Why Does My Mouth and Throat Itch after Eating Fruits and Vegetables?

A viewer asks The Doctors if her mouth gets itchy and her throat gets scratchy when she eats certain fruits and vegetables, does that mean her body doesn’t like healthy food?

ER physician Dr. Travis Stork answers that no, your body isn’t against healthy food. This person may be suffering from something called oral allergy syndrome. He says it's more common in older children and young adults who have been eating fruits and vegetables for years.

Watch: Can Food Allergies Be Reversed?

Plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon adds that if you typically have an underlying allergy to airborne allergens, like dust, pollen or trees, there is a close antigenicity to fruits and vegetables. In most cases it’s mild but a more severe reaction would indicate an allergy to the actual fruit or vegetable.

Knowing what airborne allergens you react to may help you to figure out which fruits and vegetables cause a reaction in your system.

Have an allergy to birch pollen? You may react to these foods:

• Apples
• Carrots
• Celery
• Kiwi
• Peaches
• Pears

Have an allergy to grass pollen? You may react to these foods:

• Melons
• Oranges
• Peaches
• Tomatoes

Have an allergy to ragweed pollen? You may react to these foods:

• Bananas
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini

The Doctors say cooking some of these foods, instead of eating them raw, may be one way to avoid this cross-reactivity. Similarly, try removing the peels because the skins sometimes harbor the allergens as well. 

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If you find you are having allergic-like symptoms, even when not severe, it’s perfectly okay to get allergy tested to find out what you are allergic to. Don’t let your allergies control you and your life, you control your allergies!