Is it possible to have an allergy to grapes?
It is possible to have an allergy to just about anything, so the answer is yes.
There are several special problems about grapes worth noting:
- They are heavily sprayed with pesticides, making them the most toxic fruit you can buy.
- Grapes naturally grow yeast on their skin.
- Like any fruit, mold can grow on grapes.
Rather than a grape allergy, you may instead be allergic to pesticides, yeast or mold.
Grape Pesticides
According to the book “Diet for a Poisoned Planet“, grapes are sprayed with so many chemicals that they are extremely toxic. Unless they are organic, grapes are an example of unhealthy food.
The answer is to buy organic grapes.
Grapes and Yeast
If you have a yeast allergy, you must reduce grape consumption, or stop eating grapes altogether. Unless you are eating organic grapes, it is a good idea to cut them out of your diet anyhow, allergic or not.
Grapes and Mold
Mold can grow on grapes. If the grapes look to be in good shape, inspect where the stems join the fruit. This is one place that mold sometimes grows in otherwise healthy-looking grapes.
Grapes and Sulfites
Grape products can have sulfites added to them. This includes fresh grapes and various forms of processed grapes including juices, raisins etc.
Which Allergy Is It?
If you react to grapes, but not organic grapes, you are probably allergic to the pesticides. This may also indicate an allergy to sulfites.
If you only occasionally react to grapes, it could be a mold allergy. Check for mold and avoid it whenever you eat grapes. This may also indicate an allergy to sulfites.
If you have the patience to peal the grapes and eat only the inside, and this is OK, and assuming that eating organic grapes did not help, suspect a yeast allergy.
Grape Allergy and Wine
If you are allergic to grapes, the chances are you are allergic to wine also.
But what if it is not the grapes, but the other possibilities mentioned above?
Wine has more yeast in it than just eating grapes, so if you have a yeast allergy, wine is going to be a problem.
Mold can be a problem with wine. More research is required, and when I find the answers, I will write an article about it.
Organic wine is ideal, as this will reduce your pesticide intake.
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
Grapes and allergic rhinitis
Hello,
If you are viewing this page, you may be looking for the same help as me. Maybe we can help each other?
I am a disappointed wine lover who, shortly after becoming pregnant for the first time, started to suffer occasional but extreme attacks of allergic rhinitis and sneezing. It was a long and frustrating journey to identify the cause, but in the end, it turns out I am allergic to grapes. (From the above list, I doubt it’s yeast, as I can comfortably eat other yeast-bearing foods. And it’s not sulfites, as I regularly eat other foods with this additive. Mold also seems unlikely as I also react to raisins, sultanas, port, wine, sherry, and brandy — I sincerely doubt most molds could survive the preparation processes for those.)
The main trial in identifying the cause was the delayed onset of my reaction. While I was still drinking wine (usually in the evenings) I would normally not suffer the sneezing attacks until the following afternoon. If I ate a sultana bun for morning tea, I would sometimes wake at 2am with a sensation like someone had just sprayed cleaning fluid up my nose. Let me tell you – sitting alone and cold for an hour or more, at the other end of the house from my family, trying to keep the constant sneezing as quiet(?!) as possible? It’s no pleasant way to spend the early hours of the morning! Thankfully, now that I have cut all grape-based food and drink from my diet (as much as possible – raisins and sultanas are everywhere!), I only rarely suffer attacks.
I am eager to find anyone who can provide insights on this type of allergy, or also to identify whether anyone else suffers such a bizarre combination of symptoms. The New Zealand health system does not seem to have any useful support for this type of allergy. Please email me on —— if you have useful information to share.
[Note - email removed to protect guest from spam and to avoid abuse. Please provide your feedback as a comment so that all visitors can benefit from your insights - thanks -editor]
Allergic rhinitis from grapes
I also have allergic rhinitis when having wine. I have a condition called Samter’s Triad, which is a triad of conditions; asthma, nasal polyps and allergy to aspirin.
The reason for all of the above is that I am allergic to salycitic acid. I find I have the worst reactions with wine and with citrus fruits.
Could this be a possible explanation for your reaction?
grapes allergy
Hi there.
I recently also found out that I am allergic to grapes…I first noticed after eating raisins…developed bloated feeling and stomachaches, and diarreah for that day, and little bit more to the next day. I tried with fresh organic grapes…but then, still developed the same symptoms…I am also lactose intorrerant, tomato allergy (I know it sounds strange, but I am) and have very bad hey fever, but this grape allergy tends to just upsets my digestive system.
I’m going to see a doctor next week, and see I can do blood test for other foods..and if there is any medicine for it, although I dout it. I am based in UK, and medical system here is really rubbish.
If I do find out anything new about medication, I’ll let you know.
Regards.
