Who Knew? Strange Food Allergy

[HANNAH ROSE]

On Tuesday I made butternut squash for the baby. Really easy to bake, scoop, and freeze. Well I didn't want the leftovers to go to waste so I ate the remaining squash including the skin.

Well, the last 3 days my lips have been extremely chapped, almost raw. I thought it was my DH's need to have the ceiling fan on high AND a floor fan on at night so I've been coating my lips with Chapstick.

Last night I got to thinking... I can't wear lipstick for some reason and my lips feel the same way as when I wear lipstick: itchy and raw. So I looked it up and lo and behold:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_squash

"Butternut squash and Acorn squash have been known to cause an allergic reaction called Contact dermatitis in many individuals, especially in food preparation where the squash skin is cut and exposed to the epidermis. Food handlers and kitchen workers should take precautions to wear rubber or latex gloves when peeling butternut and acorn squash to avoid temporary Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) dermatitis. A contact dermatitis reaction to butternut or acorn squash may result in orange and cracked skin, a sensation of "tightness", "numbness", "roughness" or "rawness". Applying Cortisone cream to the affected area should stop the reaction within 24 hours."

So... no more squash skin for me!

[watson]

I love squash - in all it's many and varied forms. I never heard of such a thing! Thank you for posting that, very interesting.

[Citygirl]

I got chapped lips once..and I hadn't been anywhere near a squash skin.

[Bottrell]

I have never heard of eating acorn or butternut squash skin before. Zucchini, yellow crook neck etc the smaller thinner skinned squash yes but not the thicker skin squash. I have heard about people having a reaction on their hands while cutting acorn before just never from eating the skin. We always scoop it out and throw the skin away.:mellow:

[HANNAH ROSE]

I have never heard of eating acorn or butternut squash skin before. Zucchini, yellow crook neck etc the smaller thinner skinned squash yes but not the thicker skin squash. I have heard about people having a reaction on their hands while cutting acorn before just never from eating the skin. We always scoop it out and throw the skin away.:mellow:

I just had no idea that this was possible. I didn't think there could be any harm in eating the skin of a vegetable! Now I now. :wink:

[Pashie]

Oh my goodness! I have never heard of this allergy before! I just started eating squash recently...made some butternut with sauteed onions...I had no idea the skin could do that! glad I didn't eat it! but it's too thick and waxy like for me.

How did you guess it was the squash that did it?

[HANNAH ROSE]

Oh my goodness! I have never heard of this allergy before! I just started eating squash recently...made some butternut with sauteed onions...I had no idea the skin could do that! glad I didn't eat it! but it's too thick and waxy like for me.

How did you guess it was the squash that did it?

Since I'm making my own baby food I need to watch William for allergic reactions. So with my lips becoming so irritated I traced back through the week for anything different and the only thing was the squash so I researched it this morning and there it was!

This is what dermatologists and doctors will ask you to do anyway is ask if there was anything different in what you ate or used in the house like a different laundry soap, shampoo, face wash.. food!

[Pashie]

Since I'm making my own baby food I need to watch William for allergic reactions. So with my lips becoming so irritated I traced back through the week for anything different and the only thing was the squash so I researched it this morning and there it was!

This is what dermatologists and doctors will ask you to do anyway is ask if there was anything different in what you ate or used in the house like a different laundry soap, shampoo, face wash.. food!
Making your own baby food must be a lot of work. You are a better woman than I am LOL But back when mine was a baby, I was working 40 hours, so I didn't have the time to do all that.

I am glad that William did not get any of that skin, and did not get a reaction from it! It's so much worse when it's your baby!!

[HANNAH ROSE]

Making your own baby food must be a lot of work. You are a better woman than I am LOL But back when mine was a baby, I was working 40 hours, so I didn't have the time to do all that.

I am glad that William did not get any of that skin, and did not get a reaction from it! It's so much worse when it's your baby!!

Actually it's REALLY easy. Everything so far is just steamed, aside from the squash, and then pureed. Put it in ice cube trays and voila! I usually make it all on a Sunday and it lasts all week. Even when Iwas working 40 hours a week and commuting it was already done for his grandma to heat up for him. Two cubes is a serving and it's just microwaved for 45 seconds.

I know there's organic/all natural baby food but in order to jar it it has to be super-heated which kills nutrients so... I also didn't nurse him so this makes me feel a bit better. :thumbsup:

[BorderCollieMom]

For most of my life, my parents thought me & my sis were CRAZY when we would mention that some foods made our mouths tingle & itch really bad. . . mostly melons.

