the same experience with kiwis, celery, and papaya. Apparently all these things are connected by a chemical called chitinase which is a natural pesticide occuring in certain plants. It is cross-linked to latex, to which I also have a serious allergy. I would advise anyone who has noticed an itchy mouth after eating bananas or any of these things to stop eating them immediately. You can’t cure this by constant exposure, and you might have a very serious attack, as I did, and almost die. I have always been grateful to the sensible doctors in Calgary who identified my problem, as when the same thing happened in the UK they hadn’t got a clue what was going on. The most recent episode for me was being caught out by a muesli loaf which had hidden bananas in it. I passed out cold after very severe stomach cramps and had to be hospitalised again. The reactions get more and more severe each time. So please don’t eat it if you suspect you are allergic. I recently identified a new problem with potatoes and am suspecting onions and some melons. As the doctor above said, this gets gradually worse and it’s sensible to see an allergist. Take care.
Carla said,
10 July 2007 at 1:10 am
I am so thankful I found your page!! So good to know I haven’t been making it up!! I developed an allergy to avocados about 7 years ago, and at first it wasn’t too bad cramps and vomiting after eating a few slices (ground glass cramps, perfect description!). But now if I eat something that has been made on the same board that avocado was cut on, it all starts within minutes! I also get itchy mouth and lips with tomatos, it feels as if my whole mouth has been cut inside. The other night went out to dinner and a pasta dish with tomatos and had the lot cramps, gas, itchy mouth. But even though I know I’m allergic to avocados, I never thought about being allergic to tomatoes just that I avoid them as much as possible cause didn’t like how they made me feel!! Will be more careful in the future.
Interestingly I have always been allergic to pollen and have had asthma and hayfever since I was a child.
Jennie said,
19 July 2007 at 12:35 pm
I just found out for sure that I am allergic to avocados yesterday. My allergist had done the scratch test and a blood test which were both negative, but it wasn’t until he did the scratch test with fresh avocado that it was positive. He prescribed me an epi-pen right then even though I have not had breathing issues associated with eating avocado, just intestinal issues. I, too, discovered this allergy myself by doing self-experiments and connecting reactions to sushi and guacamole. I do not have any of the other allergies noted above, except that I am also allergic to some tree pollens such as birch. I have an allergy to hazelnuts which is related to the birch pollen allergy. My allergist basically said not to worry about the other related allergies, but just to be aware of them, since I have not had any adverse reactions to any of them so far. I am hoping I don’t develop any other allergies, but I’m not going to get stressed out about it before something even happens.
Sid said,
21 July 2007 at 2:42 am
Hello Diane,
Would you mind giving me contact info of the doctor/s in Calgary that you mentioned are well aware of this allergy.
Actually, I had another attack couple of hours ago, exactly same as earlier. Sour & tight throat about an hour after dinner. This time I did not eat Avocado but the usual food that I eat regularly. Don’t know what has caused the problem.
This is 2nd time and I would like to consult a doctor before it gets too bad.
Roz said,
30 July 2007 at 11:11 am
Hi Folks,
I am allergic to Avocados, Clams, Squid, Scungilli, Scallops, and Oysters.
I am not allergic to latex, bananas, nuts, shrimp, crabs or lobster or any other seafood.
Many years ago, I caught the tail-end of a news program which talked about groupings. In other words, individual such as my self may be allergic to the above, but not necssearily be allergic to other foods one might expect a reaction to. This was over 20 years ago.
My quest is to find the common denominator in each of the foods that causes me to get sick…vomiting, horrible stomach cramps and many visits to the bathroom.
I have found the best remedy for me. At the first sign of distress, say I ate something and did not know clams was in the mix, I drink a cold bottle of “Syfo”, (can be found in most supermartkets,) I stay close to the bathroom, walk around in the room and have someone message the lower part of my back while I message my tummy. Make sure your “second” is a loved one as the gas will surely come! Of course this works best in the privacy of your home.
Within an hour, I am good to go.
Roz
D said,
9 August 2007 at 12:38 pm
So my 6 month old daughter just had what I believe a minor allergic reaction to avocados, she got a minor rash around her mouth on her 2nd day trying it, so now we threw the rest out. I am now terrified about trying bananas after reading this. I am going to mention this to her DR. Who knew. I love love love avocados but I guess I’ll have to be really careful about keeping them away from her
Hoover said,
18 August 2007 at 12:53 pm
Just last night we had guacamole and salsa and my nose started pouring. The my shrimp skewers came and I ate them but my eyes felt itchy and my scalp felt itchy and then my chest felt itchy. When we got home my right eyes was all swollen and left starting a bit. My nose still is stuffy and a bit swollen near the bridge. My eyes are much better but a little fluid remains. Anyone else ever have this reaction?
Sarah said,
3 September 2007 at 12:28 am
Ah! I’m so devo-ed!! I love avocado and the previous two times I’ve eaten it, my throat has been on fire and my nose hurts too! I love nachos and avocado toasted sandwiches, not to mention avocado and chicken sushi! I’ve had reflux since I was a kid, so eating acidic foods and the results afterwards I have learnt to deal with, like you know what your getting yourself into. But I’ve never felt like this and it sucks damn! AT LEAST I’m not allergic to chocolate- that would be horrible! but slimming.