I have been eating all different fruit for years and had tremendous allergies. Just recently I have been eating a lot of green and red grapes every day average 1-2 lbs. Thinking I was eating healthy and apparently I was not. Over the past year, I noticed loss of taste, smell, cotton mouth, tongue numb, serious headaches and vomiting for hours,flulike symptoms, shaking on the left side of my body, pain in my lower back and loss of voice for 4 months, sore throat, tightness in chest, short of breathing and heat surges like hot flashes then getting extremely cold. For years I thought grapes were healthy and not sprayed with pesticides. Last week, I read all about pesticides on fruit and was totally shocked to find grapes and many fruits are coated with pesticides that can’t even be washed off in water. I read more and more about pesticides on fruit and a list of symptoms of pesticide poisoning to find all of my symptoms appear to be from pesticide poisoning from the grapes I was eating. I was guilty of eating grapes unwashed while shopping in the store. Last week I decided to stop eating grapes and within 2 days I noticed major differences. I could smell, taste, my back doesn’t ache, tightness in chest is gone, heat surges have stopped and all of the symptoms I have mentioned are diminishing. I wanted to answer this question since so many people think they are allergic to grapes when all along it is the pesticides sprayed on the fruit we are eating. All who are suffering should read about pesticide poisoning in adults and children due to fruits. I hope this information helps everyone.
I’m the same way. I have a delayed reaction to eating any substance containing grapes or rasins but my reactions are more severe. I get almost anaphalaxysis symptoms and a persistant rash. My reactions can start from 4 hours after ingestion to a couple of days later. They were more severe as a child and as an adult whom loves A1 sauce that contains rasin paste, I take prednisone for a couple of days with hydroxizine to help midigate the symptoms. Have you found anything out about this? My allergist thinks it is the sulfates in grapes that cause this reaction. I think not. I also get a bad migraine with this as well. Also does anybody have any alternatives to cooking with wine, basalmic viniger, or dijion mustard? Love all but can’t tollerate it enough to get any immunity to it. I was able to get immunity for strawberries (almost same symptoms but about 1/4 less severe reaction) and tommatoes. Now I eat tommatoes almost every day and have almost no reaction to them. Strawberries cause rashes and severe sneezing now but nothing that I can’t tollerate. Thanks all!
Grape allergy
Hey all, I found out about 3 months ago that I am allergic to grapes, I ate a handfull of grapes at my church youth group and about an hour later my whole body was one big hive, my parents and I thought it was possibly a pesticide due to the possiblity of the grapes not being properly washed, but when I ate well washed grapes a month later the same thing happened and I only had 3 grapes, the next Sunday at Church we had Communion and I took the grape juice. and Yet again I broke out this time I was on stage preforming in a concert. And it especially stinks because I LOVE grapes!
Allergies to the foods we love
Unfortunately people tend to love the foods they are allergic to.
Stay away from grapes for six months, then see if you are OK with a few. You might find that staying away reduces your sensitivity.
If that works, don’t over-do it if you find you can eat a few.
Also, try organic grapes, as washing them will not remove all pesticides.
Grapes Allergy
I also have a grape allergy with terrible cramping, intestinal distress after eating grape juice or grapes. It usually occurs the day after eating grapes. Wine doesn’t bother me at all, but the grapes stop any daily functions outside the bathroom. I sit with a computer on my lap as I write this from the bathroom because every Sunday night I share communion (grape juice) with fellow Christians and every Monday I live in the bathroom for hours. Phone is beside me, computer for something to do, and I wait it out until it finally goes away. Not much fun, but don’t ever have to worry about constipation. A few grapes or the juice will clear me out overnight. Anyone else have this going on?
Grape Alternative?
Wow Elaine, you certainly are committed!
Is there any way you can share communion without destroying the following day? I’m sure your fellow Christians will understand.
Grape Allergy
I was diagnosed with a grape allergy last August after being baffled by what was making my mouth itch and what was causing hives and respiratory problems. Fortunately, I found out before I did some serious damage to myself! (note for all you allergy test takers: make sure you verify your food allergy with blood work as the “prick tests” often yield false positives).
I thought at first this would be a fairly easy allergy to manage, but it has proven trickier than I initially thought.
The obvious “culprits”: wine, grape juice, raisins are in plenty of foods. But grapes lurk in red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard (white wine is in it), blueberry PopTarts (they have dried grapes in them), Bailey’s Irish Creme (the whiskey in it is aged in sherry barrels, and I learned the hard way…and am sensitive enough that one glass triggered hives), and………many wheat breads contain raisin juice concentrate in them (again: learned the hard way by not reading a label carefully…and two pieces of our local store’s wheat bread just about checked me out for good).
I find that a) I have had to re-work so many of the recipes I use at home (uh, no more homemade vinaigrette dressings…no more bolognese sauce with red wine in it) and b) going out to eat is nothing short of terrifying, as I am completely dependent on the server and whoever is working in the kitchen to be 100% sure that what they’re putting in front of me is grape-free (note: it can be done: I survived 10 days in Greece and Italy without incidents…and those are two grape-heavy cuisines).
The sad irony of all of this? For about 20 years, I was involved in the wine industry in some capacity, and it was my drink of choice.
Now I’m learning about beer and bourbon. God help me if I develop a wheat or grain allergy.
Watch out for fruit juice
Thanks for sharing your grape allergy story.
Some allergies can turn eating into the equivalent of crossing a mine field.
Watch out for fruit juice of any kind. In many countries, manufacturers are allowed to add a significant proportion of grape juice and still call the fruit juice “pure.”
