Allergies?

[BecauseICan]

Hello. Okay, I've just started raw food living and something is happening that I do not like!!!! :confused: My most favorite fruit in the world, the lovely luscious strawberry.........well, I've been living off of strawberry/banana/spinach smoothies and it's getting so that whenever I eat strawberries, my face breaks out in little spots and burns and itches!!! Have I maybe developed an allergy to my precious little strawberry friends from eating them often?????????????? What a TRAGEDY this would be if this is the case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I stopped eating them for about 3 days and no break outs ~ had a strawberry smoothie last night with only strawberries and a wee bit of water ~ just to see what would happen ~ almost immmediate break out. UGH!!! What do you all think? :rolleyes: :confused: :eek:

[Amberly]

Maybe you got hold of some acidic ones. :confused:

[aenea]

I can tell you that I also have some fruit allergies and it totally sucks. I do however still eat them if the reaction doesn't result in my throat closing off :)
Like for instance if I'm having a bad allergy day for sinus' grapes can irritate the roof of my mouth, but I eat them any ways and I see no adverse affects and the soreness doesn't last long. I'm not a Dr. by any means, but if there is no severe reactions I don't see why you couldn't still eat them. Another thing is that salsa will make my lips get a rash, but it goes away after a couple of hours and it doesn't do it all the time so I eat it any ways:) You may talk to a professional about it though just to see. GL!

[luckitri]

There is much that happens to our food that is not required to be listed. I am always suspicious when someone has an experience like yours. It could be a pesticide used on the produce that you buy. Perhaps it is some kind of chemical wash they put them through just to make sure they don't start manifesting maggots when they get in the store. I think that the only way you could know for sure is to find the strawberries from a different source - different grower - somehow find out exactly what chemicals are used in each growing area to be sure they are different. I don't know how to find this out. A cheaper way to test it would be to find some truly organic strawberries from a local grower and see if you still react.

[jaurequi]

They could be unripened, and you don't realize it. Similar occurrences with pineapple come to mind.

Also, are these organic? Berries are the most heavily sprayed crops and are generally listed at the top for "must-buy-organic" lists.

Your reaction could be from one of the hundreds of pesticides used; you'd probably not be able to locate which one.

If, in your area, you find it a problem with fresh strawberries, try frozen, organic.

Best,

[dreamrawalwz]

when my body was overloaded and toxic i was "allergic" to strawberries and pineapple and reacted just as you did. After a few months of avoiding the foods and detox I was able to eat them again without any problems.

[Nectarine]

It sounds like the strawberries you ate were sprayed with some noxious chemical your body has never come into contact with...at least not as a result of eating your favourite fruit. Strawberries are notorious in this regard, as are grapes. Try eating only the organic variety from a reputable and trustworthy source.

[christiahall]

I think dreamrawalwz had a good point. Its possible that you have a slight allergy to them which is being aggrevated by the toxins that are being released from your body. Give it a few months and try again. Also, it would be hard to know if you were allergic to them before since your body had to react to harder problems when you were eating them with something like say, wheat or sugar.

[Lauraw]

All great responses. Could be pesticides. I've heard that strawberries have the highest water count among berries and can soak up LOTS of the toxic stuff. Best to invest in organic. (PLus they taste so much better!)

Still, my little brother loved strawberries as a kid. Ate a lot of them. Developed an allergic reaction much like yours.

You mght trying laying off for a few months then GRADUALLY reintroducing organic strawberries into your diet. Til then, other great fruit for your smoothies:

Pears (makes the smoothie smoother!)
Peaches
Blueberries

I add a little raw beet to my smoothies for a gorgeous ruby red color and beet-sweetness. The beet greens are good in there, too. A bit of raw ginger is great, too, for zip.

[BecauseICan]

Thanks for all of the replies. The strawberries were frozen ones (can't get fresh right now) and they were NOT organic. So, all of your responses could absolutely be correct. I'll lay off the strawberries for awhile and then add them back in as I can purchase organic ones. Thanks!! :D