Amy said,
11 September 2007 at 11:07 am
Thank you so much for having this site. It has been the most information I have found yet. My husband called this morning because he had taken Aleve and his lips swelled up and mouth was itchy. This comes months after he took Ibuprofen and it did the same thing, and also after eating Avocado and the same reaction there too. So I typed in allergies to avocado, aleve, and ibuprofen this morning on google and found out they were all related. But it was nice to find this site with real answers from others like him. Allergies are so crazy!
marly said,
11 September 2007 at 3:37 pm
I’m so grateful for your information about avocados. I never liked them but I’m starting a low-carb diet and they seemed like the perfect food. So, I bought them and ate one last night and one today. Mistake. I feel rotten and, this is a first for me, I have sharp stomach pains.
A visit to the smallest room in the house eased the stomach pains but now I have to give away 7 expensive avocados. They seem so neutral and innocent. Previously, when I had a bad reaction to them, I rejected the idea as being ridiculous.
Thank you, again.
TJ said,
14 September 2007 at 4:40 am
I still don’t get it, after reading almost every comments in here and searching almost everything on ‘banana - stomache ache’ on the net…why do I have stomach ache after eating a banana???? I never had any problems with bananas before…I ate lots of it before so I don’t think I’m allergic to it and I’m not allergic to latex either because I have a lot of latex gloves at home to clean the house… Anyway, could anyone who has more understanding in this tell me why in these last few months I would have extreme stomach ache just after one banana? I had no other symptoms except for the stomach ache, so no sour throat, itchy mouth etc. Also, I have and had no problems with avocado (in fact I had them last week) so PLEASE ANYONE what is the matter with me and bananas?
jonskifarms said,
14 September 2007 at 7:56 am
TJ, here are some points about food allergies that might be relevant in your situation:
(a) they can crop up at any time (so just because you used to be fine with bananas doesn’t mean you aren’t allergic now). In fact, they are a “memory response” so you need to have prior exposure before an allergy develops.
(b) they can occur in any combination - so just because statistically A frequently occurs with B (latex and bananas, latex and avocados) doesn’t mean that every single person will have both. I’ve been tested and I’m not allergic to anything else that co-occurs with avocados
(c) the best way to know what you are dealing with is to be tested (although even the tests are not 100% accurate, like many medical tests)
My suggestion is to talk to a doctor, preferably an allergist, and see if they can help you figure it out. (My extreme digestive problems occurred with 1 slice of avocado, so one banana could definitely cause problems if you are dealing with an allergy.)
Joy said,
18 September 2007 at 5:17 pm
Besides Roz’s Syfo drink, does anyone have a good traveling remedy for stomach pain caused by avacados? I love them!
Michele said,
21 September 2007 at 7:03 am
Sadly Joy, I believe that the only remedy for the avacado stomach pain is simply not to eat them. I’m sure that isn’t what you want to hear, since you do love them.
Also, I do agree with the above that allergies/sensitivites/intolerances can creep up at ANY time. Also, with the latex-fruit syndrome, you don’t have to have a reaction to everyting on that list in order to have the syndrome; I sure don’t (In fact, I don’t show an allergy to latex…yet), yet I believe that I have the latex-fruit syndrome. It is, thus far the only explanation, to me, that makes sense because of the relationship that the proteins of the offending foods have with one another.
If you haven’t googled latex-fruit syndrome, I highly suggest a look.
Re: Allergy testing. I have had this done so many times, and I have found it to be unreliable. I break out into hives when I eat consume shellfish, yet the allergy testing that I have had does not show me allegic to shellfish! Hmmm…
People can often eat bananas once cooked because the composition changes; making it tolerable to digest. The same with tomatoes. For those who cannot eat raw tomatoes, often cooking them works! Now, I cook A LOT, and I have not run across cooking avocado; however, it would be an interesting experiment!
Good luck to all,
Chele
am said,
24 September 2007 at 2:22 pm
Hi, Y’all. I also found that i have a sensitivity to avacados…..even the smallest amount of guacamole causes excruciating pains in my stomache that last for hours. But i noticed that even honey, sometimes pineapple, and occasionally mangoes cause the same pains. i just cant figure it out, at times imok with some foods, then boom, sometimes i get these pains. i have many tests done, and nothing has come up. I usually am prescribed some antacids and sent on my way. But these meds dont seem to help. i have read that it could be “leaky gut syndrome”. But i am nto sure!!! what to do????
