Bite into a slice of cantaloupe in late summer and feel your mouth tingle? It may not be the fruit so much as the pollen. In a quirk called oral allergy syndrome, the immune system of someone with a pollen allergy mistakes certain raw fruits and vegetables for the pollen itself, because their proteins look nearly identical. The result is an itchy or tingly mouth, lips, or throat that fades within minutes. Ragweed, the big August allergen, cross-reacts with a telltale group of foods: banana, cucumber, melon, and zucchini, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The fix is simple, since heat breaks down the troublesome proteins — cooked or canned versions cause no trouble, only raw. Reactions are usually mild, but any swelling of the throat should be treated as a true allergy.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.