Years later, enter the "WWW." and me & sis figured it out !


Entire short article is very interesting.
http://www.aanma.org/2009/02/oral-allergy-syndrome/

Oral Allergy Syndrome is particularly common among people allergic to ragweed – some 36 million people in the U.S. – but it also affects people with other allergies. Researchers have identified specific foods that relate to birch, grasses and ragweed.

Birch pollen: almond, apple, carrot, celery, cherry, hazelnut, kiwi, peach, pear, plum, potato, pumpkin seed

Grass pollen: kiwi, melon, peach, tomato

Ragweed pollen: banana, chamomile, cucumber, echinacea, melon (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew), sunflower seed, zucchini

[Jayne]

WOW. I love the information I can glean from here. Thanks to all!


Another strange allergy:

I have allergies, mostly to bee stings, mold, etc. and as I get older, more seem to "crop up" (pun intended!). One that hit me, unbeknownst, several years ago..Cilantro (I react just like to bee stings..anaphylaxis). It's considered a mild herb, I guess - like parsley, but it will do a doozie if I eat even a little. As for Salsa, I read every label..and if it doesn't include "cilantro", I have figured - it isn't in there - Wrong. A few years after I knew of the allergy and was always careful, I was eating salad at a friend's home..with a dressing on it. I forget the "flavour" but would never even think cilantro was in the ingredients. Two bites and breathing became difficult, scratchy throat, got dizzy, etc. In "small print" on the back..one of the ingredients was "cilantro". Just adding this so anyone who has had "weird" reactions from salsa and other things, maybe consider this weird allergy. Coriander is from the same plant..so avoid that as well, if you get those reactions from cilantro. It's difficult to avoid..restaurants use it (I always ask..and usually the waiter/waitress has to ask the cook), most packaged/bottled sauces, especially mexican food and indian food (I didn't know that..but researched it), have it in even if not labelled on the ingredients.

just wanted to mention this..although not about squash - and not trying to divert this thread..since this Allergy took me entirely by surprise, and I don't know how Common it is..but it hit me like a Brick. I'd have never thought eating the Skin of a vegetable would be a problem either. Grandma used to "pickle" watermelon rind.

jmo

j

[Patriot]

On Tuesday I made butternut squash for the baby. Really easy to bake, scoop, and freeze. Well I didn't want the leftovers to go to waste so I ate the remaining squash including the skin.

Well, the last 3 days my lips have been extremely chapped, almost raw. I thought it was my DH's need to have the ceiling fan on high AND a floor fan on at night so I've been coating my lips with Chapstick.

Last night I got to thinking... I can't wear lipstick for some reason and my lips feel the same way as when I wear lipstick: itchy and raw. So I looked it up and lo and behold:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butternut_squash

"Butternut squash and Acorn squash have been known to cause an allergic reaction called Contact dermatitis in many individuals, especially in food preparation where the squash skin is cut and exposed to the epidermis. Food handlers and kitchen workers should take precautions to wear rubber or latex gloves when peeling butternut and acorn squash to avoid temporary Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) dermatitis. A contact dermatitis reaction to butternut or acorn squash may result in orange and cracked skin, a sensation of "tightness", "numbness", "roughness" or "rawness". Applying Cortisone cream to the affected area should stop the reaction within 24 hours."

So... no more squash skin for me!

Thanks so much for posting this because I love butternut squash. I've never eaten the skin but wouldn't really think much of doing so, so now I know not to. And it's the season for it - you can get it much cheaper at the farmer's market than at the grocery store now.

Wanted to say also - I always made my own baby food because I didn't want to pay all that money to the baby food companies when I could do it so easily myself and save all that money. A blender sat on our countertop while my kids were babies and pretty much anything we ate could just go in the blender for them. I used the ice cube trays too. :thumbup:

[camracrazy]

My oldest DD once got a rash around her mouth that almost looked like a burn. My mom (who she was with) brought her to the Dr's office where I worked. One of the Dr's asked what she had eaten that day and my mom mentioned giving her ranch dressing with some veggies. He said that ranch dressing can cause a reaction like that in some people. Who knew? I don't like ranch so I had never fed it to her.

[AlohaRainbow]

some of the popular fruits in hawaii that many develop oral allergy syndrome with are passion fruit, papaya, pineapple, mango, jackfruit and kiwi