Diane said,
1 November 2007 at 7:29 pm
Wow, tonight I drove my family crazy. I grew up in California and love avacados but lately they have been causing me so many problems. I tend to forget that I am allergic to them. Tonight i put some slices on my taco and immediately I started to not be able to breath, but for some reason it made me crave them even more. I ate more slices then my eyes itched, my nose ran and I started sneezing like crazy. I needed to blow My nose andiit even started to bleed. I never thought I was latex allergic, but kiwi.. maybe. Bananas seem ok. I see a chiropractor who is helping me find my allergies though muscle testing, but it is hard to give up wheat, milk green peppers avacado and most shellfish–and who knows what else. I am getting bored with my diet, but happy not to be up all night with stomach cramps. Why can’t I be allergic to green beans?
Melanie said,
13 November 2007 at 2:32 pm
Ok….I get it now. i am allergic to Avocado. I can’t believe I never realized it before. For the record i am recovery from an hour long stomach ache after eating a salad with avocado. i have always noticed that if i eat guac my stomach begins to cram within a few minutes. Next thing you know I am in really terrible pain. I thought maybe it was just heavy on me….but now when i read about someone else talking about sushi and it clicked for me. I get the same way when I eat rolls with avocado in it. I am so happy i know this now and can avoid eating the one eyed green monster! I guess its true that no pain is no gain….without my stomach feeling like I just ate rotten eggs..then I never would have made this connection.
Jillian said,
22 November 2007 at 2:27 am
I am nineteen and just discovered I am allergic to avocados thanks to this site. Every time I went to Sheetz I would order guacamole in my quesadilla and then later on I just had plain guacamole at mexican restaurants and got terribly sick afterwards. At least now I know not to order guacamole or avocados…I think I can live with out them.
Eloise said,
9 December 2007 at 8:10 pm
At last! I’ve found some folks other than myself and my dad who are allergic to avocados!
I can’t even eat something that was cut with a knife used to cut an avocado…I am sick for two days with vomiting and diarrhea.
I can’t eat at restaurants that serve it (and nowadays, most of them do), and at potlucks I have to ask if stuff has avodaco in it.
I’m sorry we have this problem, but I’m glad I’m not alone.
Eloise said,
9 December 2007 at 8:18 pm
I forgot to mention I have the same problem with bananas. I actually hate them, but thought I’d add one to a smoothie one day since they’re so good for you.
Big mistake. Same symptoms as avocado (two days in the bathroom).
Ricco said,
12 December 2007 at 5:07 pm
Allergies Allergies Allergies…
It started with dogs and then not cats… then cats and not dogs and now I’m allergic to both. I went the allergist due to the severity of the reactions and then I was advised I was allergic to dogs, cats, rabbits, cockroaches, avocado tree’s, iodine and on and on. I took a pill and it was over. So I thought…
Now as an adult as long as I wash my hands after I pet a dog or cat I’m fine. Then one day I was eating shrimp and I got a funny burning on my lips and an iching in my ear… Thats odd but they were yummy so whatever. I was able to eat them with minimal distress.. it was kinda cool. I never really had an upper lip so the swelling was neat and the itching would go away after a while. Then I had crab legs. That little burn made it feel like my lips were going to split open and the itch my ears was horrid. Then came the hives. Then came the welts under the hives. Not good. But I thought it was crab and not shrimp. Uh, no after my exposure to crab; shrimp was out of the game. I pondered eating a lobster tail but just smelling it make me itchy. So I avoided it until one day I had something that stuffed with what I thought was chicken. It wasn’t until the second bite I realized what had happened. Within 30 min I had hives, welts, a severe asthma attack followed by the most horrible 12 hours of my life as the food past through my system creating what I think was colic. After that it was noooo problem avoiding shrimp crab or lobster.
Then recently I was taking a form of pennicillin and back came the welts and hives. It wasnt until the 5th day I figured it out and stopped taking it. But it was like when I was exposed to crab and shrimp was no longer an option. After my reaction to pennicillin I kept breaking out in hives. It was odd. Then I had some strawberries and the hives intensified. So no more strawberries. The hives got mild but wouldn’t away. Then I realized I was eating avocados so I stopped and then the hives stopped. I couldn’t believe that avocados were the culprit because I love avocados and I’ve eaten them all my life. So I tried once more. Insta-hives within 15 minutes.
So now I’m allergic to iodine, dogs, cats, rabbits, cockroaches, strawberries, kiwi’s, avocados, shrimp, lobster and crab. *sigh* Now I’m realizing that the burn in my mouth caused by pinneaples and banana’s isnt normal. *bigger sigh*
Anyway to all those people who commented or didn’t but can relate I just wanted to say, “I understand”. I feel better knowing that others can relate to my allergy adversity. And to Jonski I loved your posting. It was a fun read and I appreciate all the links. They helped me out tremendously.
Ricco
jonskifarms said,
13 December 2007 at 12:26 am
Wow Eloise, it sounds like you’re dealing with a severe allergy if you can’t be in restaurants that serve them! I did some reading about airborne peanut allergies a few months ago, but didn’t realize avocado could be airborne.
