Food allergy question

Has anyone experienced sneezing and nasal congestion due to a food allergy?

I did a food allergy test recently with Newman's Own pepperoni pizza, because in the past I experienced a combination of hives and dermatographia several hours after eating it. I can eat Newman's Own four cheese pizza with no problems. So I focused my test on the pepperoni.

I took the pizza out of the package, moved all the pepperoni onto one half of it, cooked it and ate the half with the pepperoni. (I started by eating just one slice of pepperoni to rule out any immediate severe reaction to it.) I put the other pepperoni-less half in the refrigerator.

About 45 minutes later, I had a big sneezing fit, with many many sneezes. I didn't sneeze after that, but was congested for more than 12 hours.

About 7 or 8 hours after eating the pizza, I started to have some mild itching symptoms, similar to the dermatographia I've had in the past but not as bad. That lasted on and off through the next day.

Two days later I ate the other half of the pizza, without the pepperoni. I was fine afterwards, no itching, no sneezing, no congestion.

I tend to think that I did have an allergic reaction, though it was milder than the one I'd had in the past. All in all the test is not as conclusive as I'd like.

I haven't noticed any problems eating other pepperoni, but Newman's Own is different. Here are the ingredients:

Uncured pepperoni no nitrate or nitrite added except that which naturally occurs in sea salt and celery juice concentrate (pork and beef, sea salt, natural spices, evaporated cane juice, lactic acid starter culture, natural flavorings [including celery juice concentrate], oleoresin of paprika).

All the other ingredients for the pepperoni pizza are the same as those of the four cheese variety, except the pepperoni also lists parsley.

As I recall, you are allergic to sea salt, right?

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Originally Posted by tulip

As I recall, you are allergic to sea salt, right?

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Well, I did think that for a while, but the allergist says it's not possible.

I've had enough weird allergic reactions to say anything is possible. No doctor will confirm it, and it's often subtle, so I either avoid things or take a Clartin.
This happens more when I'm in a "reactive" state, as in now. I had an allergy based sinus infection, which just puts my whole body on high alert. I could sneeze, get hives, headache. Eventually, it stops and I go back to normal.

Remember that your total allergic load will increase your reactivity to everything. Weed pollens have been through the roof lately, with an occasional rain for relief. I don't typically get sneezing from foods themselves - though I do get massively congested, more so from foods than from inhalants. But if I eat something I'm allergic to when the pollen is high, that will definitely get me to sneezing.

I get sneezy/congested and my eyes get really itchy when I drink some kinds of beer. I don't know if it's the yeast, the type of hops, or something else entirely (it seems to happen more frequently with IPAs, but only some of them). If I've been taking allergra it isn't so bad.

My allergies (seasonal, not food) have all but disappeared since I started taking quercetin. It's a supplement available at health food stores. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and allergies have been tied to the body's inflammatory response in the literature I've read. Perhaps that's something that will help your allergies.

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Originally Posted by tulip

My allergies (seasonal, not food) have all but disappeared since I started taking quercetin. It's a supplement available at health food stores. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and allergies have been tied to the body's inflammatory response in the literature I've read. Perhaps that's something that will help your allergies.

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I want that!
I think taking Claritin made my tachycardia worse, so now I'm just congested.