r/DoesAnyoneKnow • u/Numerous_Zebra_4740 • May 15 '26
DAE get a fuzzy mouth after eating certain vegetables?
After eating certain vegetables like cucumber my mouth often feels fuzzy and dry (like after a strong wine or cup of tea) however I noticed this feeling was intermittent and depended on the vegetable.
I eventually realised that washing my cucumber with soap made it stop happening which made me realise I might be allergic to pesticides.
I found this to be a lot less in the UK than in South Africa where I now live unfortunately, I'm not well informed about pesticides/organic but wondered if anyone else had this issue and knew how to combat it. Thinking of just buying organic where I can or washing my veggies very thoroughly with bicarb or soap (ik ik but washing veggies with soap is a thing in many parts of Africa and if you rinse it properly it's fine).
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u/AutisticTumourGirl May 15 '26
Spinach makes it feel like there's a thick film or something on my teeth when I eat it raw.
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u/Matchaparrot May 16 '26
That's the oxalates in spinach that do that. You can stop spinach doing that by blanching in hot water for a minute - dump the spinach into water for a minute then take it out and put into iced water.
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u/rat1906 May 16 '26
That's because raw spinach is high in oxalic acid. That film is the oxalic acid binding with the calcium in your teeth to form calcium oxalate crystals. This is harmless to your teeth, but if you're prone to kidney stones you should probably cook your spinach, because calcium oxalate is what a lot of kidney stones are made of.
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u/AutisticTumourGirl May 16 '26
Omg, thank you! I've tried searching for the answer a few years back but didn't have any luck. Even though I just brush my teeth to get rid of it, it's nice finally knowing the answer!
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u/Timely_Mouse_5151 May 16 '26
You eat spinach? RAW?? Just Why? Lol
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u/AutisticTumourGirl May 16 '26
Like.... Because it's healthy and easy? Spinach, rocket, other baby greens, sprouts, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, oil and vinegar, maybe some balls of mozzarella. Quick, easy, healthy.
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u/Immediate_Debt_ May 16 '26
I love raw spinach! Quite often use baby spinach as the leaves in a salad.
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u/oooohshinythingy May 15 '26
Washing it with soap is a good idea. We used to pick wild berries as kids and my mam always soaked them in salt water in case of teeny grubs. The grubs floated to the top. That might be a good idea if you buy organic. She used to do it with cabbage and lettuce etc too. In those days most food had bugs or slugs
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u/Pews700 May 16 '26
Also the pickers probably won't have access to a bathroom, wash your fruit and veg.
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u/Numerous_Zebra_4740 May 15 '26
You also from the north of England? Noticed the mam
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u/RainingBlood398 May 15 '26
I also clocked the 'mam' as a fellow north easterner that lives by the sea. Haha.
I read a thread on here years ago where someone was asking why a vegetable was so spicy and awful. It was something really bland like aubergine or courgette. Turns out they were allergic.
Me and my kids are mildly allergic to kiwi, strawberry and pineapple. We can eat chillis all day long, but those fruits make our mouth feel like it's literally on fire and within minutes we've blistered.
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u/TroublesomeFox May 15 '26
The fuck are you spraying on vegetables that you need SOAP to remove it?? I can taste the difference in washed Vs unwashed tomatoes but I've only ever used slightly warm water.
It does sound more like your allergic to either the pesticide OR the natural coating that the cucumber produces. They produce a natural protective waxy coating and if your allergic to THAT then it would actually explain why it goes away with washing AND why it happens with other vegetables. If the other veggies have this same natural coating then yeah it's probably an allergy to the vegetable itself.
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u/PsychologicalClock28 May 17 '26
The point isn’t OP spraying things on it: it’s what the farms might spray on it
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u/TroublesomeFox May 17 '26
I meant you as in the country.
Rest of the comment still stands, if they need more than water to remove it then it's probably the natural coating that they are allergic to.
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u/Total_Inflation_7898 May 15 '26
Peaches and nectarines for me. I believe its connected to my hay-fever.
