Thursday, September 21, 2017

Tomato allergy

I love tomatoes. A dark red, vine-ripened tomato cut into slices with a little salt on it... delicious!! My family has had tomato plants in our gardens for years, and sliced is my favorite way to enjoy them. I also love tomatoes in salads, chili, soups, pizza sauce, marinara sauce, and lots of different recipes.

However, a few years ago, I realized that there was a correlation between my canker sores and eating tomatoes. I was quite unhappy at the realization. A while later, I figured out that the sores also came from tomato sauce, ketchup, tomato soup and even BBQ sauce. This made eating some of my favorite meals out of the question! I love pizza and pasta with sauce! We still have alfredo and pesto sauce, but I miss marinara sauce. But I love not having canker sores even more!

I started cutting tomatoes out of my diet, and have experienced months where I have had relief from mouth pain. It was wonderful! My canker sore does not develop instantly, but usually overnight, getting worse for a day or two. They tend to last about 7-10 days. I have tried nearly every remedy out there, including putting alum or apple cider vinegar on it, using myrrh, frankincense, and melaleuca oils, using over- the -counter medications, etc., Nothing makes much of a difference. The melaleuca oil does numb the spot for a minute.

My sister-in-law talked to her orthodontist about canker sores, and he said that they do come from food allergies, as well as changes in the weather. I can't say that weather changes have affected my mouth too much.

At one point, I did go to the ear, nose and throat doctor and they said they really don't know why some people get canker sores inside their mouths and other people do not. I think it is hereditary, as my dad and oldest brother get mouth sores too. There are several foods that I do not like and tend to avoid, including melons and pineapple. I do like watermelon, but do not eat it very often. My kids have said that cantaloupe makes their throats itch and sometimes results in mouth sores. Bethany had a canker sore recently that bothered her, and she thought it was from eating cantaloupe.

It's not too surprising really, that acidic foods cause canker sores. They can be irritating to the stomach also, because of their high acid content. I wonder if green chiles also give me canker sores, but I am not totally sure about that. My brother says that he can have fried green tomatoes and that doesn't bother him. Good to know! Maybe the green tomatoes don't have the higher acid content as red ones do...?

I was happy that I figured out something that caused canker sores to get some relief from the pain. My family has been very supportive of my attempts to find tomato-less meals. Many times I just eliminate the tomatoes from salads, or serve them on the side. A lot of times I don't miss the tomatoes. We've ordered pizza with white sauce or pesto, and it is delicious! Spaghetti with alfredo sauce is fine, but not my favorite.

One of my problems is that there are SO many recipes with tomatoes in them! It is a challenge for me to find tomato-free recipes. Sometimes I can substitute white sauce, and it is still good. I have found a recipe for sloppy joes that has white sauce, but it does not taste the best. It is a challenge for me almost every day, and gives me greater sympathy for others with food allergies, especially gluten or dairy, those are so tough!

Do you have a recipe without tomatoes in it that you can share? I'd love to hear about it! I may try to post one of mine soon!


I could not find any verses specifically about tomatoes, but I did find some about fruit of the vine...

Ezekiel 19:10
“‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.

Zechariah 8:12
“The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people.

Matthew 26:29
I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

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