sudden celery allergy?

[adelai]

So I've had this problem a few time in the last couple weeks, and the only thing I can trace it to may be celery. A few minutes after eating something (each time something with celery in it I think, one time just celery on its own), my mouth will start burning, not intensely painful, but enough to be definitely uncomfortable, and I drink a ton of cool water because that's the only thing that makes it feel better, and in 10-15 minutes it does mostly go away. Is it possible for celery to cause this? Does anyone have any other ideas on things it might be?

I have been eating about 90% raw now for 6 weeks or so.

[rawstrength]

Cellery is a very hypoallergenic food. Not many folks are allergic to celery. However, conventional cellery is highly contaminated with pesticides, it is one of the worst foods in terms of pesticides that you can eat. You could definitely be reacting to the pesticides.
Also, with any green leafy vegetable or stalk (like celery) you can eat too much of it and have a reaction. You need to rotate your greens (switch up what you eat). Fortunately, there are tons of great ones to choose from.

[juliebove]

Now this is weird. I have had the same thing happen and I know it's not an allergy. The first time was when I was pregnant. We were living on Cape Cod and if organic foods were availble, they were not widely available there. At least I wasn't aware of them.

The celery I bought smelled strongly of maple syrup. I don't know why. I ate it plain and raw and it burned my tongue. Someone told me it must be the pesticide used on it. So I threw it out and never bought celery from that same store again.

Several years went by and I didn't have that problem during that time.

Then it happened again just last year. This was from celery that came in my organic produce box. So I know it wasn't pesticide. Once again, the celery smelled of maple syrup. It didn't taste good. It tasted bitter. The woman at my health food store where I get the boxes from thinks this farm doesn't grow the celery properly. However, it only happened that one time with their celery.

Then I picked up some organic celery at the grocery store not long ago and noticed the maple syrup odor. Oddly, my daughter couldn't smell it and neither could anyone else that I asked. Then once agin, the celery tasted bitter and burned my tongue.

Now I smell the celery before I buy it. If it smells of maple syrup, I don't buy it.

[Crazy Healer Lady]

A friend of mine got chemical burns all along his arm from celery at his workplace. I've never had a problem, but I have heard... It seems certain batches have this happening? Maybe something went awry where it was grown, or processed? It seems to be on the outside of the celery, even organic celery. I wonder, is even organic celery treated? Is this perhaps a defence mechanism in the plant?

[adelai]

Hmmm, that is interesting, thank you all for your comments. The celery I was eating was organic every time, and I've never noticed a maple syrup smell, but I will try smelling it (I still have the stuff that caused the reaction) and see if there's anything distinct about it to me.

Celery may be generally hypoallergenic, but I did some research and actually celery is right behind peanuts in causing severe allergic reactions in people:
"Celery is amongst a small group of foods (headed by peanuts) that appear to provoke the most severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)." - from Wikipedia.
They also said allergies are most common in Central Europe and that foods there have to be clearly labeled if they've contacted celery, just like peanuts here!

Anyway as you say rawstrength, there are many great greens out there, I am all right with living a life without celery, better to just not take chances.