It was a sad day when I realized I could never eat cantaloupe again. I’ll never forget the first time I ate it . . . But, am I allergic to cantaloupe? Well, no, not exactly.

I was probably seven or eight the first time I tried cantaloupe. It was an amazing victory that my parents convinced me to try it, because I was pretty stubborn about not trying new things.

I. Loved. It.

And from then on, it was part of every fruit salad we ever had. Until . . .

It was a tragic day. I started noticing irritation in my throat every time I took a bite – just one bite! – of cantaloupe. Finally, we looked it up. Turns out, I had another form of food allergies called Oral Allergy Syndrome. Because certain raw fruits and vegetables contain cross-reacting allergens found in certain pollens, and people who are sensitive to or allergic to those pollens may react to the corresponding foods.

And cantaloupe wasn’t the only trigger. I can no longer eat most citrus because of oral allergy syndrome.

Interestingly, the condition usually develops in teens and adults and rarely in young children. So when I fell in love with cantaloupe, we had just a few blissful years together. 😋

If you experience irritation in your throat or on your tongue after eating a melon or citrus or specific vegetables, you could be dealing with this allergy.

Citrus and cantaloupe, I bid you a very fond farewell.

However, don’t assume a recent reaction that resembled this description is oral allergy syndrome. If this type of irritation gets progressively worse, you could be looking at a more serious food allergy.

I’m going to go into more detail about this (as well as distinguishing between oral allergy syndrome and an anaphylaxis risk) in my next newsletter. So sign up today, because you do NOT want to miss that. Important information, people.

Have you experienced oral allergy syndrome? Do you love cantaloupe, too? 🙂 Tell me in the comments!