Since I was a kid I have gotten an itchy painful mouth if I ate Pineapples. Over time I have figured out I get a similar allergic reaction from various fruits. Mangos are the worst, pineapple, kiwi, papaya, and cherries. When my baby son Ben got a itchy diaper rash and red around his mouth after eating pinapple, I knew he had it too. I keep both my kids away from the fruits that I am allergic to although I have a feeling they would probably be fine if they had some. Well, it will give them something to rebel against when they are older. Funny story about my mom and artichokes - she is allergic and would never let my brother have them. Turns out he is allerigic to them too. Not me though. But my Dad sneezes if he touches or eats peach fuzz.
Anyway, this great CNN.com article about Fruit Allergies and Pollen Allergies discusses the mechanisms of a fruit protein oral allergy and was really interesting. Apparently the proteins in the fruits look very similar to those in pollens and this can explain how the allergy works. It also explains why canned or cooked fruit don't effect me as much, as the cooking process alters the proteins.
