Can you be "slightly" allergic, and what to do?

[chamberbell]

I was wondering if anyone has input to whether you can be slightly allergic to a food? For me, it seems tree nuts make my mouth feel kinda funny, like how your fingers funny feel when your hands swell (or maybe I'm the only one that happens to...).  It's never been enough to make me concerned about not being able to breathe or to confirm an allergy, but it makes me wonder if the rest of my body is also reacting and I'm contributing to inflammation. 

 

Is there a way to get tested? Or to self test?

 

I've been somewhat avoiding tree nuts just in case, but since whole30 is already pretty limiting, I wanted to see if this seemed like a good idea or unnecessary. I do love my cashew butter and banana. 

 

Cheers, 

Tracy

[jmcbn]

If you're having a reaction on your tongue then I'd say you've an allergy, and that you've been okay with it so far due to the limited consumption. Continued exposure may cause a more severe reaction though as our allergic reactions to food can often be cumulative as a result of a build up the allergen in our system.

I'd say cut out the tree nuts & see how you go - they're not the best fat source anyways due to their poor omega 3:6 ratio, and cashew butter & banana can be a FWOB for many folk, can cause digestive distress when not eaten in moderation, and will contnue to feed your Sugar Dragon.

[MeadowLily]

• Don’t use nuts, seeds, and nut butters as your primary fat source

 

Try EVOlive Oil, Avocado,  EVCoconut Oil, Ghee, Clarified Butter and the other Whole 30 Fat recommendations.

[Loulabelle]

That is exactly what bananas do to me they make my mouth feel funny and it is what my allergy Dr asked me about when telling me I am allergic to them. So if you are getting the same reaction there is a high probability that you are allergic to tree nuts. Allergies are not a static thing though, my Dr advised me to give my body a total break from the foods I am allergic to them try them again to see if I still react, it's also possible that new ones can develop.

[bcwillson]

That is exactly what bananas do to me they make my mouth feel funny and it is what my allergy Dr asked me about when telling me I am allergic to them. So if you are getting the same reaction there is a high probability that you are allergic to tree nuts. Allergies are not a static thing though, my Dr advised me to give my body a total break from the foods I am allergic to them try them again to see if I still react, it's also possible that new ones can develop.

Bananas do the same thing to me. Some other "tropical" fruits do as well. I believe the medical name for it is Oral Allergy Syndrome.

[missmary]

yup you have an allergy to tree nuts. Sometimes allergies suddenly go from mild to severe, so I wouldn't mess around (tingling might seem fine, but tongue swelling unable to breathe stuff is no bueno). proceed with caution.

[missmary]

For you oral allergy folks, it might be helpful to know these things come in a group. Here are the four clusters of oral allergies from webmd. If you have an allergy to one, watch for the other plants in that group. Although not on this particular list, I think cashews are implicated with bananas/latex as well.:

 

Ragweed Allergy: "Ragweed, in theory, cross-reacts with bananas and melons, so people with ragweed allergies may react to honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelons, or tomatoes," says Warren V. Filley, MD, from the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic in Oklahoma City. Zucchini, sunflower seeds, dandelions, chamomile tea, and echinacea also go on that list.

 

Birch Pollen Allergy: People with birch pollen allergies may react to kiwi, apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, plums, coriander, fennel, parsley, celery, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, and almonds.

 

Grass Allergy: People with grass allergy may react to peaches, celery, tomatoes, melons, and oranges, according to the AAAAI.

 

Latex Rubber Allergy: Like pollen allergy, people allergic to latex rubber may react to bananas, avocados, kiwi, chestnut, and papaya.

[Tom Denham]

You would think that testing would be definitive, but it seems that a lot of testing conducted by various doctors is full of false positive and false negative results. In other words, not definitive at all. What does work is noticing an issue, removing the offending food for a good long period, and MAYBE reintroducing at some point in the future to see if you still have an issue. There is no perfect time line for when you might reintroduce an offending food, but most people try too soon. The Whole30 demands that you remove problem foods for 30 days, but that is not enough time to resolve issues if you have allergic responses. That could be more like a year and it could be NEVER. 

[chamberbell]

This thread has been so helpful! I'm so glad I finally asked! 

 

And yeah, while every now and then I have a decently legitimate reason to eat it, I know my banana+cashew butter has been a crutch of having something filling and sweet. My first whole30 I had it all the time but since I was coming from such a bad place nutritionally I decided to focus on worse things :-). But now (a few w30's down) I'm at a place where I can remove it and be OK still! So out it goes.

 

I do kinda feel like it's getting worse, but just a smidgen each time so hard to tell. I don't really eat many nuts but since it's one more thing off the list I was trying to avoid it :-). I'm really embracing grass-fed animal fats in my meat, ghee, and coconut. How have I lived this long without ghee! Avocado of course is bueno, but I'm still working out the timing of the ripeness and browning, hah.   

[ladyshanny]

If you are actually allergic your reactions could be the same, less or more severe each time you are exposed, there is no telling.  Please don't play with this.