SO... FRUSTRATED...

[garnet]

You guys are so brave actually having children. I would have zero patience with this sort of thing.

[perth]

Originally Posted by garnet

You guys are so brave actually having children. I would have zero patience with this sort of thing.

I kind of thought that before I had a kid. It changes you somehow, and you learn you can tolerate more than you ever imagined possible.

My parents tried their hardest to get me to eat any melon aside from watermelon. They figured I was just being stubborn and picky and it took them several months and a few vomiting episodes to realize that melon actually makes me ill. I don't know why, don't know if there's an actual allergy to honeydew and cantelope, but to this day, whenever I eat it, my stomach almost immediately and violently rejects it.

I have similar problems with both cantaloupe and honeydew. Mostly what I find though is that eating it causes my mouth to break out in sores and my tongue to swell. I have the same problem with watermelon, though the effect is much milder. Bananas do the same thing, and almonds, before roasting, do it as well. I never really bothered to find out why it happens, though if I were sufficiently interested, I could probably figure it out, especially because after the almond is roasted, I have no problem.

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by perth

I have similar problems with both cantaloupe and honeydew... after the almond is roasted, I have no problem.

food allergy (my father had the SAME exact set of symptoms to these foods, except his throat would swell up too), the reason for roasting causing no reaction is because he heat denatures the protein that sets off your reation.

[perth]

Originally Posted by LabRat

food allergy (my father had the SAME exact set of symptoms to these foods, except his throat would swell up too), the reason for roasting causing no reaction is because he heat denatures the protein that sets off your reation.

Thanks Labrat. I'd always wondered about that.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by LabRat

the heat denatures the protein

What does this mean?

[LabRat]

Originally Posted by dar512

What does this mean?

heat causes proteins to lose their unique shape (denature) by breaking bonds that are originally formed to make them into the shape they need to be to do what they are supposed to do. when this happens, the portion that was recognized by your body (causing the annoying allergy) no longer has the same shape, therefor is no longer recognized.