It Sucks to Have Allergies

There is an increase in the number of people in North America with food allergies. I developed allergies to all fresh fruit a little over a decade ago. When I tell people that I am allergic to all fresh fruit (and I literally mean ALL fresh fruit, even the weird, imported fruit from China Town), the first reaction I get is "What? Seriously? That's impossible! You must have it wrong. You should research that a bit more." I use to think that I was a strange creature. I feared that I would eventually develop Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. I felt like an outcast, and no one could explain what was wrong with me. They didn't know what specific protein it was that was causing the allergic reaction. The allergy specialist that I had gone to see said that I was maybe experiencing an allergic reaction to pesticides used on all fresh fruits and vegetables (this was at a time when organic foods were really expensive, and not readily available). But how does one explain how I was only allergic to fresh fruit, not fresh, raw vegetables?

This summer I bit into an apple for the first time in a decade. Since the allergy specialist said that I was "maybe" allergic to pesticides, I thought, well why don't I try organic fruit? I walked into the local Metro with a huge grin, I was about to bite into an apple (one of my favourite fruits). Long story short, I was disappointed. My third bite in, my throat was already starting to get itchy. I'm not anaphylactic, my throat becomes itchy and begins to swell a little bit, but it's the first fresh apple that I've eaten in a decade, so I'm desperate and so I continue to eat my apple. I feel uncomfortable for a few hours after eating my apple, but it was well worth it.

The frustrating thing with food allergies is that there is so little research being done on this topic. Even with the increase of food allergies, there is little literature out there about the possible causes and cures. Fresh fruit allergies seem unusual, however it is becoming more common. In the past 4 years I have met 5 people with fresh fruit allergies. The alarming thing is that most people that I have met who have fresh fruit allergies have grown into them. Usually if a child has food allergies when they are younger, there is a probability that they will grow out of them. Those who develop allergies later in life tend to stay allergic to those foods for the remainder of their life.

While I have noticed that food companies and public institutions have addressed the recent rise in allergies, especially peanut allergies, there needs to be more awareness about other food allergies that could become dietary concerns for the North American population. I am waiting for the day when I can tell someone that I am allergic to all fresh fruit, and have them not give me a snarky comment about how I need to do more research because "It's impossible to be allergic to all fresh fruit", because really, I've been living with these allergies for a little over a decade. I think I should know what I am, and am not allergic to.