When it comes to marketing, “pure” and “100%” are meaningless. Don’t put your health and live at risk by trusting the label. Call the manufacturers of the fruit juice you want to drink and ask if there is any grape juice in it before drinking.
This may sound like a drag, and it is.
On the other hand, you don’t need fruit juice to survive. You are much better with fresh fruit anyhow.
I never drink fruit juice (by choice, not necessity) and I don’t miss it in the slightest.
Other beverages
In addition to this, you will find grape juice in many beverages other than the obvious.
For example, V8 contains grape concentrate. A fact I almost found out the hard way (read the label just out of curiosity after I had poured a glass but before I drank it).
Isn’t that the truth. I almost killed myself drinking snapple. Back in the day when they did all those different flavors. I check and I do mean check everything. 95% of all juices have grape in it. Grape seed oil is in a lot of things too. Got to be extremely careful with this kind of allergy its such a common additive.
I’m not even sure if grape needs to be on the list of ingredients if less than some fairly significant proportion of the juice. For example, it could be that juice with 20% grape can still be called “pure”. This is according to memory, and probably varies from country to country, so worth looking in to.
You can always call the manufacturer of a particular juice, tell them you are allergic to grapes, and find out what’s really in the juice.
To the lady who cannot have Communion
Try taking Benedryl before you have communion, about 15-20 minutes prior. I find it helps me–I still have hives, but it’s not as bad as if I didn’t take the benedryl at all.
grape allergy
After 1 year of using a sinus rinse I reduced my daily reliance on anti-histamines to almost nil. (I eliminated main food allergies a long time ago – so I was caught by surprise this summer – when I had a bad reaction to seedless green grapes. Prior to this year whenever I ate them – I had taken anti-histamines for grass/pollen allergies etc before eating green grapes — this year — I wound up with a fever, muscle aches, and the feeling someone punched me in the stomach (thought it was a stomach virus – until it happened again — only this time I was able to reduce the length of the attack by taking anti-histamines.
In previous years I have had mild versions of these symptoms during the summer — never tied it to grapes.
Grape allergy w/ Epi pen?
I recently had a horrifying allergic reaction to a grape that had me choking on the side of the freeway. For days I was scared to be more than five minutes from a hospital. Does anyone know if carrying an Epi pen could help me in the case of a grape allergy?
White grape/white wine sensitivity
I am now four weeks into all new problems relating to all this.
It all started with eating mussels in white wine sauce, then getting hot on a car journey, then eating prawns in a new restaurant in white wine sauce (I don’t drink at all) then the following few days getting prickly heat on my back, arms and chest and overheating generally.
I was then taking benadryl for this which made things worse as I didn’t know it causes sun sensitivity which I was then putting hydrocortisone cream on for which was the wrong cream so don’t really know where I am at the moment.
I was also on Vit B6 plus Menopace which also has Vit B6 in, too much of which causes sun sensitivity so I ahve been in a state. I also had terrible tremors ,coldness, tingling in the hands and feet and some of the leg (wearing off now)palpitations etc. I am off everything 4 days now and am going to the doctors tomorrow as my face is still very sensitive to any change in temperature and although I have developed a bit of a phobia about going out in case the sensitivity hasn’t gone I am battling with all this and am overwhelmed.
Nowhere on the Benadryl pack does it say about the sun problem. Just what I have read online.
Just realised about raisins OMG forgot about them being grapes, made a batch of tomato chutney last week – with raisins, ate some cake earlier – with raisins.
Had a food sensitivity test 2 weeks ago which prompted me to change things i.e. the B6 and wheat result.
Benadryl and Sun Sensitivity
Thanks for the warning about Benadryl and sun sensitivity. Good to know about B6 as well.
How you get well soon.
MIGRAINES
Can white grapes cause migraines?
Cause and effect
I guess you’re asking if an allergy to grapes can cause migraines.
Possibly. Everyone’s different.
If you consistently get migraines after eating grapes, avoid them.
Grape allergy
I have been reading these posts with interest as I suspect I may also have a grape allergy. I’ve had a bowel problem for about a year and various tests came up with nothing. I also sneeze a lot. About 4 weeks ago I started with a sore mouth, tingly tongue and loss of taste. My doctor didn’t know what it was and prescribed anti-biotic medicine. It almost cleared up but I wasn’t eating grapes because of my lack of taste. When I did eat them the soreness came back. That has happened twice more and has left me wondering. I did eat quite a lot of grapes prior to this but I always wash them first. I’m not going to have any more and I will see what happens.
antibiotics??!!
Glad you’ve found the problem.
I’m concerned that your doctor prescribed antibiotics when he didn’t have a clue what was wrong.
Over-use of antibiotics has two main problems:
1) Antibiotics are bad for you. They should only be used when the infection is worse than the antibiotic side-effects. Antibiotics should only be used for bacteria or fungus infections, but virus infections because antibiotics are not effective against a virus.
2) The more antibiotics are used, the less effective they are – for you and for everyone else.
I suggest you find a doctor who is less quick to write useless prescriptions!