Ricco, thanks for sharing your story. I guess you won’t be attending the Bug Bowl at Purdue, huh? Although they just race cockroaches, not eat them. I wonder if any of the bug-eating cultures eat roaches? Eeuw. But I digress… Anyway, it sounds like your discovery process was similar to mine - connecting the dots over time (although I never have actual dots [hives] on my body to connect! :^). I can’t eat fresh pineapple in the US - my mouth does weird things and my taste buds are off for hours afterwards - but I was able to eat it in Costa Rica this past summer (’07) without that effect. Weird, huh? For what it’s worth, I tested negative for a pineapple allergy (summer ‘06).
Ricki said,
17 December 2007 at 11:04 pm
Good to hear everyone’s stories. Another avocado allergy sufferer here! My mother and sister suffer too. I have another sister who can eat boxes of it with no problems. A lot of people who don’t suffer think we’re making it up or exaggerating…there isn’t a lot of sympathy out there! My allergy only developed in my teens….before then I could eat them with no problem. So far, no problems with the other foods mentioned (touch wood). I eat bananas every day and have not noticed any problems. I live in Australia and eat a lot of tropical fruits. The only ‘treatment’ I have found so far is avocado abstinence. Any accidental eating of avocado makes life (and my gut) a misery for 24 hours or so…not worth it.
ray nwam said,
23 December 2007 at 12:19 am
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Eloise said,
24 December 2007 at 3:37 pm
Jonskifarms,
Actually, it’s not because the avocado allergens are airborne, it’s just because I’m terrified of avocado accidentally getting into my food. Even if you tell the server you’re allergic, you can never tell what happens back in the kitchen.
My dad had the same problem.
jonskifarms said,
24 December 2007 at 4:59 pm
Eloise, thanks for the clarification. When I first had my symptoms, it was probably from “cross contamination” with guacamole that had been scraped off food (and given to a dining companion). But now I make sure they leave guacamole off. It’s definitely something to be concerned about, though! Especially if you get sick from a ‘contaminated’ knife. Good luck!
Bridget said,
30 December 2007 at 11:23 pm
Great to see so many similar stories. I discovered the avacado thing when I was 16 on a trip to mexico. Of course I thought it must be the water or something, but a pediatrician friend traveling with us said it could be the avacado. This proved to be true on subsequent attempts to eat it. I was then devastated when I was 27 and had been having similar bouts of excruciating stomach pain. I could never figure it out…. Finally, when trying a food diary, it hit me - bananas! They had been disguised in Jamba Juice at first and that’s why I didn’t immediately notice it. It was the sliced banana on my cheerios that gave it away. I have to tell you this is a bummer. I also feel like I’m missing out on some very healthy foods. What about broccoli? I can’t eat it either. But I’m fine with latex. Just curious of anyone’s experience with broccoli? Does anyone keep epipens with them? I’m a bit scared of anaphylactic shock. My son’s pediatrican says the first sign is severe stomach discomfort and things can escalate from there…
jonskifarms said,
30 December 2007 at 11:30 pm
hi Bridget - thanks for sharing your story. I’ve never heard of a broccoli allergy. It’s a totally different family botanically, and I’ve never seen it mentioned with avocado, but perhaps I’m just misremembering.
I was prescribed an epipen. I used to carry it with me (to & from work) in my backpack. That was kind of silly, since I usually also take my own lunch! (known to be avocado free…
Then I got to the point where I would only take it along to restaurants and on trips. Now I’m even more lax than that, because I haven’t even had gastro reactions in so long. (I did take it to Costa Rica this past summer, figuring I was more likely to unexpectedly encounter avocado there. We got slices of it with breakfast a few times, and our local friend would spread it on toast like butter!)
My allergist told me something similar to your son’s pedi - food allergies can change and get severe at any time, so the epipen is a useful safety net. But sometimes I wonder if it’s really necessary in my particular case…
Ryan said,
9 January 2008 at 8:59 pm
My wife actually seems to have an allergy or intolerance for avocado, broccoli, and (after eating some today it seems) pineapple. It usually manifests itself in the form of severve stomach cramps, but today she was vomiting as well. We’ve never noticed the pineapple before, but she is 6 months pregnant now so I wonder if that exacerbates the situation. Anybody else with similar issues?
Shawna said,
10 January 2008 at 4:22 pm
My husband developed a food allergy to avocados a couple of years ago. He would have sever stomach cramps and get really phlegmy immediately after eating guacamole. Over time he noticed the same reaction after consuming wine and peanut butter (but not peanuts). Now if my husband inadvertently digests any of those items he has trouble breathing, goes pale with red spots on his cheeks and cannot talk for almost a half an hour.
His doctor diagnosed a sulfite allergy. Unfortunately, (per his doctor) there isn’t a good way to test for a sulfite allergy so he told my husband to just avoid triggers. He prescribed an Epipen in case we got out to eat, but that has sulfites in it too!
Has anyone else ever heard of a avocado/sulfite link? I wany my husband to see an allergy specialist anyway…
Eloise said,
27 January 2008 at 6:01 pm
Anyone have problems with mangoes? I used to eat them, but lately they’ve been tasting like poison to me.
jonskifarms said,
27 January 2008 at 7:49 pm
Eloise, there are a couple previous commenters who mentioned problems with mangoes. I have a co-worker who is allergic to mangoes, but no other foods - however, she told me it’s associated with poison ivy allergies (where you have a more severe reaction to poison ivy than the average person).
