If You Have a Weird Mouth When You Eat Raw Fruits or Vegetables, Here’s Why
You’ve heard of peanut and wheat allergies, but if you feel a weird tingling sensation in your mouth when you eat raw fruits, you might be wondering: Could a person be allergic to apples? It turns out that this is basically a harmless reaction called oral allergy syndrome that occurs in people who are allergic to pollen.
Basically, something about a fruit or vegetable that bothers you is like pollen, which you are actually allergic to. NPR magazine The Salt has a good explanation of what’s going on , with a breakdown (thanks to National Jewish Health ) of which allergies can be caused by which fruits. For example, if you are allergic to birch pollen planted in spring, you may react to a similar protein in the peel of apples, peaches, etc.
Cooking vegetables can help: proteins are broken down, so you can probably eat applesauce or apple pies, even if raw apples are itchy on your lips. Peeling often helps. But if the reaction is worse than a tingling sensation in the mouth, or if it is related to nuts or another common food allergen, it’s time to seek medical attention.