My daughter’s undiagnosed allergy
My daughter who is 2 1/2 years old has allergies, which happen randomly. Until a few months, I was giving her grapes after lunch daily, followed by a cup of milk. Just after her milk, couple of times, I began to notice that her lips would swell up, eyes and nose begin to water and rashes begin to appear on the sides of her mouth. Even after benadryl, she would have the symptoms and eventually, it affected her throat. In one or two days, she would have all the symptoms of a cold – sore throat, cough, sneezing and when taken to the pediatrician, the doctor would be confused because the symptoms looked like a regular cold, except for the rashes. As a result, I stopped giving her grapes and she’s been fine for a few months. Last week, my husband gave her tomato salad and cheese as part of her dinner. She was fine but when she had her milk at night before bed, again she had all the symptoms and this time the inflammation inside her mouth was rather severe. We took her to the allergy doctor and got her skin tested. She tested negative for grapes, tomatoes and milk products. The strangest thing is that her reaction to grapes and tomatoes occur only after milk. She eats raw tomatoes all the time and this is the first time, she’s had this reaction.
Anyone know of such allergies? Any information would be of great help. Thank you.
From the time I was old enough to remember I was unable to ear red grapes without hives or vomiting. About 30 years ago realized that I had to stay away from white grapes and white wine as well as raisens. Now even a trace of balsamic dressing will make my lips swell even if I spit it out and rinse my mouth. I am also sensitive to potatoes, (intestinal bleeding) tomatoes (digestive upset) and tobacco smoke (visual migranes). Makes eating in a resaurant interesting.
Those allergies you have are a drag, Enid. I guess all allergies are …
In case you didn’t know, tomatoes and potatoes are part of the nightshade family, as is eggplant. Does eggplant bother you as well?
It took a minute for me to realize where the hives came from because at first, i thought it was from rolling weed and scratching my chest. But the next day i had a few more grapes i felt the full effects of the poison. it struck me as weird because i had never been allergic before, though i managed to stay away for a few years i got the flu and a friend brought by a care package with concentrated grape juice boxes. i didn’t notice and drank one while half asleep and ten minutes later i was covered in hives and my ears looked like i was a UFC fighter but im glad to know im not alone
Im soo pleased I found this web site…
For a few years now I too have suffered from grape and grape related allergies. Now I know I’m not alone in this odd allergy category.
Mine started in 2001 when drinking the last glass of the previous week’s red wine bottle… sore mouth at first, then once I know it was from the wine… (weeks and weeks later as the reaction strength developed) it was a hospital job due to the severity of the reaction. Grapes had always given me tender gums, but now i can’t eat; grapes, raisins, sultanas, fruit cake, mince pies, berry pies, cranberry sauces, apples, old red wine (open more than a day), balsamic vinegar etc. There are so many foods and drinks off the menu… including juice bar’s where everything is mushed together.
My last and worst reaction was an apple, it was like a scene from the movie Hitch with will smith… my boss at work, thought I had been faking my sickness up to this point, but when this happened at work so quickly, she couldn’t argue any longer. 4 hours in hospital on a drip, and thats after they could eventually find a vein to give me adrehnline , plus a nebuliser to ease my breathing. I now carry and epi-pen and anti-hystamine tablets everywhere I go… and grapes and their friends are evil !!! On a lighter note I can eat jam, and apple sauce from a jar – I believe this is because it’s been boiled to death first…
My personal research on the topic, leads me to believe my case began with a rental property with damp walls which started a mold allergy, and it took off from there.
I have been allergic to grapes for 25+ years. It is very challenging!! My reaction is called anaphalactic shock, which is a mandatory trip to the ER and incredible pain! My entire reaction is extreme intestinal distress, no hives or anything. I have gotten very, very good at avoidance over the last 25 some years, but still worry. You have to read everything!! I would suggest to new sufferers that you avoid items labeled with the lovely, generic term “natural flavors” or “natural colors” Grape juice is a very common additive for color and flavor, and isn’t even listed!! My last trip to the ER was from pink lemonade, which we later learned had been colored with grape juice. As much as I hate to say so, the healthier I try to shop, the more dangerous it is. Natural foods are heavy grape users. Granola from your natural grocer is likely sprayed with grape juice concentrate to make it shiny. ( I learned this little tip from a clerk at a natural grocer)
For you wine drinkers, I have discovered Honey Wine (or Mead). There is a distiller in Palisades, Colorado that makes some really tasty Honey Wines and no horrible reaction has resulted! I don’t know if they have a website, but I tend to buy mine from the Honeyville store in Durango, Co., and I know they have a website.
Good luck to all the other weirdos like me!! By the way, this allergy is so rare, that doctors never believed me when I told them what I had. They always thought I had a tubal pregnancy each time I reacted. Now I wear a Medic-Alert bracelet that designates my allergy, and it seems to satisfy the doctors. Another side note: a “prick test” came back negative for a grape allergy, but extensive diet experiments told me everything I needed to know. I am allergic to grapes. Whether it is the grapes or the pesticides, I don’t yet know. Not entirely sure it matters…
Thanks for sharing your story, MariePrei. Lots of good tips there, especially for the very sensitive.
Mead is a great alternative to wine. I quite forgot about it, although I’ve come across it and tried it in the past.
Hi
I am also intolerant to tomatoes, lactose and grapes which seemed a strange combination until I read that two other people here have the same intolerances. Unfortuantely I am addicted to red grapes and won’t give them up despite the cramps etc.