You might want to read this page at the immunocap site about mango allergies:
http://www.immunocapinvitrosight.com/dia_templates/ImmunoCAP/Allergen____28292.aspx
Mandy said,
13 March 2008 at 5:15 am
About 4 years ago I disovered that I was allergic to avos. I have loved them all my life and every avo season I used to eat one a day on toast for breakfast. Anyway that year I developed agonizing burning sensation and pain in my tummy accompanied with diarrhea and vomiting. At first I never had the itching in the mouth and throat and never made the connection. My GP was eventually treating me for a stomach ulcer. This went on for a week. I would wake up fine in the morning and get to work, have the avo on toast for breakfast and within half an hour be in agony, leaving work early. Any way after about a week I experienced the severe itchiness in my mouth and throat going into my chest and made the connection. Stopped all avo and never looked back. Interesting though if I eat raw broccoli I have the same itchy response as the avo, but cooked is fine… I have been wondering though what are the chances I could eat Avo now, 4 years later? Do you ever ‘out grow’ avo allergy? – as an adult.
Tricia said,
13 March 2008 at 6:37 am
Hi Mandy,
I don’t know if an adult can outgrow an allergy. My co-worker recently saw an allergist who told him the current thinking is “no”. But I know that 10-12 years ago, I stopped eating shrimp because of those gastro symptoms - I decided I was allergic (I even “tested” by eating some shrimp to see if I’d get sick). But when I was tested for a shrimp allergy 2 years ago, it was negative. I asked my allergist if that could be because I hadn’t eaten any for so long. She didn’t say yes or no out right, but implied “maybe”. However, I suspect that what happens is it goes latent. My theory is that if i were to eat shrimp now, after a couple of exposures I would have the symptoms again and would test positive for the allergy. I’m not willing to test it out, though!
courtney said,
16 March 2008 at 3:18 pm
All of this is very interesting! I have developed an allergy to avocado over the last year and get the terrible stomach pains that all of you talk about! About 9 years ago, when I was pregnant, my tongue would swell after eating banana’s and have never liked the way mango’s make my mouth feel. I can eat banana’s just fine now without any problems but will definitely never intentionally eat avocado again! Thank you!
barbara said,
24 March 2008 at 4:38 pm
ricco- i became allergic to everything after taking leviquin(which i had taken before with no problem) the list grew so long that i realized i could notbe reaaly allergic to so many thinsa. the dr. figured out i am allergic to nuts and when i ate them it set off reactions to many other things-by the way i also tested negative for nuts in allergy testing. i still st get hives and rashes but can not figure out what else i am allergic to and was tested twice for everything. but if i stay away from nuts i definately get less reactions
Diane said,
26 March 2008 at 5:10 am
I have a gastro allergy to avocado, shrimp, crab, and lobster. (and other seafood sometimes). I get that terrible stomach ache aprrox. 1 hour after eating them. Then the pain lasts for up to eight hours. I saw a gastro specialist. He said I definately had gastro allergies. Different from regular allergies. I have not seen a connection to bananas, kiwi, or mango yet. I don’t think I am allergic to latex, due to the fact I wear latex gloves to clean all the time.
There have been times that I thought I was allergic to cleaning products though, maybe it is the latex! I am going to start logging all the times I get that distinct pain in my stomach and what I ate or exposed myself to prior to the pain. I never noticed my throat itching or breathing problems associated with those foods. I have noticed when I drink red wine, I get nasal congestion and feel bloated. That could be the sulfites everyone mentioned above. I also have acid reflux disease, which the doctor says is all food related. Anyone out there have similar symptoms?
Tricia said,
26 March 2008 at 8:24 am
Diane, I had no idea that there was something called gastro allergies, distinct from ‘regular’ allergies. I’ll look into that more - maybe that explains my troubles with shrimp (although I’m also halfway tempted to eat shrimp again, to see if it still bothers me…
Kelly said,
27 March 2008 at 5:54 pm
I have for the past three years have a reaction to avocado tingling mouth. However it was not until this year that I got tested for it. I had a reaction to Avelox anitbiotic in November and than at the same time latex gloves which prompted me to go to the allergist. I went to the allergist and found also several pollens and tree allergies. I still eat certain foods that bring on the tingling feeling and it scares me. I also use to eat bananas everday up until two months ago when all these symptoms started happening. Initially I tested positive for banana but went back again and the Doctor told me I could probably eat them again. I love bananas but I have tried to put them back into my diet but I feel the reaction again. Could this be psycological or real. I started to use anxiety medication occassionly because I was so scared of what has been happening. All of this has come on other than the avocados all of a sudden. Does any one know if allergies can be stress related??
barbara said,
30 March 2008 at 8:07 pm
when i was getting hives and rashes every day i was ok but when my lips started to swell i began to panic and once had an anxiety attack when the nurse at the docter’s office did not take my concerns seriously. My allergist has made me feel better and said that the chance of me having a fatel reaction is slim and i do feel less anxious now although i do still worry about it sometimes.
barbara said,
30 March 2008 at 8:11 pm
kelly what drug family is avelox in? i will never take leviquin or any drugs in that family again unless my life depends upon it because that is when all of my allergy prob. started. by the way not a single food allergy showed up on the testing i did(twice) even though my entire family saw me break out in hives from cashews and rahes and bumps for weeks on and off most likel;y from almonds. even the doctor told me to aviod all tree nuts.
