Why would raspberries, blackberries and avocados make me ill

[bp1234]

Let me first say I am not a raw foodie but I have found some interesting information on this forum so I thought I would ask here and see if any of you might know the answer to this question.

Over the past several years I have noticed an intolerance for certain foods in my system. Generally speaking they make me ill to my stomach cause severe cramping and pain. This has happened with bananas, avocados and blackberries (all of which I now avoid like the plague). This morning for the first time ever raspberries reared their ugly head and turned my stomach upside down causing not only severe stomach distress but throwing up as well.

Would anyone here know what on earth might be causing this. I love fruit but if this continues in this pattern soon I will become a non fruit eater.

Any information or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
B

[drraw]

Are you eating organic produce?

--drraw

[Aleesha Sattva]

candida issues?

[MysticTree]

I can't think why you'd get those symptoms from such innocuous foods.

I would suggest you don't eat them - obviously - then gradually switch to a raw diet most especially cutting out dairy and wheat products and then after being raw for a while and giving your body time to heal you could try slowly introducing these fruits back into your diet. Maybe that will work or maybe you must stay off them forever. I hope not because they are such tasty foods.

If you stay with the cooked foods then maybe you are risking a future of more allergies to foods you really want to eat - in your case fruits.

Let us know how you get on.

[Raw Angel Mom]

Berries content too much pesticide if they aren't organic. Banana,mango and some other fruit could be ok.

I have heard of this, for people having intolerance with berries but not with avocado. I have heard also, people who had intolerance with some fruits are now ok.

If you have those problems, this tell you that you need to seriously consider going 100% raw food and doing detox to restore your digestion system etc.....

Start with produce that your body is ok with. Right now, your body doesn't want those berries then don't.

Did you eat them after a meal? They have to be eaten on an empty stomach always, every fruits has to be eaten on an empty stomach.

Berries are very purging, meaning, they will removed toxin out. So maybe also your body isn't ready for them. Again, start with the food that your body can handle and serious consider to ditch anything that make you ill such dairies, process food, sugar beverage, substance, etc.....

All the best!

[wannabehealthy]

^^^wow, great response! thank you!

[pixie_333]

If you're allergic to asprin then various fruits including blackberries and rasberries can cause an upset stomach regardless if organic because some fruits contain a natural version of asprin. Also, if you are on any type of medication some fruits can create a side effect.

Avocado.. you may just be simply allergic to or perhaps the oil/fat content upsets your stomach. Perhaps your flora is damaged in your stomach. Taking pro-biotics can help to heal.

If I were you and you know of any health issue concerns or facts with your body.. just research online or get tested.

[Charybdisjim]

Salicylate intolerance, as mentioned above, could produce a reaction for all the foods mentioned above. I was suprised by the inclusion of Avacado, but those too are relatively high in salicylate content. Allergy rather than digestive intolerance tends to be more common though so it is possible that other forms of digestive intolerance could also be possible in some combination - or in combination with salicylate intolerance. Salicylate intolerance does seem to be the best single explanation though and probably the most likely.

It is possible that the reaction to bananas and avacados are at least partly being caused by a vaso-active amines intolerance while the reaction to the berries is being caused by a seperate food intolerance. The symptoms described would be more commonly consistent with a vaso-active amines intolerance than a salicylate intolerance (though this is still not unheard of.) It is possible though to have both. If your reaction to avacado and banana had always been more noticeable then this would perhaps indicate you were intolerant to both salicylate and seratonin but had a much stronger reaction to the latter.

The foods that you list make it extremely unlikely that you have an intolerance to fructose since some of the ones you list are some of the most recommended fruits for those suffering such an intolerance. This sort of intolerance is generally in the form of an inborn error of metabolism which is mitigated by eating foods which do not contain an excessively high ratio of the offending carbohydrate to other forms. It does not rule out a rare digestive intolerance to sorbitol or fiber which can produce reactions even when the ratio is not very high, but if this was the case you would be experiencing far stronger reactions to common foods which you did not list.