I’ve also been diagnosed as intolerant to lamb and brazil nuts but again, regarding the nuts, I have a hard time staying away.
Well, Lucy, it is up to you to decide what is worse: the symptoms or avoiding the food.
Many people seem to be addicted to the foods they are allergic to.
It might be worth making the effort to cut them out for long enough to loose the addiction, then decide if you’re better off without the symptoms.
yes i think my little girl is allergic to grapes every time she eats them she gets bad stomach cramps and is in the bathroom all day and night and she feels real bad the first time it happen i thought maybe they were bad or something but this happens to her every time she eats them she is down oceancity with her grandma and she called and said that my little girl did not feel good and cant say out of the bathroom and than she said it did not start untill she eat grapes so i guess she is allergic to them that sucks because she love grapes to but the inpo that you guy gave was real help full thankyou all for your guy help.
Hi – I found this website because I was wondering about the symptoms of grape allergy. I have what they call, intestinal adhesions following a botched operation when I was 19 (I’m now 58) and because of this, I really have to watch what I eat or suffer the consequences of an intestinal blockage. One of the things that can cause this blockage – I finally realised, are grapes. Once they are ‘stuck’ intestinally, they seem to ferment and cause all sorts of painful problems. Another odd thing is how wine affects me. I can easily drink (eg) many glasses of (well diluted!) hard liquor, such as Tequila, Whisky, Rum etc., will little effect yet, just two glasses of wine (which has a much lower alcohol content) has me drunk (and later causes vomiting) but I don’t understand why. Does anyone else recognise this problem?
Other foods that I react to badly and which immediately ulcerate my mouth – are tomatoes and Tesco’s Tiger Bread (which I love, but the pain’s not worth it).
Terri
I am allergic to grapes and I HATE it. My symptoms are Futile Vomiting and Diarrhea which happens 1 hour after consuming and for a girl of 10 it is TORTURE!!!!!!!!
Charlotte
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I also have grape allergic reactions, mostly to the dark varieties not the white/green grapes. I get the rough sensations and slight swelling inside my mouth and lips. I’m a Africian American and also have severe sun sensitivity. I have to use 85+ sun block at all times or I get rashes to the exposed places and sometimes I even blister. I guess from all the meds I’v taken over the years for allergiesthat cause sun sensitivities. I can stop eating grapes but having to stay out of the sun most of the summer is very difficult. Any suggestions??
I suggest you see about getting off allergy medications. They may help short-term with some symptoms, but have their own problems. They are well known to cause depression for example.
It is much better to deal with your allergies by avoiding the allergen. Taking medications simply masks the symptoms, which is asking for double-trouble (still exposed to allergens and side-effects from medication).
Hi,
I have found that I am, in fact, allergic to all fruit raw or cooked except for pears-and this is only when they have been thickly peeled and are quite ripe. The reason for this is due to the amine, salicylates and natural glutamates. It is an intolerence rather than an allergy, and for me seems to be related to the Oral Allergy Syndrome so in the parts of the year where there isn’t a lot of birch tree pollen around I can handle a small amount of grapes/carrot/other fruit and vege that I couldn’t otherwise eat.
You don’t mention anything about these being the causes of allergic reactions to grapes and possibly should?
Thanks for the additional info. I try to be as complete as possible. Comments like yours help!
I discovered before I had children I was sensitive to eggplant–hurt my mouth to eat it, would always get a stomach ache, and old spaghetti sauce (meaning it had been leftover for a few days and had gotten very acidic). Then after I had kids, or right around that time in my thirties, I developed sensitivity to pineapple. And I love pineapple, but if I eat it, I’m out of commission for several hours with a headache and stomach ache. Then one day I was snacking on almonds, and it too gave me the same reaction as pineapple and eggplant. So severe was my abdominal pain that it prompted me to do a little research. I found that all the things I am sensitive to are listed as part of an Oral Allergy Syndrome, and can become quite dangerous as your throat can close up, and difficulty breathing can arise. Main symptoms are “cut mouth” feel, sore gums, swollen or irritated lips, itchy throat, gastro-intestinal distress (cramps, stomach ache, diarrhea), and migraine are possible. It seems to me to the list is getting longer as I get older as to what I cannot eat, and it bums me out. Ice cream is hard to digest, fresh tomatos, peppers and even onions give me indigestion now. Don’t use balamic vinagrette anymore
And if I develop a grape allergy, which is looking likely at this junction, well…I just don’t know what I would do. any suggestions?
I feel for you Jen, feels like the food world is closing in!
Many allergists suggest going on a rotation diet, where you don’t have the same thing more than once every five days or so.
This is challenging, especially when you already have food restrictions, but do the best you can.
I have the same problem, but I’m only my teens, it sucks so much to watch your friends eating foods that you can’t!
