"Allergic" Citrus???

shgadwa

It is my personal belief that there is no such thing as you being allergic to what is very good for you. The kids here get “reactions” to citrus such as oranges and grapefruits. These fruits are VERY good for them and I know their body needs it. Yet my mom says that they should have much less of it because of hives and all that other stuff they get. I say that their body desperately needs its nutrients that citrus has to offer but that they cannot digest it as well. What do you all think? They should take little and then gradually start taking more until their body beats it out?

Belisarius

You make an interesting point, but I’d personally be careful if a food is actually giving your children hives & other symptoms. Perhaps just leave off them for a few months, then try intoducing them later? They can get comparable nutrients from other raw food (e.g. red bell peppers are VERY rich in vitamin C),

justagirl

I think it depends on what type of diet the kids have in the first place. If it is cooked foods, then the body could be off balance and that could cause allergies to other “good” foods. I found that i was allergic to bananas, until I first went vegetarian, and then secondly, went raw. Now I have no stomach pains, no sickness from bananas. Bringing the body into balance with raw food first (and leaving out the citrus) might at a later date cause the body to not reject the citrus fruits. Also, make sure the citrus is completely organic. It could be that they are reacting to something sprayed on the fruit or in the fruit from chemicals. Most allergies seem to be from certain enzymes in foods, and usually stem from not eating a healthy diet. The problem is having those enzymes (no matter how good they are for us) react with other foods we eat which might not be good for us.

envirogenny

Are the oranges organic or not? If they are organic they they will not have any harmful pestisides etc on them, this may make a difference it an allergic reaction or not. I believe as well that you cannot be allergic to something that is good for you. Another reason the reaction could be occurring is because it is a “combination allergy”. So they need to be eating both citrus and one other food item/environmental factor together to get the allergy, howerver, without both together you can less of an allergy to it or none. For instance I am allergic to wheat (I eat gluten-free) and I am allergic to sulfates, both allergies are MUCH worse during winter conditions. I’m not 100 percent raw, however, I realize both of these aren’t consumed in a raw diet.