Content
Watermelon is one of the favorite foods of both children and adults. At the sound of this word, an image of pulp of a juicy red color is immediately born in the head. The sound of a ripe, cracking fruit when cutting is familiar to many firsthand. Watermelon contains a lot of liquid, so it perfectly quenches thirst, despite the instrumental sweetness, and replenishes the water-salt balance in the body. It is associated with a long-awaited vacation, warm days and a pleasant stay somewhere in the southern countries, where there is a lot of sun and fruits and berries ripen quickly. But for some people, watermelon is dangerous because of the exacerbation of allergies.
To understand where the root of evil is buried, let us recall the growth conditions of this product, which is commonly called a berry. Although botanists prefer to call watermelon pumpkin. It is most correct to say that this is a false berry. But it will not be about that.
In watermelon, allergists - immunologists in the course of long-term studies have discovered three dangerous proteins that cause allergies. The same proteins were found by them in ragweed , wormwood grass, and also in the pollen of cereal crops.
By the way, melon and zucchini, cucumber and pumpkin are foods that are banned for you if you cannot tolerate watermelon. The pumpkin family is not suitable for you because of a dangerous protein, the reaction to which can be shown by a special test in the laboratory.
The concept of cross-allergy in action
As you know, watermelon grows in melon fields, where, in addition to watermelon, you can also find other plants that parasitize nearby. Here it is necessary to recall the concept of hay allergy, or pollen .
The worst enemy of all allergy sufferers is ragweed. Its pollen, getting transferred to a watermelon, can play a cruel joke on you. So, when you eat watermelon, you do not suspect that a terrible allergen is already close.
Attention: cross-allergy is quite common: if you are allergic to ragweed, you should not eat watermelon, otherwise there is a risk of aggravation of cross-allergy.
Allergy symptoms
Every allergy sufferer should know what are the symptoms of a watermelon allergy.
- perspiration in the mouth, in the throat;
- cough and itching in the mouth;
- labored breathing;
- small rash;
- edematous condition of the tongue, throat and the area around the mouth in the region of the nasolabial triangle;
- asthma attack;
- the occurrence of urticaria (most often on the hands and in the area up to the elbow);
- the appearance on the body of a huge number of itchy spots (rarely).
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is carried out in the laboratory. A lancet (a device for cutting the top layer of skin) is inserted into the fruit of a watermelon, and then immediately transferred to you in the top layer of skin on your arm to look at the reaction. If severe redness appears and a papule appears, this means that you will have to discard the fetus. We will immediately reassure especially impressionable patients: the procedure is practically painless, even children react to it very calmly. Testing for major allergens is also carried out.
The treatment of watermelon allergy is traditional: the doctor prescribes antihistamines , which stop the action of the antigen and calm the immune system, which has become agitated due to the ingress of a foreign element into it. Suprastin, Diazolin, Tsetrin have established themselves as agents whose effectiveness has been proven thousands of times.
External exposure to the skin is also necessary. Fenistil-gel or compresses from infusion of chamomile and calendula will help relieve itching. Choose to your taste what to give preference to: medication effects or folk grandmother's advice.
Rubric Doctors advise
- Like any other berries, watermelon needs to be cooked before being eaten. It must be washed with warm water before cutting.
- You need to purchase fruits from trusted manufacturers whose products have passed a preliminary test for the content of harmful nitrates.
- Immunologists advise patients who have experienced allergies to get a so-called food passport, which will reflect food products to which there is even the slightest atypical reaction of the body. A food diary should also be kept to keep track of hazardous foods. Allergy tests do not always help identify all allergens, but the main ones, of course, will show.
How not to confuse food poisoning with allergies?
Watermelons have a reputation as a product that is very popular among the population. Therefore, manufacturers in pursuit of profit growth often use nitrates in their cultivation, which leads to food poisoning when the fruit is eaten.
It is useful to know how to distinguish poisoning from allergies: we discussed the symptoms of watermelon allergy above. Food poisoning, on the other hand, entails a violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract, for example, indigestion, and the temperature can also rise. If there is vomiting, dehydration occurs. With allergies, the temperature will not rise.
Interesting Facts
Please note that not only the fruit itself is considered an allergen. Both watermelon fresh juice and honey from watermelon can cause allergies. You can’t have soaked watermelons so popular in the southern regions. Jam and jam, although they have been heat-treated, you should also refrain from these goodies. Otherwise, the aggravation of the disease cannot be avoided.
Contraindications for use
In addition to allergies, watermelon can exacerbate kidney failure, its use can lead to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, if you have previously encountered these ailments. Therefore, you should not abuse this product. Everything needs a measure. Pediatricians do not recommend eating it for children under two years of age. Children's immune system may not be ready for this product, and therefore, you and your baby can not avoid health problems. Pregnant women can eat watermelon, remembering that it loads the already working kidneys.
The norm for eating this product by an adult is considered to be an average of a pound per day. Let the allergy to watermelon not overshadow your life with unpleasant symptoms, and if this has already happened, hurry up for useful tips on our website. We have a lot of interesting and informative material for you. Be healthy!