For me I had to find foods that I like that I can use as a replacement for those that I can’t eat, for example, I can’t eat chocolate so I make carob fudge, can’t eat icecream so I eat sorbet (you can make your own from canned pears, super easy!). Also, if you can cope with coconut cream you can make your own icecream for that or even whip the thick creamy part in the full fat cans (don’t over whip it though, because it will turn into a sort of butter!) and use that instead of cream. I find these days that I have to live on flavourings such as garlic and salt and use red kidney beans instead of tomato-ey things. There is hope! It’s just about experimenting with recipes and unfortunately, not dining out unless you are prepared to suffer the consequences (but lets face it, sometimes you just need chocolate!)
Hi Christy,
I agree with you, no matter what age you are, it sucks watching friends and family eat food you can’t!
You are right, it is a matter of finding new foods you can eat and focusing on that, not worrying about what you can’t eat. You’re on the right track for sure!
Do you have any recipes you can share with us? How do you make sorbet out of canned pears for example?
Great reading at least it gives me a bit of hope that I am not dying of some terrible disease as it certainly seems that way, but today I had grapes and within two hours I had a pain in my lower right abdomen that felt like it was on fire and and instant inflammation of something. I have had some horrible tests performed to find out what is happening but nothing has shown up anything and I am beginning to wonder about grapes. I have a mild allergy to tomatoes (had the allergy prick tests done years ago) maybe I need to go back to the doctor and have them done again. The pain is going down now but it is very unpleasant for sure.
You could have more allergy testing.
On the other hand, the elimination diet is more accurate.
For example, it looks like you should just plain, flat-out avoid grapes.
Not only grapes but raisins, sultanas and grape juice. I have consumed all of these things every day for years. In fact not a day would have gone by when I did not eat at least a cupful of raisins (always thought they were good for me my oh my how wrong I seem to have been) I have loved raisins since I was a child I am in my early 50′s now. I am getting better avoiding all these foods but still feel as if I have a way to go to clear the damage if any or heal the inflammation that may have been caused by all this. I am drinking aloe vera juice to help healing, and I am amazed at the difference in me by avoiding raisins and grapes.
Hi,
The symptoms I experience after eating or drinking grapes/grape juice and even apple juice is totally different.
Organic or non-organic don’t seem to make any difference. After I eat a handfull of grapes or drink a glass of juice (fresh or bottle) I get a severe pain in the upper part of my stomack and I get drunk dizzy. My head spins; sometimes I have to lay down. 20 minutes later I’m fine but feel kind of weak.
I would like to find out what causes this. Any idea?
Thank you
For years now (about 10), I’ve been allergic to grape juice and wine. Grapes have a lesser effect on me – I have to eat a lot of them to have an allergic reaction. Sensitivities include high-end wine/balsamic vinegars, and white grape juice/wine/champagne are the worst. I certainly go out of my way to avoid all contact. I think my allergy stems from the actual crushing of the seeds, since the flesh of grapes don’t seem to bother me as much. (I can have beer, so it’s not sulfites. Anyone else tired of hearing about sulfites??)
As far as I can tell, no one on here has the same side effect. When I consume grape products, I get instant sinus pressure. And within an hour I get a sinus infection, w. dark, bloody mucus (gross, sorry), turns into a chest cold, plugged up ears. I’ve discovered neti pots, which are essential to keeping the mucus under control. With the neti pot I’ve taken what’s usually a 10 day-long sinus infection down to about 4 days. I agree with the person who said antibiotics are overused.
I’d love to hear from anyone who has the same reaction. Kind of lonely out here in the sinus infection-reaction world. My allergist told me there was no test (not that I need one) for grape allergies, and that there aren’t meds for it – so I stopped seeing her and got a neti pot.
Hi everyone,
If I don,t react to these grapes, that would rule out a general grape allergy but until then, I’ve avoided ALL grape related foods (and there are so many!!) including wine – which I love!! I’ve discovered apple-cider which is not bad but not available in all restaurants 
I just found this website. Last august, I had severe hives after eating ONE concord blue grape! I’m 40 years old, never had any type of food allergy in all my life so I was very afraid! I only had ONE blue grape and 20 minuts later, half my body was covered in hives. I told my family doctor and she prescribed me an Epipen and refered me to an allergy specialist. Grapes are EVERYWHERE and there doesn’t seem to be mandatory listing of these common ingredients. Grape juice is in 95% of all mixed fruit juices, there are raisins in cereals, granola bars, cookies. You have to be carefull with fructose and fruit pectins cause they are made with fruit (which fruit??). Of course, I have stayed away from all types of wine, port wine, balsamic and wine vinegars and all types of sauces, dressing and condiments made with these types of vinegars! It makes a trip to a restaurant a living hell and being invited to a friends house is also complicated. I now have to ask if there is wine in the sauce, if there is wine vinegar in the salad etc…
But my anxiety comes from a non conclusive allergy test. At the doctor’s office, they first tested me with the standardized liquid and I had NO reaction whatsoever. But, with a sample of the blue grape I ate (I had kept some in my freezer for testing), I had an immediate reaction. Was it just THAT particular batch of grapes (pesticide is a probability) or what? I have found someone who has a concord grape vine in her backyard, 100% organic and pesticide free… I have a few samples in my freezer for further testing in march
Does it happen often that the standardized sample testing at the allergy specialist turns out negative BUT the fresh sample prick test ends up positive?? I’ve heard of one other case like that. A woman who was allergic to shrimp (immediate reaction if ingested AND prick tested with a fresh sample but NO reaction to the standardized liquid sample…) Scary!