Plums, pineapples, and oranges all have varying levels of animes and also contain high levels of salicylate. If you are intolerant of these fruits as well then this supports the idea of both or either intolerance. If you are able to stomach one or more of those other fruits just fine though, this makes it far more likely that you are intolerant of one specific kind of several active amines rather than just salicylate. Salicylate is rather invariant in composition while active amines include chemically distinct compounds such as histamine, phenyl-ethylamine, serotonin, tyramine and dopamine. Serotonin for example is higher in bananas and avacado than in pineapple, oranges, or plums and so tolerance of the latter would suggest a specific serotonin intolerance and also possibly that the berry intolerance was caused by something else. Salicylate concentration does vary from food to food though, so you may simply not eat enough of those other candidates to notice.

Based on the more recent reaction to raspberries I think that a strong active amine intolerance (specifically likely would be serotonin) combined with a milder but increasing intolerance to salicylate is certainly possible. Aspirin intolerance would be the simplest confirmatory evidence of salicylate intolerance combined with your list of foods. Comparatively, your salicylate intolerance would most likely be relatively mild if you can tolerate plums and pineapples as those are among the most well known offenders for those with this intolerance.


If it is a salicylate intolerance - in part or in whole

If part or all of your reactions are caused by salicylate intolerance then you could avoid symptoms by avoiding those foods though you may also be able to reduce your sensitivity. Due to your lack of anaphalaxis-related symptoms and potentially moderate/mild level of intolerance, you may be able to see success with aspirin or salicylate desensitization therapy with relatively few risks. Since aspirin intolerance can be a significant negative influence in survival rates for heart attacks, this may be a desirable solution for more reasons than just being able to eat certain foods. There are risks however and desensitization therapy should not be undertaken without medical supervision. The recent reaction to raspberries further suggests against unsupervised desensitization as it is possible that this indicates you would be more likely to see increased rather than decreased sensitivity with exposure and therefore could potentially be more at risk.

Bottom line then is avoiding foods high in salicylate will avoid the symptoms while limiting, potentially significantly, your dietary choices. Desensitization therapy may reduce your sensitivity and allow you to tolerate some foods you previously couldn't as well as to tolerate aspirin; at the same time there are small risks of significant problems when beginning a desensitization regimen and it may not work at all. Avoidance however will work. If you only avoid the salicylate-rich foods currently known to bother you though you are more likely to have to add additional foods to your list as time goes on. This is because infrequent exposure to varying levels of salicylate is more likely to result in increased sensitivity as opposed to regular exposure to steadily increasing amounts which is more likely to produce desensitization (though sensitization and desensitization are possible in either case, the statistical correlation is clear.)

If it is in-part caused by vasoactive amine intolerance

If it is caused by an intolerance to certain active amines then the only solution is to avoid the foods high in those particular active amines. Raw vegan foods high in active amines include avocado, banana, plum, orange, pineapple, and wine. Which of these you may or may not tolerate would depend on which vasoactive amines you are most strongly reacting to.

The most effective test for intolerance in this case is trying the food so this list really only gives you an idea of what foods you MIGHT be more likely to react to. It is advisable to avoid any of these foods if you haven even a mild reaction to them though as the degenerative effects of long-term repeated exposure outweighs the potential desirability of a greater dietary options. Desensitization therapy in this case is less studied and may not have a significant chance of success.

Specific carbohydrate intolerance

Very unlikely in your case, but can be tested for with hydrogen breath tests if you would like to rule this out as a possibility as remote as it is (there are ones for fructose and sorbitol as well as several others.) If this were the case then knowing which carbohydrate was responsible would tell you which foods to avoid. In the unlikely event of this being the culprit, managing your diet is the best and only solution demonstrated to be effective but will prevent all symptoms and health effects.

In short

The most likely culprit is salicylate intolerance - simplest explanation which fits all symptoms and reactions to the list you provided. If you can tolerate certain high salicylate foods (plums and pineapples for example) then the more complicated explanation of strong vasoactive amine intolerance and weaker salicylate intolerance would be the next most likely cause. Avoidance is the simplest solution in any case, though with a straight salicylate intolerance desensitization may be worth considering though with uncertain results.

[walnutty]

If you are not used to raw fruit and vegetable fiber it can cause quite severe digestive issues.