Kale allergy is rare but not unheard of. Several people have reported a suspected kale allergy on this site.
It is possible to become allergic to almost anything of course, but some allergies are more common than others. Most allergies are suffered when people are highly exposed to the food. Some people report allergies to kale the first time they eat it. This does not fit the usual pattern of an allergy, but does not necessarily rule out an allergy either.
A more likely scenario is that someone became sick at the same time as trying the new food, and their body now associates that food with getting sick. This is not the same as an allergy. It is also possible that something else with the suspected food is causing the reaction.
Here are a couple of reports from people who think they have an allergy to kale:
I happen to love kale, but if I eat it, I suffer (from 8-24 hours later) severe cramps, chills, diarrhea, nausea, exhaustion….I feel like I have the flu. I get none of these symptoms from anything else in the kale family. And it doesn’t matter if it’s cooked, raw, baked, whatever. -Susie
I’ve eaten kale twice in my life. I made baked kale crisps and woofed them down one evening. Within hours I was nauseous, had stomach/intestinal cramps, achy muscles, and a fever of 101 degrees. A few weeks later I ate some kale in the school cafeteria and soon after experienced severe intestinal pains, achy muscles, and a fever of 100 degrees. Because I never get sick I was able to narrow down the reason I was sick was due to eating kale!!! Crazy. I’ve never heard of a kale allergy, but it’s good knowing others have experienced the same thing. -Jean
Brassica Oleracea
Kale is a member of the Brassica oleracea species. This includes the following cultivars:
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Kale
- Brussels Sprouts
- Collard Greens
- Savoy
- Kohlrabi
- Gai Lan
If you feel you are allergic to one of these but not others, it is unlikely you have an allergy.
What is your experience with kale allergy? Did you eat kale for a long time and then develop a kale allergy? What else are you allergic too? Please leave a comment and share your experience.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi-when I eat raw kale I get a very sore,swollen scratchy throat. It almost feels like my throat is closing up. I always make sure to have organic and eat a highly plant based diet, (with actually very minimal kale). I have found even when I have it juiced It the same problem.
I made spaghetti and decided to “sneak” some mixed gel teens into the sauce to help get my vegetables. I eat this one night and for a late brunch. Within hours I started getting an upset stomach but it took a few more hours for any real symptoms to come and once they did the all came in at once and lasted for hours. I was violently ill with vomiting and diarrhea. I felt weak, nauseous, and cold sweats (may have been runnin a graver but did not check). I thought it was the spin age but that does not make sense considering the next day when I felt up to it I had a past dish with cooked spinach and felt fine. A few weeks later I eat another dish with a small amount of choked up green leafy vagitable in it (I did not make it so I am not sure what it was) and got an upset stomach and likely nothing more. I am not entirely sure if kale is the case but I think some green cooked vegetable very well could be. I am not Alaric to anything else (food wise).
I ate kale for the first time on Sunday and soon after my mouth was raw like someone had burned my mouth, it hurt. The next morning I woke up to a rash on my legs, lips, and cheeks. The rash got so bad I had to go get medicine for it.
I cooked and ate some kale today for the first time. When I ate some my tongue started tingling, my throat started to swell, and my lips started to get numb. It has been several hours now, and i still feel like I have a lump in my throat
I’ve had cooked kale before and was fine. But this past week I added Kale to my smoothies in the NutriBullet for the first time and then I couldn’t breathe at all. Every time I needed to take a deep breadth I had to yawn in order to do so. I felt like a bag was over my mouth. I went to the hospital and my lungs were clear. I didn’t connect my not being able to breathe until the ER Dr said it could be an allergen. So I ruled everything out and consuming raw kale was the only thing different I’d done in the week so I believe it was me having a severe allergic reaction to raw kale.
We are trying to eat healthier and added raw kale to a berry smoothie, about 3 hours later my arms started to get itchy and bumps. The next morning, the itchy went to 50% but the red bumps still on my arms and spread to my legs. The next day I added raw kale to chicken salad , about a had full chopped, .
A couple hours later after lunch, the itchy red bumps got worse.
I’m now sitting in urgent care for a cortisone shot for a quick relief. No more kale for me, I’ll keep with spinach.
I’ve been following the comments about kale allergy with interest. Let me say that I’ve had asthma all my life, but none of my triggers had anything to do with food (dust, pet dander, tree pollen) so I am very familiar with those sort of allergic reactions. I am also allergic to a couple of antibiotics: severe itching, hives.