I have posted before, but wanted to post a response to Joyce. I have been allergic to grapes since I was about 14. I am now 41. My reaction is extremely violent, it is called Anaphylactic shock (not sure I spelled it right, but it is nasty stuff) Basically, I end up in the emergency room. I had the standardized allergy tests done, and tested negative. I know for a fact that grapes/raisins are the culprit, as I did extensive avoidance tests over many, many years. I avoid wine like the plague, and also avoid all the items you listed above. It is very hard at first, but it gets easier. You become used to what foods are safe, and what foods are dangerous. I read labels compulsively, and avoid anything that says “Natural colors/flavors” as that is too suspect for me. I once went to the emergency room after drinking pink lemonade. Turned out the coloring to make it pink was grapes. Since you are a wine lover, though, you might want to check out some options I have found. I drink Honey Wine, AKA Mead. Most large liquor stores carry a few varieties, and they are quite good. ( The ones I have tried come from two Meaderies in Colorado) I was also on Maui recently and tried a pineapple wine that is made there. It was wonderful! I know they will ship, so you could google Tedeshi winery on Maui and probably get their address. Good luck!
Hi Mary,
But I will always prefer wine!!
Thanks for your reply. I live in Qc, Canada… I have heard of Mead and here, we also have good apple cider which resembles white wine and is made locally… That grape allergy has allowed me to discover those products and it’s not bad. You can buy still cider (light or strong between 0.5% to 12% alcohol) or sparkling cider (which is like champagne or sparkling wine) and even ice cider which is syrupy like a liquor and made with apples that were frozen at the beginning of winter… so when I want to celebrate with friends, I have options.
I’m still keeping my hopes up for my 2nd test is march (with organic grape). But if I AM allergic to all grape products, I’ll have to learn to live with it. I only wish I could’ve become allergic to a fruit that you don’t find everywhere!
I think it’s very SCARY that those standardized prick tests are so inacurate!!
After eating a handful or more of raisins plus 1/2 can of cashews I got sick and had diahrrea for 4 days. Also a lot of stomach pain. Could raisins be the culprit?
Personally, I find dried fruit and nuts a bad mix.
You’re problem could have been the raisins, the nuts, the fact that you had them together, or maybe a touch of the flu or exposure to a high bacteria count.
It is hard to draw a conclusion from a single incident.
Hi again,
nor to balsamic vinager or pasteurized grape juice (the kind you can buy of the shelf – but I can’t drink the fresh grape juice bought in the refrigerator or freezer). I had brought with me samples of all the foods I wanted to test (more accurate with fresh or frozen samples) At least, I no longer stress about eathing a sauce containing wine or a salad dressing that may be made with wine vinager… I’m very happy! The specialist explained that fermentation and pasteurization neutralizes the protein in the fruit, therefore making it non-allergenic in many cases ! I also tested raisins and the result was “non conclusive”… a very little bump… no itch, no redness.. so he couldn’t tell me if I should stay away or not… I decided to avoid raisins just in case but I think I wouldn’t have a huge reaction if I ate one by mistake.
I posted before about an allergic reaction to concord blue grapes.
I just had an appointment with an allergy specialist in my area (who is very well known and had been recommanded by many people) and turns out I AM allergic to ALL fresh grapes (I tested them individually with fresh samples including organic ones) So wether they are green, red, seedless, black, blue etc… I reacted to them all! BUT (and that is a great news) I am NOT allergic to wine !!!
Good day to all!
Hi Joyce,
Thanks for the update!
Recently I think that I have a raisin allergy…when I eat them I get a bad stomach ache later on in the day and I’m stuck in the bathroom! It’s awful! I feel like throwing up no matter what I eat, and this lasts a little while. Several hours. About a day or maybe even two sometimes. With terrible gas. The intestinal distress is awful. Would it be the raisins themselves, or maybe a pesticide on them?…
I love fruit & eat at least a kilo everyday. This time of year when the green grapes are down on quality i eat a lot of red grapes. I have developed a severe lower stomach pain which i also got about this time last year. I have since cut out red grapes. I grow my own red grapes and they didn’t affect me. Does anyone else suffer from these pains?. Are the grapes you buy in supermarkets covered in pesticides?
Regular grapes are exceptionally high in pesticides, according to some sources.
Eating organic grapes is a good choice; it sounds like the ones you grow qualify. It would be interesting to know if commercial organic grapes sit well with you.
I absolutely love grapes and so last week I had a huge bunch of them every single day for lunch. Ten minutes after eating them my stomach started cramping…I got a rash on my face and neck and felt dizzy. It was so bad I had to miss a day of work. I do know I am allergic to sulfa, because whenever I drink wine…my face instantly reddens and get very hot. I have not had any tests done as of yet..but I am guessing that I am allergic to grapes. has anyone experienced this same type of reaction after eating grapes? I am just sick as this is my favorite fruit by far.
Hi all,
I was surprised to read how many different faces this allergy has.