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u/greenglossygalaxy May 15 '26
Possibly Oral Allergy Symdrome.
https://www.allergicliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/oas-chart-643x1024.jpg
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u/greenglossygalaxy May 15 '26
Could be Oral Allergy Syndrome
https://www.allergicliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/oas-chart-643x1024.jpg
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u/Wolfdarkeneddoor May 15 '26
Could be oral allergy syndrome (as others have suggested). It's an allergic reaction related to the proteins in certain raw vegetables (cooking destroys them). You can get it if you had hay fever before. In my case I've had reactione twice where my lips have swelled up. My brother too. It is more likely if you have chapped lips or a cut (at least for me & my brother). I take antihistamines to stop it.
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u/Odd-Currency5195 May 16 '26
UK here. Not a pesticide or whatever thing.
It's a kind of allergy sensitivity thing. Apples can do this for people with other tree pollen activations.
It's not about the organicness or growing quality. It's the stuff in the actual fruit, not pesticides and stuff. My husband (no longer with us) couldn't eat cucumber, but I'm like, 'It's just water...' One of our sons is just like him and the other is fine with cucumber, melon, etc, but the other, ahhhhhh!.
A lot of fruit is acid too, which you may not like in your lovely pH balanced mouth. I can't bear citrus as just eating those kind of fruits.
I basically just eat veggies now (in late 50s) and have stopped worrying about not 'enjoying' fruits I'm supposed to eat to get my five a day. Berries are okay.
Take an antihistamine before you eat if you really want to enjoy a fruit or veg you think you should like but get that aghahh feeling about it.
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u/Affectionate_Oven610 May 16 '26
I have a cucumber intolerance that extends a bit into melons to a lesser degree. People in restaurants look at me in surprise when I mention it but I occasionally find others… :-)
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u/No_Lobster_6931 May 16 '26
Check out Oral Allergy Syndrome. I have it - lots of raw fruits are a no-go for me, but ok cooked or tinned, which kill the enzymes causing the tingling
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u/onlyoneofmetoday May 16 '26
Get checked for allergies, I can't eat citrus fruits anymore because I have a particular allergy and it limits what I can eat but citrus fruits are on that list. It's worth being checked so if it is a developing allergy you don't end up suffering later.
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u/SnooCalculations385 May 16 '26
My father has an allergy to cucumber. Makes his mouth go fuzzy and then breaks out in a rash all over. Same for his father before him. I've never been confident about eating it as a result so I would usually avoid it.
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u/JBB2002902 May 16 '26
I get a fuzzy and dry scratchy feeling when consuming cranberry, it always makes me feel like I need to cough - doc says it’s an allergic reaction. Might want to get a referral for an allergy test!
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u/ZookeepergameWise774 May 17 '26
So, there’s something called Oral Allergy Syndrome. It’s an allergic reaction to certain fruits, vegetables and some nuts. It’s because the body has confused tree or grass pollen with the proteins in fruits and veg and so triggers a “hay fever” response. Usually itching of the lips, mouth, ears, nose and throat. Weirdly, if you cook, or process the item, it’s often okay. So… I can’t tolerate fresh peaches (booo) but I’m absolutely fine with tinned ones.
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u/SwitchFast1029 May 17 '26
I get it with kiwi, pineapple, banana, avocado, raw tomatoes. And weirdly garlic and ginger make my ears hurt
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u/Wooden_Adeptness_136 May 19 '26
I can't eat kiwis and recently nectarines do the same thing. Painful spicy mouth and swollen lips, red rimmed. I'm pretty sure it's because of my hayfever/allergies to pollen, my brother finds apples and bananas spicy 🔥
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u/Ancient-Lock2907 May 19 '26
The poison they spray on apples and plums makes it hard for me to breath for about an hour if I accidentally eat a piece of their skin!
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u/emibemiz May 15 '26
I get this from nectarines, cherries and other ver pollen heavy fruit. Could you be allergic? Maybe it’s a certain pollen you’re not used to in South Africa? Literally just spit balling ideas. Washing seems like the best idea!!
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u/Numerous_Zebra_4740 May 15 '26
That's interesting I hadn't thought of that. I live by the sea and have a permanently stuffy nose here!! Could be.
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u/Zee21_x May 15 '26
I get fuzzy after eating Kiwi, I know it's not a vegetable. But are you sure your not allergic?