<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi All--

Several months ago, I asked if anyone on the list knew of any pollens or environmental allergens that cross reacted to foods. The reason for my question was that I experienced symptoms in the spring that were identical to my having ingested gluten when, in fact, I'd been strictly gluten free. All of the responses I received indicated no known pollen cross reactivity to grains.

A couple of weeks ago, I ran across the following information on About.com. It's not  Medscape or NIH, but then I've gotten really bad information from doctors, so anyone interested can judge for themselves. I'm not a physician and don't pass this on as medical advice - just thought it was interesting and that others might, too. Being allergic to ragweed, I know that eating melons triggers my asthma, so perhaps this is at least something worth keeping in mind. Unfortunately, I've never been tested for an allergy to birch, but I am allergic to grass.

Listed below are common pollens and some of the cross-reactive foods associated with them:

Alder Pollen - almonds, apples, celery, cherries, hazel nuts, parsley, peaches and pears.

Birch Pollen - almonds, apples, apricots, buckwheat, carrots, celery, cherries, coriander, fennel, hazel nuts, honey, kiwi, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, pears, peaches, peanuts, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, spinach, walnuts and WHEAT.

Grass Pollen - melons, oranges, swiss chard, tomatoes, watermelons and WHEAT.

Mugwort Pollen - carrots, celery, coriander, fennel, melons, parsley, peppers, spices, sunflower and watermelons.

Ragweed Pollen - apples, bananas, cantaloupes, chamomile tea, honey, honeydews, nuts, sunflower seeds and watermelons.

Cheers,
Ayn in Alabama




---------------------------------
 Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page

* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *