Jessica Reuling has been a freelance writer since 2004. Avoid contact. People suffering from allergies to pollen and other forms of weeds have to worry about more than just the air that they breathe. How close you live to a tree makes a big difference. OAS is a cross-reaction that can occur when someone who is allergic to tree pollen eats certain fruits, vegetables, nuts or beans and has an allergic response. For people who experience what's called "oral allergy syndrome" (OAS; also referred to as "food-pollen allergy syndrome" and "fruit-pollen syndrome"), the following symptoms may occur after eating the offending food: “[OAS] may affect up to 5 percent of the population, and is clearly more prevalent among those with seasonal pollen allergies, specifically those who have an allergic sensitivity to tree, weed and/or grass pollen,” Clifford Bassett, MD, founder and medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, and assistant clinical professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine, told Reader's Digest. If you suffer from seasonal allergies and want to take additional steps to help manage your symptoms, consider avoiding these foods during peak allergy season. Testing can help your healthcare professional determine whatâs behind the endless sneezing and sniffles, so donât try to manage the problem on your own. Inhaling even small amounts can trigger allergy symptoms. Drink plenty of water, exercise daily, get at least 7 hours of sleep a night and supplement with anti-oxidants (under the care of a doctor or nutritionist). Should Allergies Keep Your Child at Home. Common tree pollen allergy symptoms can include: And if youâre allergic to tree pollen, inhaling it can also increase asthmatic reactions.1. Treat it. Honey, camomile tea, and health food. It is commonly thought that hay fever is only a problem in late Spring or the summer months, when the sun is shining, and people are out and about in the great outdoors more. If you have severe pollen allergies and are experiencing similar symptoms after eating certain foods, don’t wait another day, call the allergists at Asthma and Allergy Associates in Colorado Springs, Pueblo and Canon City NOW! See which foods to avoid. Warm, windy days. Certain fruits and vegetables. It's often characterized by burning and itching around the lips, mouth and throat, and additional symptoms include: Upon touching a food trigger, you may experience a rash, itch or swelling on your skin. And itâs not just about the trees in your yard. Home » Blog » Foods To Avoid If You Have Pollen Allergies. August 30, 2013 by Asthma & Allergy Associates, P.C. Cooked forms of the foods don’t often cause the same issue. Tree pollen is a common allergy trigger. Should a mistake be made that results in a reaction, then symptoms will appear almost immediately. The problem still lies in the pollen and not the food itself, however. This protein is good at fighting off pollen. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Oral Allergy Syndrome. Wind can carry it up to 500 miles. Other cross-reactive symptoms. Avoiding these foods may prevent these reactions. Most allergists would agree that OAS symptoms appear no more than half an hour after eating. Her areas of expertise include vegetable gardening, home decor, green living and yoga. Tree pollens, like grass and weed pollens, can travel far on windy days, so your reactions may not be because of the trees in your yard or neighborhood. Because of its microscopic size, it travels easily through the air. Once you do, you can figure out how to minimize your exposure to their pollen. Foods that often cross react with grass pollen are listed below. The weaker your immunity, the more likely your body will experience a cross reaction. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: Pollen Allergy. The fruits and vegetables to avoid depend on the related pollens; for example those with grass allergies should avoid celery while those with ragweed allergies should avoid zucchini. For many seasonal allergy sufferers, the ingestion and handling of certain foods also can instigate allergic reactions. The method of food preparation also has an impact: Raw and fresh fruits and vegetables tend to irritate whereas cooked fruits and vegetables may not. Nearly 70 percent of the people who suffer from general pollen allergies also experience the added complication of oral allergy syndromeas well, making it a very common concern. Symptoms associated with oral allergy symptom typically appear within a half an hour. Reuling earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. The immune system recognizes similar proteins found in these foods and causes an allergic reaction to it. Tree nuts are one of the most common food allergies, and as such, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires manufacturers selling foods in America to label foods containing tree nuts. Make these tweaks to your diet, home, and lifestyle. For those allergic to grass pollens, you’ll want to avoid: As noted above, foods that cause a pollen-like allergic reaction are usually fresh or raw. If you're allergic to weed pollens, specifically ragweed, the following foods may trigger OAS: If you eat something that triggers allergies, you'll notice symptoms almost immediately. Did you know that avoiding certain foods might relieve your allergy symptoms if you are allergic to grass pollen? The wind can carry them for miles. Cooking the food changes its composition, so it may also change the properties that trigger a reaction, making it edible and non-reactive for you. Quiz: Do You Know the Facts About Allergies? Learning if you have a specific tree pollen allergy, to birch or olive tree for example, is the first step to minimizing your symptoms. If you have a pollen allergy and go outside on a day when the pollen count is high, youâre likely to experience irritating symptoms like watery eyes or a runny nose. If weed pollen poses a specific threat, ragweeds in particular, then one should be careful to avoid bananas, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, and cantaloupe. When people allergic to grass pollen eat these foods during the pollen season (w… If you have a tree pollen allergy and have experienced an itchy mouth or throat after eating fresh fruit or raw vegetables, you may have Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS). Same thing with tomatoes: Freshly picked ones from the vine might cause an itchy throat, but tomato paste might not trigger a negative reaction. But flowering trees usually have bigger, stickier pollen that doesn't blow in the wind or cause symptoms. Because skins are believed to be more allergenic than other plant parts, peeling fruits and vegetables may prevent a reaction or reduce the reaction’s severity. Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes, Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats, Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts. They are there for you! Cross-Reactive Foods, Grass and Weed Pollen, The Association of Allergists and Immunologists of Quebec: Pollen-Food Syndrom, Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Oral Allergy Syndrome, American Academy of Family Physicians: Food Allergies, UCLA Food and Drug Allergy Care Center: Food Allergies, is an allergic reaction caused by certain fruit, which resemble the proteins of the pollens linked to hay fever.