I love nuts. All of them. Almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, pine, peanuts... (we're going by culinary definitions here!). If you give me a nut, I'll be happy. I promise. Thank God I don't have oral allergy syndrome, because my life would be over.
Cashews are probably my favorite nut (followed closely by pine nuts, pecans, and peanuts), and I just discovered I am allergic to them. I am sad.
A few years ago I bought 2 pounds of cashews. They were roasted and delicious and my mouth still waters at the memory. Nuts just might be my addiction; I can never eat just one. So, in less than 48 hours, I ate all 2 pounds of the cashews. Yes, all of them.
Something funny happened to me after that. I got a rash. All over my arms and legs. It itched, but it was only mild. I made a mental note that perhaps it was an allergic reaction to the cashews. I don't eat cashews very often, so over the next few years I never ate them. Last year I munched on some cashews at my in-law's home but nothing happened, so I told myself I wasn't allergic to them.
Last week my husband and I were in Austin for his spring break. We were staying at his sister's home, which is just a few blocks from a hike and bike trail. One morning we got up and took the dog on a walk. It's a beautiful trail, right on the edge of Lady Bird Lake. After a couple miles, we turned around. It was then that I noticed the whole trail was surrounded by beautiful, green, leafy plants. Poison ivy. Everywhere. I'm horribly allergic to poison ivy. I don't even have to touch it to get it, the oils just need to be in the air around me. I've gotten it twice all over my body. All over my body, in every place you can imagine. I think the worst place to get it is inbetween your toes and fingers, because they're constantly rubbing against each other and those spots get sweaty easily.
Later that day, we went to Whole Foods on North Lamar and I bought half a pound of raw almonds. I ate about 2 ounces of them.
The next day, I woke up with a rash all over my arms. I never get stressed (ask my husband), however this morning I began to feel a little bit panicky and we rushed over to HEB to find some medication. Problem is, I wasn't sure if the rash was from poison ivy or cashews. After much deliberation and a discussion with the pharmacist, I decided it was probably a cashew allergy and bought the recommended Zyrtec - the most expensive drug I've ever bought. It was $25 for the generic brand. After 48 hours of Zyrtec, the rash went away. So, I've come to the depressing conclusion that I'm allergic to cashews.
I did some research on cashew allergies and found that lots of people who are allergic to poison ivy are also allergic to cashews. Apparently cashews and poison ivy are cousins - so beware of cashews if you're allergic to poison ivy. I also discovered that cashews are closely related to mangos and pistachios. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not also allergic to those
I sure am going to miss my cashews. :(
Cashews are probably my favorite nut (followed closely by pine nuts, pecans, and peanuts), and I just discovered I am allergic to them. I am sad.
A few years ago I bought 2 pounds of cashews. They were roasted and delicious and my mouth still waters at the memory. Nuts just might be my addiction; I can never eat just one. So, in less than 48 hours, I ate all 2 pounds of the cashews. Yes, all of them.
Something funny happened to me after that. I got a rash. All over my arms and legs. It itched, but it was only mild. I made a mental note that perhaps it was an allergic reaction to the cashews. I don't eat cashews very often, so over the next few years I never ate them. Last year I munched on some cashews at my in-law's home but nothing happened, so I told myself I wasn't allergic to them.
Last week my husband and I were in Austin for his spring break. We were staying at his sister's home, which is just a few blocks from a hike and bike trail. One morning we got up and took the dog on a walk. It's a beautiful trail, right on the edge of Lady Bird Lake. After a couple miles, we turned around. It was then that I noticed the whole trail was surrounded by beautiful, green, leafy plants. Poison ivy. Everywhere. I'm horribly allergic to poison ivy. I don't even have to touch it to get it, the oils just need to be in the air around me. I've gotten it twice all over my body. All over my body, in every place you can imagine. I think the worst place to get it is inbetween your toes and fingers, because they're constantly rubbing against each other and those spots get sweaty easily.
Later that day, we went to Whole Foods on North Lamar and I bought half a pound of raw almonds. I ate about 2 ounces of them.
The next day, I woke up with a rash all over my arms. I never get stressed (ask my husband), however this morning I began to feel a little bit panicky and we rushed over to HEB to find some medication. Problem is, I wasn't sure if the rash was from poison ivy or cashews. After much deliberation and a discussion with the pharmacist, I decided it was probably a cashew allergy and bought the recommended Zyrtec - the most expensive drug I've ever bought. It was $25 for the generic brand. After 48 hours of Zyrtec, the rash went away. So, I've come to the depressing conclusion that I'm allergic to cashews.
I did some research on cashew allergies and found that lots of people who are allergic to poison ivy are also allergic to cashews. Apparently cashews and poison ivy are cousins - so beware of cashews if you're allergic to poison ivy. I also discovered that cashews are closely related to mangos and pistachios. I'm crossing my fingers that I'm not also allergic to those
I sure am going to miss my cashews. :(
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