Melissa said,
9 April 2008 at 4:43 am
I’m glad to read this. I’ve thought I might be allergic to avocados for a while but then I thought I might be crazy…who’s allergic to avocados? I would constantly get stomach pain after eating them. Well, tonight I went and had Mexican food and there was a little bit of guac on top of the quesadilla and here I am, eight hours later still with stomach cramps. I definitely need to avoid this stuff. I don’t even like it that much!
Rona said,
14 April 2008 at 4:10 pm
Very helpful to read your post and the comments. Been researching about avocado allergies as I have it, too (itchy mouth). As well as an allergy to latex and bananas - sometimes carrots make my mouth itchy, too. So, I’ve been researching and reading how those are all linked; as well as linked to pollen allergies. Found these two useful sites and hope others will find them useful, too: http://www.allergyclinic.co.uk/oas.htm#latex-fruit%20syndrome; and http://www.allergyclinic.co.uk/latex.htm#latex-fruit%20allergy
Tricia said,
15 April 2008 at 9:27 am
Thanks Rona, those are useful references!
Nicole said,
17 April 2008 at 9:40 am
I have an intolerance to avocados as well. I’ve successfully avoided them for a long time, however last night I had a veggie wrap and there must’ve been avocados hiding in it. It was a horrible night of those wonderful stomach cramps. This is where it gets strange though. I’ve never had a problem with bananas and latex, and I eat a banana in the morning almost every day. But this morning, after going through the avocado issues last night, the stomach cramps came back after eating my daily banana. I guess I’ll be avoiding bananas now, too, just in case.
meghan said,
25 April 2008 at 7:25 pm
I think I may have an allergy to avocado and pineapple? I get terrible stomach pains after eating both.
Erin said,
26 April 2008 at 12:00 am
Talk to an allergist about a sulfa allergy. They appear in shellfish, garlic, onions, salad dressings, and AVOCADOS! I never knew I had a food allergy until I had a reaction to a sulfa based antibiotic and the allergist asked if I was particularly sensitive to certain foods. There isn’t a scratch test specifically for the sulfa allergy but your doctor can ask very detailed questions and figure out your allergy based on the answers. Your stomach feels much better after you figure out what not to eat. Things like dried onion and dried garlic are in lots of places you would never imagine.
Joel said,
27 April 2008 at 5:23 pm
It seems as though I could be developing an allergy to Avocados.
I have been allergic to shrimp for many years (as long as I can remember ever having consciously tried it) I guess that would be about 17years. I have only intermittently tested my reactions (some were forced upon me unknowingly by my then-new wife about 4 years ago). I’m not sure if the stomach cramps descirbed in the early posts are what I experience. Very soon after I eat shrimp my chest feels like it’ shaving contractions (or cramps- whatever a cramp feels like) It “squeeeeeezes” then “releases” then about a minute later it repeats… for about 30 minutes to an hour. I can eat crab legs (I lov’em I love’em) & clams & oysters with no reaction whatsoever. More recently (1-2 years I’ve noticed a similar reaction- though not so intense when I eat avocados. I like them mostly when they are sliced on a sandwich or in salad, probably not enough to cause me to miss them though… I just wanted to google and see if there was a connection (chemically) between these two foods. The sulfa allergy is close & I’ve heard of Iodine allergy (or something like that), but again it’s not all shellfish- only shrimp!
Carlo said,
1 May 2008 at 11:05 pm
Wow, how amazing for a post to continue for more than 2 years!
Add me to the Avocado allergy family - glad to meet all of you
And thanks Jonksi for facilitating this. This is exactly what is so empowering and human about the Internet.
I have always just thought I didn’t like avocados (the same way any slimy, green, pasty food could be unlikeable). But last night I accidentally ate some guacamole in a taco and the weird stomach feeling began an hour later. At first I just blamed it on drinking bad beer or heartburn from a spicy menu. But then it hit me, minus the throat itchiness and metallic taste (classic anaphylactic reactions), it felt a lot like my stomach’s reaction to seafood. So I Googled “avocado and seafood allergy” to see if there was a chemical connection between the two and here I am.
I’m going to get tested, because after reading here maybe there are actually seafoods that I’m not allergic to. I’ve always stayed away from all seafood after reacting to a few different shellfish and non-shellfish. And also because I read that rather than growing out of it, the potential for danger with seafood allergy can increase as you get older. I’m also one of those people who believes there’s so much chemical crap in most of our foods now – so who knows what the real cause could be. Sulfa, iodine, pesticides, mercury, etc. But testing couldn’t hurt - so why not.