My case is bad one – I’m allergic to all grapes and everything that made out of them. Including any wine and vinegar. Which came out to be the most hard one, because vinegar is practically in everything – foods, marinades, pickles (that I love), dressings, mayonnaise, ketchup and so on… And I’m basically have to walk around with Benadryl, because you never know where is next time it will pop up and in my case reaction is instant and severe. I would get heaviness and bloating in my stomach, but worst one – I will start to choke in my throat, like something swelling in my throat and make me hard to breath. I’m getting real bad and dizzy. And this is immediately – few minutes after i eat something. Then after I take Benadryl its getting a little better, but I still may feel something uncomfortable in my throat for few hours and develop a lot of gas in my upper digestive.
Though I couldn’t drink wine before even this allergy started (2 years ago grape allergy started). I couldn’t drink wine because I also have Rosacea and wine would make my face break out and flare real bad, so bad that i had to go on antibiotics for weeks to be able to show my face out. But I read somewhere that Rosacea is very close connected to allergies and immune system.
I’m also lactose intolerant lol..
So with rosacea there is not spicy food for me, or hot food etc. no diary with lactose intolerance and no marinades, wine, dressing and vinegar lol..
I also noticed that I have similar allergy to kiwi, even more severe the to grapes, hard to get rid of symptoms.
I also have indoor allergies (mold, dust, sunlight, chloride, pets, birds etc) – but those only make me sneeze like crazy for an hour lol
What else is left out there? ^^
how do we wash grapes to remove 100% pesticides on them
You can wash them with soap and water, then rinse them off (Important: make sure the soap is completely unscented!)
I doubt this removes all the pesticides though.
The only way to eliminate pesticides is to buy organic grapes.
Hopefully my experience will help someone else. After going to several doctors and spending thousands of $’s, I discovered after several years of trying to figure it out, that eating grapes, or anything with grape juice in it caused the veins in my hands to break (and my feet to a lesser extent). I am not sure if it is the grapes/grape juice or pesticides that weren’t removed, but I didn’t care to eat more grapes (organic) to find out. There is also grape juice in things like granola bars and Kashi’s products especially. A lot of the time manufacturers label the grape additives as ‘natural flavoring’ or ‘natural sweeteners’, etc. which makes it doubly difficult to tell if the product includes grape juice as a sweetener. Sometimes it would be a couple of days after eating grapes or something derived from grapes, before my veins would burst. Clots would sometimes form, blocking the blood flow and causing painful lumps in my fingers. A cocktail of vitamins including zinc, the B’s, A, E, etc. helped to finally break those loose and heal some of the lumps, but it was a painful experience for years. Acai juice is the only other juice I have tried that had this same effect. However, I often wondered if acai might be processed in grape juice processing machines.
I too have a grape allergy, along with eggs and wheat. Try figuring out what I can eat is difficult , to say the least. Salads, using lemon instead of vinegar has been my standby when eating out. Yesterday we were at a new restaurant and I ordered a Greek Salad, substituting the lemon juice for the red wine vinegar. It was excellent because they went through the trouble of seasoning it like a Greek Dressing. I broke out a few hours later, and it struck me that I had eaten Grape Leaves. I didn’t think of it then but my question is—-do grape leaves have the same allergens as grapes? What a bummer!
I just ate a handful of black grapes and for the first time ever, my hands, wrists and parts of my face have big itchy red welts, so I guess no more grapes for me! I wonder if it’s maybe the pesticide on this particular crop, I would hate to give up grapes forever!
I was having abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea starting about 10-30 minutes after eating and lasting for about 1-3 hours on and off for about 2-3 weeks. I thought maybe I was having difficulty with dairy, grapes never even occurred to me even though I eat them all the time. I ran out of grapes and didn’t eat them for about 5 days. I felt great for those 5 days, so I thought I must have just had a weird stomach bug. I just ate grapes again tonight and it happened again. I am thinking that I might have an allergy to them. I also get migraines a lot and more often in the last year or so; I wonder if that is related. Those of you that have gotten tested, would you recommend the blood test or scratch test? Is it worth getting tested? Thanks!
The best and most accurate test is to keep a food diary, see if eating grapes correlates to your health. So far it sounds like it does. If you continue eating grapes and keep feeling ill, then cut them out and feel fine again, then the chances are extremely high that you have a grape allergy. Repeat a couple more times and you’ll be almost sure.
The fact that you eat them all the time is another indication, people are frequently ‘addicted’ to the foods they are allergic too, oddly enough.
I just wanted to point something out since it may be important.
Organic is not the same as pesticide free, organic foods can use “natural” pesticides.
Also, if the organic farm is next to a non-organic the wind can blow pesticides onto the organic farm.
Organic is only required to conform to certain regulations as to how they farm, the don’t test the products after they’re grown, at least they aren’t required to in order to be “organic”.
If it isn’t specifically labeled as “pesticide free” then there’s a significant chance that it still has some sort of pesticides on it.
Good points.
Organic is not what it once was as big business comes in and distorts the rules.
Your points raise the questions: what are “natural” pesticides and are they “better” than the full range normally applied to our food; and is there a lower level of pesticides that is worth paying for because it is less unhealthy.
It today’s world it is impossible to avoid all pollution and poisons, but keeping them to a minimum is still well worth the effort. Eating organic should do this to some extent.