Food Allergies

[RedCherry]

Originally Posted by emmanuelle

I'm fortunate in that I have no allergies whatsoever, other than your usual poison ivy type.

You might want to be careful if you handle mangos. I helped a friend make mango chutney one time, and I knew mangos kinda made my skin itch, so I wore gloves to peel them. Unfortunately, it was real hot, and I kept wiping sweat off my face, or getting my hair out of my face with the back of my hand...that had mango sap on it.

I woke up a day or two later with my eyes almost swollen shut, my face swollen, and a bad rash on my face. I went to the DR. and was looking at me, questioning me, and finally said, "I wish I knew if you reacted to poison ivy." (Since this was Hawaii, and there is no posion ivy there). I said, yes, I grew up in Michigan and had bad reaction to it.

She told me it was the mango sap. Apparently, they are in the same family as poison ivy. Go figure. So I can eat the fruit, but I can't touch the sap, or breath in the pollen. I ended up having to take allergy pills after that because my hay fever got so bad after that reaction. Thank GOD mangos don't grow here. I've been healthier since I moved here than any other time in my life.