So after a lifetime of eating (and loving) spinach, I developed a severe intolerance for it. My immunologist/allergist corrected me when I called it an allergy. My symptoms are all gastrointestinal and severe enough to put me in ER twice when I inadvertently ate something that contained spinach. My symptoms are delayed (which is why my doctor referred to it as an intolerance rather than an allergy?) but begin with vomiting, then diarrhea. These increase in severity with each passing hour until I begin fainting. When my doctor was told about THAT part of it, he said if it happened again I should go to the nearest ER immediately. I didn’t understand why, but a year or so later, once again I unknowingly ate something that contained spinach and the nightmare began. By the time my husband got me to ER, my blood pressure had dropped so low, I kept fainting. I don’t know if anyone else has presented with these sort of symptoms after eating something in the greens family?
So far, I CAN eat kale & chard, but last winter, I sauteed fresh chard and after eating it experienced a strange reaction: roof of my mouth and tongue began to burn and sting–no gastro reaction though. Let me say that even though I buy organic veggies and then put them through bath in a sink full of water with a couple of tbls of white vinegar, so I’m reasonably sure that it’s not a pesticide I reacted too.
I had an anaphylactic reaction the first time I tried kale. I did not believe I could be allergic to greens, and attributed the reaction to something that was on the kale. The next time I tried it I got organic kale and washed it well. I had the exact same reaction. Kale is becoming more popular now that it has been labeled a “superfood”. I have the instant , signature “itchy mouth and throat” reaction every time I accidentally eat something with kale in it. I know if I ate more I would go into full anaphylactic shock as the reaction is exactly the same as how I feel if I am near peanuts. I have never met anyone else allergic to Kale and I still think it’s pretty weird, but I’ve learned to be careful. I don’t trust salads I didn’t make myself anymore.
Wow Pam, that’s pretty severe. While not everyone who thinks they might have a kale allergy actually has one, it sure sounds like you do. By sharing your story you will help validate people who are sure they do have a kale allergy, even if no one else thinks it is possible to be allergic to kale.
I hope it helps, Allergy Guy. I have to say, I still can not figure out what could possibly be allergic to in Kale. It makes zero sense to me. But I can’t deny the reaction. It’s second only to my Peanut allergy.
One can be allergic to almost anything! Usually it is some sort of protein. Kale allergy is obviously less common than other allergies such as gluten allergy or peanut allergy, but there is no reason not to be allergic to kale. I wonder how you came to be allergic to it.
Anyhow, good luck avoiding kale and peanuts.
I ate raw kale in smoothies for a couple days straight in December 2012. Four days ago (September 2013) I bought some kale, ate a small portion raw and ate a large cooked portion with olive oil. I had four days of severe diarrhea, going to the bathroom up to 30 times per day. I assumed it was viral gastroenteritis or food poisoning but now I suspect an allergy. Of interest, there was also severe belching and I could smell the kale in flatulence, feces and burping – for about four days straight. I will never eat kale again.
You most likely got sick for some reason other than an allergy, but of course if you could smell kale while sick, you’ll associate the two. Don’t blame you for not wanting to eat kale again under the circumstances.
I have had kale on several occassions a few times in a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie restaurant and then in small doses with a greens supplement I got from IT Works Gobal. I had headaches on and off that may or may not have been related while consuming these products. Yesterday, I tried to make Kale chips at home. The only ingredients were, Kale, olive oil, a dash of rice vinegar and Celtic salt. They were so good I ate the equiliblant of two large leaves of kale. Within 10 minutes my nose started to run and breathing became more difficult. I have a history of allergy induced asthma, so I took my rescue inhaler and some liques benedryl and because I was alone drove myself to the nearest ER. My HR and Blood pressure whwere elevated for me but still within normal limits. I had a light rash over my forehead, nose chin and neck which they had a difficult time seeing due to my olive complexion and swallowing was more difficult than normal. I am sure that my initial steps were critical to minimize the symptoms. I Am not sure why I would react this way, I have no
other foods in that family of plants. Any feedback would be appreciated. I am also allergic to almonds, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines, apricot, mango and papaya.
I’ve eaten kale before on very rare occasions. Once as processed “chips”, a couple of times in small amounts mixed in with other veggies. I didn’t notice any reactions.
But then recently I used it in my NutriBullet — 2 big handfuls. My lips and the back of my throat burned. I thought it might be a reaction to the plastic, so the next time I immediately poured the drink into a glass. No problem. BUT, I had used spinach instead of kale. The next time I made it, it was with kale – and, again, burning lips and back of throat. That’s when I realized it must be the kale. Crazy!
P.S. In the previous instances, the kale was cooked. In the NutriBullet it was raw. There might be something to that.
I have eaten kale here and there for the past few weeks, and recently found that after I have it in my juices, my throat starts to swell up. I tried switching my juices with spinach, and my throat is fine. It’s only when I put kale that it starts to itch and constrict 🙁
I think I have a kale allergy. I have no other known food allergies but I’ve experienced itchy arms, legs, and ears recently. I did a three day cleanse which included drinking lots of green juice with kale. Following the cleanse I’ve been eating lots of kale and avocado salad, and drinking green juices with kale. Now I get very itchy after eating kale. I never had a reaction to kale before, but I have never eaten such large quantities of it before now.
