Is Your Mouth Tingly After Eating an Apple? Do Your Ears Itch After Biting a Banana? Here's Why

Updated on 8/25/2018 at 2:10 PM

POPSUGAR Photography | Sheila Gim

Ever bite into a fresh peach or piece of melon and your mouth feels itchy, or your lips swell? It's not just in your head — it's called oral allergy syndrome (OAS). Also known as pollen-food allergy syndrome, it happens when you eat certain raw fruits, veggies, or nuts that contain cross-reacting allergens. If you suffer from seasonal allergies to birch, ragweed, grass, or mugwort pollen, your risk for OAS is increased. That's because your immune system can't tell the difference between pollen and the protein in certain trigger foods.

Aside from itching, tingling, or swelling around the lips, mouth, tongue, throat, or ears, other OAS symptoms include sneezing, nasal congestion, hives, dizziness, or diarrhea. Often symptoms are mild and show up immediately after eating the food, but reactions can take up to an hour. In some rare cases, shortness of breath or tightness in the throat can indicate a risk for anaphylaxis, similar to a peanut allergy. If you experience these life-threatening symptoms, call 911.

Here's a list of foods to watch out for. Note that OAS reactions can be worse if you consume these foods at the height of pollen season. You can avoid symptoms by simply avoiding your trigger foods, but you could also try peeling, cooking, or eating frozen versions.

It's also important to know that even if you do suffer from seasonal allergies to birch, ragweed, grass, or mugwort pollen, you could be totally fine eating these foods. If you've never had an issue, there's no need to avoid them. It is possible to develop OAS symptoms to foods that previously didn't cause issues, so just be aware if you notice any issues.

Apples

Apples are a trigger food for allergies to birch or mugwort pollen.

Cantaloupe

If you suffer from allergies to ragweed or grass pollen, eating cantaloupe could be a trigger food.

Peaches

Peaches can be a trigger food for birch or grass allergies.

Bananas

Bananas may be a trigger food for allergies to ragweed pollen, as well as latex.

Almonds

If you have a birch pollen allergy, almonds could trigger OAS symptoms.

Kiwi

Allergic to birch or mugwort pollen, or latex? Kiwis could pose an issue.

Peppers

Bell peppers and other types of peppers can cause a reaction if you have an allergy to mugwort or birch.

Carrots

If you have an allergy to birch or mugwort, carrots could be an issue.

Celery

Celery could be a potential trigger for oral allergy syndrome if you have a reaction to birch, grass, or mugwort.

Watermelon

Beware of watermelon if you have an allergy to ragweed or grass.

Zucchini

If you're allergic to ragweed, zucchini could be a trigger food.

Honeydew

If you have a ragweed or grass allergy, honeydew could trigger OAS symptoms.

Chamomile Tea

It may surprise you to know that drinking chamomile tea cold trigger OAS symptoms if you have a ragweed allergy.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds can cause an OAS reaction if you have an allergy to mugwort or ragweed pollen.

Cherries

Cherries are a potential trigger food for a birch allergy.

Oranges

Oranges may be off-limits if you have a grass allergy.

Plums

If you're allergic to birch pollen, zucchini could be a trigger food.

Cucumber

Oral allergy syndrome symptoms could be triggered by eating cucumbers if you have an allergy to ragweed pollen.

Tomatoes

Roma, cherry, beefsteak, and other varieties of tomatoes can cause an OAS reaction if you have an allergy to grass pollen. Fresh tomatoes might be the only ones to pose an issue; cooked in tomato sauce or ketchup may be fine!

Pears

Beware of pears if you have an allergy to birch pollen.