Extra fruit portions...

Toonie

Hello, I've been trying to get extra fruit portions into my diet. I have a bit of a problem with some fruits, I am allergic to apple (oral allergy syndrome) and to various other fruits as well (kiwi, blueberries, pears, melon-apart from watermelon) so I was thinking of adding dried fruit to my breakfast routine (for instance dried apricots with my weetabix). So, if anyone has any suggestions for anything else to do (I remember once reading about a dried fruit salad which was soaked in tea, but not can't seem to find anything). I can eat apple and pear if its been cooked, but not raw.

Also, if anyone else has any other suggestions for other ways to get some fruits in I'd welcome them. I've found since I've had the problem (its developed over the last year) my energy levels have dropped, which I suspect is due to the lack of fruit.

piglet6

How about a baked apple - the apple would be cooked and you would also get the sultanas/currants in the middle?

Also, perhaps you could try and make smoothies - are you allergic to bananas or soft fruits such as raspberries/strawberries? Watermelon goes well in them because it adds the "liquid" part...

If you don't have a problem with dried fruit, maybe look at making some flapjack-style bars with added dried fruit in them (apricots, sultanas, etc).

Stewed fruit can be nice, too, and can be served with custard or yoghurt, or stirred through porridge for breakfast. It sounds like you could do stewed apple...could you do rhubarb for a change?!

Will have a think and try and come back with some more ideas...:D

Piglet

Toonie

Thanks piglet...I'm fine with soft fruits like banana and raspberries/strawberries. Also fine with citrus fruits and rhubarb. Do you have a recipe for baked apple?

odds-n-sods

For baked apple, just core the apple from the top - leave a little bit at teh bottom so nothign runs out and cut a line through teh skin around teh middle of the apple so it doesn't burst when it cooks. Mix sultanas/raisins with a little cinnamon and brown sugar, stuff it into the hole, and bake in a dish with 1" of water in it. Bake at 175' for 40 - 45 minutes or until the apple is soft.

YOu can mix dried fruit - apples, pears sultanas/raisins, apricots, dates, etc together, chop them up a little, and simmer them with a cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves and a star anise in water, juice or tea to cover until the fruit is soft. You might need to add more liquid. then puree half or all (then mix back together) and eat over icecream, cereal or porridge. It's very rich so you don't need too much!

Penny-Pincher!!

My OH doesnt like much fruit either and is allergic to some. He buys the fruits he can eat when reduced, chops them up and bags them in the freezer. He then puts them in the blender to make smoothies. He adds a few oats to it and juice too. They are lovely.

He does this with bananas, grapes, strawberries and some others which I cant remember..lol.

HTH

PP
xx

moanymoany

Toonie, is oral allergy syndrome itchy mouth, lips and eyes after eating certain fruits?

I developed that at the beginning of the menopause. It started with pears, then went to apples and has since moved onto other fruits as well. DH has since developed it. I didn't realise it had a technical name.

Sometimes I am ok if the fruit doesn't touch my lips. It's a b*gg*r isn't it?

Toonie

Yeah, thats the one MM, I have also once had constriction of the throat. This was a few weeks ago-I had eaten a few blueberries, as I'd eaten them before and never had a problem and my tongue started to swell, I felt dizzy and my throat felt so dry I couldn't talk. I was at work at the time (I'm a nanny) and rushed upstairs and took some of the kids piriton which eased the symptoms after 5-10 mins. I have only developed this problem over the last year, though have always had problems with melon. I also don't always have it. Sometimes I'm lucky and won't react, sometimes I do. Apparently it is linked to birch pollen hayfever, so if you find yourself with itchy eyes and a runny nose around April, thats also included.

The biggest problem I have is I adore fruit, it used to be the biggest part of my diet and I really miss not being able to grab an apple to have as a snack.

You can be tested for the problem, something I haven't done yet, but intend to, just in case there are any other fruits I have problems with. I've even had the problem once with a raw carrot....one of the few veggies I eat, so now will only have cooked carrot, or grated-I don't seem to have a problem then.

Thanks for the info on baked apples odds-n-sods, might try that for breakfast on Wednesday when I'm not at work. Also, the dried fruit and tea recipe as well, as I figure thats something I can do the night before I go to work.

PP-thanks for the smoothie idea, I hadn't thought of that, but will definitely check out the reduced fruit next time, and also when I'm next at the market as there are always bargains on grapes and bananas.

catznine

So glad to find this thread as dd has Oral Allegy Syndrome and after being allergic to apples,pears and cherries has just phoned up to say she has now had a reaction to apricots!:eek: Luckily she had her anti histamine tablets with her and also her epi pens.

It is getting to be a bit of a challenge for her to find fruit she can eat and likes. I hadn't thought about using dried fruit though, thanks for that! :T I gather that it is the protein in the fruits that cause the allergy and processing them by cooking, freezing and possibly drying breaks down the proteins and makes the fruit safer.

Ben84

A 200ml glass of fruit juice can count as one of your five a day, which seems like an easy one.

As for eating fruit, you don't have to if you don't like it. Vegetables contain all the same nutrients, so provided you eat the correct amount of them and try to eat a variety of different types, there is no problem. You certainly could eat all five of your five a day as vegetables for your entire life and be just as healthy.

moanymoany

Canned fruit is OK. I buy pears and peaches in juice. I also buy value peaches which are in syrup but have the compensation of being very cheap!!!!!!

These don't give me any problems with the itchyness. They are also a cheap way of buying fruit that counts as much to the 5 a day as fresh fruit. It doesn't go off and is always in the cupboard. It gets my vote and I eat lots of it.

purpleivy

I have this, in a mild form, but didn't know it had a name, just know it bothers me. The only thing that does it is the brown skin on the outside of Hazelnuts. It only seems to be that though, I can eat choc hazelnut paste and the stuff in chocolate hazelnut truffle! I avoid whole hazelnuts in chocolate. My throat and mouth itches like crazy.