The fruit, not the bird or the shoe polish.
Whenever I eat them, my mouth gets a little tingly, I can taste sourness in my jaw, and my mouth salivates a lot. It goes away after a few minutes but I wonder if maybe I am mildly allergic to them?
-foxy
The same thing happens to me. I always thought it was just what kiwis did.
I haven’t heard that it happens to anyone else. I think maybe it’s a slight allergy, I’ve heard some people have had the same reaction to celery.
-foxy
Are you eating them while they’re firm? Try letting them get soft, like the texture of a ripe peach. Underripe fruit can be puckery, and not very palatable. You might consider peeling them, I prefer them that way,although the skin is edible. The tiny hairs on the skin may be causing this temporary condition. Perhaps you may be ingesting chemical sprays used to prolong shelf life, wash them thoroughly with a drop of dish soap and warm water. The wet peel goes down easier as well, because you don’t notice the hairs so much. Be a shame to give up such a tasty and nutrient-packed food.
Kiwis are known to cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies. Here is more info:
LOL. Someone at work mentioned taking her son to an allergist and finding out that he was allergic to avocado. He’s also got seasonal allergies.
I’ve got pretty severe seasonal allergies. It never occured to me that I might also be allergic to foods and other things. (Duh.)
Anyway, I said the exact same thing to her when she said her son complained that avocado hurt his throat. Avocado makes the back of my mouth and throat itch like crazy.
I always thought it was just what avocados do.
Doesn’t matter to me. I love the taste too much to stop eating them.
I’m allergic to kiwis, too, although very mild. And it’s the same reaction I get to shellfish, funny enough.
No, I always eat them soft and never eat the skin. I usually slice them in half to make two little bowls and scoop the fruit out with a spoon. They are always ripe and not too mushy. I thought that’s what kiwis did too, it was never terribly discomforting, just mildly annoying for about 20 minutes after I eat them.
BTW, I don’t have any other food allergies that I know of.
-foxy
Heh, isn’t that the point of kiwis? I love the tingly feeling. I get it too eating pineapple.
Is anyone else reminded of that Bloom County cartoon where Opus calls 911 after eating an underripe banana?
Yes, it is very likely an allergy.
Kiwis are related to ragweed, as are strawberries. If you are allergic to ragweed, be very careful around kiwis and strawberries.
psycat90, you’d better stop eating avocados right away, no matter how good they taste. That type of reaction can literally turn into anaphylactic shock overnight. It happened to my mom with peanuts - one day she ate some and her mouth got tingly, the day after she had some more and her lips swelled up. She went to the allergist, who told her that the next time she ate peanuts, the resulting reaction could very well close up her airway. And you don’t want that happening.
I’ve had allergies requiring shots since I was a year old, so I know this stuff. You should see an allergist and get tested for other sensitivities. And seriously, don’t eat any more avocados.
Lady Mung and I were cutting up avocados to put on ice cream this past semester. She popped a slice in her mouth and about ten minutes later she felt her lips and cheeks swelling. It was visibly noticeable. We ended up at the hospital getting her a couple of shots.
Oddly enough, kiwi reactions are apparently more common in young children than adults. But she had eaten kiwi as a kid without any negative reaction (or so she claims…it’s possible but I would bet she had the tingly mouth sensation and doesn’t remember). Strange circumstance.
Seems that you might be. From this link and others that I looked at, you are also likely to be sensitive to birch and latex, if indeed you are allergic to kiwi.
“Chinese gooseberries” dammit.
I refuse to call those fuzzy little things by the name a marketing board developed.
(Old fart and proud of it. Wait until you hear me on a subject that actually merits an opinion…)
Is it possible that your reaction might be due to the same enzyme that makes kiwi unusable in making jello? Seems like something that attacks protein might cause the symptoms you describe. IANAD etc.
I actually had the same thought and spent about 1/2 an hour searching google for papain or bromelain allergys without much luck. Ironically enough, bromelain is a common anti-allery remedy.
From what I can see, an allergy to [Chinese Gooseberries] would indicate a cross-reaction to another allergen, birch, ragweed, latex, etc. But I don’t have any other known allergies, and I have encountered all of the above. I don’t know if there is a specific enzyme or protein that CGs have that I have a funky reaction to. Maybe I should go to an allergist to seeif there’s a connection between this and something else I should watch out for.
-foxy
Ummm, is that good? :dubious:
Yeah, but that’s an old marketing name. I’m quite happy to call them kiwifruit (not just “kiwi” by the way, that’s a bird*) but refuse to call them Zespri!
*Yeah, I know. The name “kiwi” has stuck in North America, could be quite confusing though, One eats kiwifruit, one does not eat kiwis.
I dunno. Maybe braised, like a woodcock. They look plump and yummy…