Side-note: I grew up in a Caribbean family, and avocados along with seafood or cou-cou are a staple food. So I’m very intrigued if the combination of these foods has anything to do with my allergies or if there is some other correlation.
Tricia said,
1 May 2008 at 11:59 pm
Carlo, you wrote: Wow, how amazing for a post to continue for more than 2 years! What I am continually surprised at is that this one post probably has more comments than all the rest of my blog entries combined. :^) And I’ve been surprised to see how common avocado allergy is - I honestly thought I would find nothing when I started doing my research.
Anyway, your situation sounds similar to mine (avocado and seafood causing same symptoms). I haven’t found anything to link those two chemically, but avocados are linked to lots of other tropical fruits via the latex connection. So I wonder: if you commonly eat two foods together that aren’t chemically related, and you have an allergic reaction to one of them, does that predispose you to develop an allergy to the other one? For example, shrimp and avocado.
Carlo said,
2 May 2008 at 2:17 pm
Very interesting idea that food your body learns to associate with an allergen (from frequently being combined) could trigger an allergic reaction, or over-reaction, to that food. Depending on your body’s sensitivity, that makes a lot of sense actually.
Cassie said,
15 May 2008 at 11:14 pm
This thread is amazing. My mother, my younger sister, and I all have an assortment of random food allergies that produce excruciating stomach pain that last for 8-24 hours. The pain feels like someone has jabbed a screwdriver into your abdomen, just above the navel and all the way through to your spine, and is twisting the screwdriver around like a joystick.
I discovered just a few years ago that if I take Benadryl immediately after I’ve accidentally eaten an allergy food, the symptoms are negligible. If I wait too long, however, I’m out of luck, because absolutely nothing helps once the pain has started.
For all three of us, the allergies started precisely at age 19. For my sister and me, the first one was avocado; for Mom, I think it was pineapple (which my sister and I aren’t allergic to . . . yet), then avocado. The allergies continue to develop over time. The second one for me was squash - ALL squash (though pumpkin doesn’t seem to bother me); apparently Mom and sister can eat squash. Then raw broccoli and cauliflower got me (I can eat these well cooked, but my mom and sister can’t tolerate them at all). Then bananas, which I can sometimes eat and sometimes not (Mom can’t eat them, but sister has no problem), and then shellfish (none of us can tolerate lobster or crab; I seem to be the only one who has a problem with shrimp and scallops, but clams don’t seem to bother me, maybe because I’m too afraid of them to get too carried away!). In the 80s, Mom had a bad reaction after eating at a salad bar; turned out it was a sulfite preservative they put on the lettuce. After shellfish, for me it was raw or undercooked asparagus (I have no problem with it if it’s cooked to death; Mom and sister have no problem with it). I also can’t tolerate melon (except watermelon), but Mom and sister are okay with it. The most recent one for me was pistachio nuts. Mom can’t eat any nuts, whereas sister has no problem with nuts. Meanwhile, Mom has continued to develop more and more allergies over time — I believe the most recent one is egg whites (yolks are okay).
I’m also VERY allergic to some cats and some dogs. If I’m around a Siamese cat longer than 15 minutes, my eyes itch insanely and swell up like golf balls, and I get really bad sinus congestion and asthma. My allergy scratch test for cats produced a welt 4″ in diameter! Supposedly I’m also allergic to horses, but I’m not sure I believe that one (I’ve never been tested for it, and I’m thinking it’s more likely the weeds and brush we rode the horses through, as confirmed by the positive scratch test). Sister and Dad are “a little” allergic to cats, and Mom apparently has no “pet” allergies.
One interesting thing: about a year ago, Mom went on a juice diet for about a month. For a while afterwards, she was able to eat most of her allergy foods, though she wasn’t brave enough to try the really bad ones (avocado and pineapple).
I might go for the theory that chemical preservatives and pesticides used on commercially-grown food are at fault for the food reactions, but for me the avocados and squash that produced my first allergies were home grown.
Anyway, there must be some logic to the constellation of allergies. I hope this amazingly long-running thread will help shed some light!
Helen said,
24 May 2008 at 3:08 pm
I am allergic to Apples, Pears, Nectarines, cherries, hazelnuts, and I get the typical itchy and constricted throat. It started when I was 35 years old. When I was 19 I became allergic to Avocado, banana, melon, and here I get the intense stomach cramps. But I have to tell you I found a cure to this one!!! It has saved me from hours of excruciating cramps. As soon as the cramps appear, go to McDonalds and eat a Big Mac, within 15 minutes they are gone (at least for me). Sometimes I get the same stomach cramps from other food. I occasionally get it from seafood, and one time pizza, I assume they had been prepared with latex materials or something.
As you can imagine, the only fruits I can eat are the citrus, and berries. I just avoid all fruit. I hate fruit, I get scared every time I try to eat it because of all the pain its caused me.
