jenn_124 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Hi Everyone - I was hoping somebody might have a few thoughts on this. I officially started by Whole30 three days ago, but was playing and practicing with the program for about a week before starting the official Whole30. I had started using coconut oil as my fat in cooking and making recipes with coconut milk. I have consumed coconut throughout my entire life, although not with the frequency and regularity with which I consume it now. I have been experiencing itchy skin (mostly on my upper arms and shins) over the past few weeks. I thought it was dry skin, so I was paying extra attention to moisturizing. Finally, this morning I awoke with welt like hives. Could this be a reaction to the coconut? As I said, I have consumed coconut before and I have zero nut allergies, having consumed a variety of nuts my entire live (and with frequency). I have not changed my detergent for washing clothes nor have I started consuming any new foods that I haven't consumed before. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Itchiness and hives are my only symptoms. Thanks for your help! Jennifer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleena Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 Could be. It's not that common to be allergic to coconut but throughout my 30 I was consuming a lot of it and had itchy thigh and wrist. I finished the 30 on Friday and although I'm following a moderated 30 (dairy instead of coconut in coffee and tea) by yesterday I'm not itching anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted February 5, 2013 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2013 You are right that eating a lot more of something might be making a difference. You might want to switch to ghee as your primary cooking fat and see if that helps. And live without coconut milk for a while. If the hives/rash disappears soon, I would probably test by eating coconut oil/coconut milk again to see if it comes back. The current problem might be something else and I would hate for you to eliminate coconut based upon a coincidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAK911 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 If the hives seem to be worsening at any point, it might be worth going to a clinic -- sometimes they escalate really quickly. Tom's idea about eliminating coconut for a few days and then bringing it back in to check sounds good, too. But, keep an eye on the hives; I've had a few allergy scares, myself, and it sounds like yours is under control, but it's something to keep an eye on. I hope it clears up quick -- hives are never fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn_124 Posted February 5, 2013 Author Share Posted February 5, 2013 Thank you for the replies. The hives were very localized (arms and lower legs) and never appeared on/near/in my mouth or anywhere on my torso (neck to navel) and they responded fairly quickly to an antihistamine. I am going to replace the coconut oil with ghee and see if that helps and avoid coconut milk. I am skeptical it's the coconut given my history eating it and other nuts, but this is the only way to tell! Thanks again for your suggestions and feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatork Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 I haven't had the same reaction (rash), but...my stomach gets kind of funky when I eat things with coconut milk or coconut flour or coconut cream. (Coconut oil I seem to be fine with, so weird.) Not sure if that helps...good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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