After a lifetime of eating spinach, I had what could be described as late onset reaction to it–severe vomiting, diarrhea, severe fall in blood pressure resulting in fainting. I thought I had the flu. Second time it happened, I realized it was SPINACH. (We were camping at 8000ft in the Sierra! Hubby thought he’d have to call for me to be medevac’d off the mountain!) We’d eaten at a nearby lodge & turns out what I ate was spinach pasta–light bulbs went off. The 3rd time, I inadvertently ate spinach at a restaurant where I had been ASSURED that the dish I ordered (cioppino) did not contain spinach. That time, I ended up in ER. Now I don’t eat anything green in any restaurant–or anything that contains anything green. =( I CAN eat kale & chard, all lettuces–w/o any gastro reaction. Weird.
I’ve had kale numerous times in different prepared ways; smoothies, kale chips, that amazing kale salad from Costco… I just for the first time had the Tuscan kale on Tuesday. I sautéed it to have as a dinner side. I didn’t care for it so I only had about half a cup, probably equivalent to 2 cups uncooked? I experienced an upset stomach that evening with diarrhea. It is now Thursday and I am still experiencing diarrhea several times a day as well as throwing up. I am in my first trimester of pregnancy so am wondering if the allergy is a pregnancy thing? I did develop an allergy to eggs in my first pregnancy which hasn’t sadly gone away. Will be phoning my midwives tomorrow to figure out what I can take as I just figured out it must be the kale.
I had kale in a smoothie once. The smoothie’s ingredients were: celery, cucumber, kale, green apple, lime, almond milk, and pineapple. I’d never had kale before in my life, but I’d had everything else on the ingredients list without a problem. A while later, my mouth started to itch and burn, and I soon started vomiting. I was stuck in bed with a fever for the next two days. This is the only food that I’ve ever had a bad reaction to, but I’ve learned my lesson! I will never eat kale again.
I have been having a flair up of a food allergy in terms of hives on my neck and chest. I think I have narrowed it down to Kale and Red Peppers. Found out that Kale is in the Mustard family and I am highly allergic to Brussell Sprouts, Mustard and Rapeseed (Canola Oil) so it make sense that I am allergic to Kale. Red Peppers are on my allergy list as highly reactive and I forgot that they were on there. I am disappointed that I am allergic to Kale because I love it. Will eliminate it from my diet for a couple of weeks and then reintroduce to see what happens.
I ate kale for the first time today. Within minutes of eating it, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. It went away, but now I am having intestinal cramps and unpleasant trips to the bathroom, on top of awful kale burps (this is many hours later) and nausea. I have other food allergies (didn’t know of any in the kale family), so I instinctively took a Benadryl before it got any worse. Looks like I might be glad I did, I’d like to avoid that “flu” part…
I recently bought kale at the supermarket, thinking I would try it for salads and other dishes. I was really only cooking it and adding it to my meal for dinner, but whenever I would do this I would wake up in the middle of the night with horrible stomach cramps. This past week I had a bit of kale in my salad for lunch and then added a bit of it to my meal for dinner and had terrible stomach cramps about an hour after dinner and then again all through the night. I do not get a fever or chills but just horrible stomach pain. Kale is the only thing I can think of that I just introduced to my diet. I haven’t eaten it in a few days and I feel fine again. I don’t have this problem with any other greens or vegetables. Why is it that kale might give me this reaction?
My grandson ate Kale for the first time yesterday. He complained of his mouth burning, and his lips and facial area swelled. I tried the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana recipe for the first the time at home. There was nothing else in the soup that he had not eaten before. This reaction was similar to the one he had when he took the Augmentin. Below are the ingredients I used. Any suggestions?
Ground Italian sausage, crushed red peppers, large diced white onion, bacon pieces, garlic puree, water, chicken bouillon, heavy cream. Russet potatoes, ¼ of a bunch of kale
If the only thing new to him was the kale, that seems like the most likely culprit. It may not be, there could be some other reason, but probably best to keep him away from kale for a while. If he is allergic to it, he has an excellent chance of growing out of it.
I’m sure I had little bits of kale here and there over time, but when I decided to really eat a full serving each day for the “health benefits” I got seriously ill after the second day of doing so. That next morning I felt like I had a hangover or the flu – dehydrated, achy, and a headache, plus it all came out the other end undigested. A couple weeks later I had a similar reaction after eating some unidentified food at a potluck. I am really hoping people will stop hiding it in other foods, because it could be really dangerous to me or others.
I hear what you are saying, but the same could be said of any food. People who are allergy-aware list the ingredients of the food they bring to potlucks, which is great! But it really is our responsibility, as allergy sufferers, to ask what is in everything. It is our responsibility to stay well, although we need the cooperation of others to do so (hopefully they tell us everything they add to the food they make!