Megan said,
26 May 2008 at 10:02 pm
What an amazing find this post is! I felt my husband and family thought I might be crazy saying I had an allergy to avocados. I had never eaten avocados or guac until last summer after my husband talked me into trying the slimy green fruit. Turns out I really liked it and began making fresh guac on a regular basis. I began having bouts of extreme stomach pain that would last hours and surges of adrenaline that felt as if I was having a panic attack. I never connected the two because I didn’t show symptoms until about an hour after I had eaten. I always thought food allergies were more instant.
I was never allergic to anything growing up. After reading some of the previous postings, I am wondering if Leviquin has anything to with my recent development of allergies. I was taking rounds of Leviquin about every other month for two to three years straight for a condition that was misdiagnosed as an infection. One incredible specialist and one surgery later, I no longer took the medication, but I began developing allergies. First to broccoli, then to avocados–the worst, and now I seem to have an uncomfortable stomach when eating bananas and pineapple. I hope latex isn’t next. I even had a full body rash reaction to the tetanus shot. My most recent allergy is to some chemical found in shampoo–but I don’t know which chemical. I break out in the most excruciating itchy rash that only an ice pack can relieve. Now, I just use organic, all natural shampoos. I find it interesting that other people had developed allergies after taking Leviquin. I don’t know if they are related, but now it seems like I develop a new allergy about every six months.
jonah said,
6 June 2008 at 6:26 am
I am allergic. Im a man, I believe this is some type of womans forum. From reading what I just read I too am allergic to avocados. A few years ago I gave up on sushi, which I liked, not loved, after getting what I thought was food poisoning after a dinner here in town. Never thought a thing of it, hey, they had mexican chefs and help at this place. Never liked alvocados, my mom slices them up and eats them plain, I don’t see what’s so special about them. Guacamole really doesn’t do me in, id have a dab here and there from time to time. Itd tickle my throat, but nothing else really. But I never liked it. Well its 4 o’clock in the morning right now , sitting around watching tv. About an hour ago, I sliced off a quarter of an alvocado I had sitting on the kitchen table, honestly don’t know how it got there. I wish I had not right now, buts its too late, my stomach got really upset 15 minutes ago, I thought it was just a soda craving, sodas do the trick for me, don’t ask me why. Sat there watching tv rubbing my stomach, and then I was like, oh shietz, felt explosive, I grabbed my sidekick(phone) and ran into the restroom. Sat down, and still sitting down, googled avocado upset stomach. And found this, I hate avocados, they taste like shiet and make u shiet. My face feels numb and my eyeballs are ready to explode. Email me at jsaechou@tmail to see if im still alive.
Tricia said,
6 June 2008 at 10:07 am
Hey Jonah, this isn’t really a woman’s forum, it’s just a bunch of people (mostly women) posting on my blog entry! (although sometimes I think I should start a forum for avocado allergy sufferers…
Sonja said,
9 June 2008 at 4:12 pm
I became allergic to eggs a few years ago, the result of doing quite a lot of research using chicken embryos. My skin was exposed to a little egg white on a regular basis and after a year and a half I noticed I got very bad stomach pains after eating eggs. I haven’t had it proved by having an allergy test, but avoid eating eggs now, and if I happen to get some splashing on my skin these days I develop a little temporary rash.
Just recently, I’ve been getting stomach aches after avocados too! I’ll have to cross those off the list also - what a shame! I thought it might have been something about the avocado - but after reading this blog realized it might well be an allergy.
I know a little about biology, and what I can offer is this. If you have an allergy to say, avocado, it doesn’t mean you will also be allergic to latex. The protein you may react to in avocado might be the one that is very similar to a protein in latex, in which case you may also react to latex, bananas etc, or it may be a different protein, perhaps unique to avocados, or also found in another related fruit. However if you have one allergy, you may be at a higher risk of developing more allergies.
Some people are more predisposed to developing allergies. We lucky people have higher levels of eosinophils - a type of white blood cell. We would be very good at fighting off parasites and worms - but now that we don’t have many of these around any more - this well developed part of our immune system is finding other things to fight - such as avocados, shellfish etc - which isn’t quite so good for us! There is still a great deal that isn’t known about allergies and the different reactions that we have. For example I just get a slightly itchy mouth and gastro - but no burning on the lips or hives or asthma. Interestingly reading this blog it seems that most people allergic to avocados have a gastro reaction, but not as many people said they get hives from them.
Allergies can become worse over time, but not everyone becomes anaphylactic. We also don’t know everything about how a person becomes allergic to something. Is it routine exposure? Exposure every now and then? Exposure on your skin or ocular cavity more than orally? (most likely how I became allergic to eggs).
I guess the best thing to do is to be aware that you have a predisposition to developing allergies, and take a couple of steps to help with that. For example, use latex-free gloves if you need to use gloves for work, wash your hands after petting animals or gardening, don’t rub your eyes (a possible route for allergens), and be aware of any reactions you get after eating, or taking certain medications. And maybe avoid Leviquin (after readi