Melon

[Juliebove]

As a child I was given watermelon quite frequently because my mom loves it. I can't stand the stuff.

Then at a Boeing campout I tried some honeydew and cantaloupe. Loved the stuff. But we never had it at home because my mom couldn't stand the smell.

As an adult, I had it once in a while but I was never a big fruit eater.

Then my now husband and I went to a free breakfast at a casino in either Reno or Las Vegas. I can't remember now. I was a vegetarian at the time and have never been a big sweets eater. I remember they had some meat. Some eggs but I think they had meat in them. Lots of pastries and other sweets. And melon. I ate some melon. Was still hungry so ate some more melon.

I thought I was going to die! Stomach pains like you wouldn't believe. They had to ask me to leave because I sat in the seat for so long.

I have only ever tried melon a couple of times since. One bite. Horrible stomach pains.

I have had allergy testing and also IgG allergy and intolerance testing. Melon didn't show up on any of it.

Since I don't really like fruit too much, it wasn't a problem. Until now.

Husband and daughter love the stuff. I had been buying it cut up but now they want a fortune for it and we can't afford that.

I have been trying to cut the stuff up. I don't like to do that. What a sticky, icky, mess. But... It is doing something to my skin. Not exactly a rash but my skin feels like it is burning. It is very dry and feels like it might peel. Other fruit doesn't do this to me.

Has anyone else had this problem? They may just have to do without it. I really don't like cutting it up. I don't mind doing watermelon so much because you don't have to dig out the seeds, but... Daughter is not allowed to have that on the South Beach diet. I wish she were because I can actually get that cut up for not too much money. Or a mix of melons with it in there. *sigh*

[Adalaide]

I haven't had any problems with it myself, but you mention issues with digging out the seeds. With cantaloupe and honeydew I cut them in half and use a large spoon to gently scrape out the seeds. It's far less messy and it sounds like it would save you a lot of trouble. Something else I do instead of cutting it up is to simply cut it in half or quarters and scoop some ice cream or cottage cheese into it and eat it with a spoon. Then it doesn't need to be cut up.

Okay, I'm going to also throw a completely off the wall idea out there for you.... if it is irritating your skin and making you uncomfortable but they want to eat it the could just cut it up themselves. I know, some some women prefer to do things themselves and some men prefer not to do things in the kitchen. Frankly though if it is making you feel unwell in any way they may just have to learn do it or live without. You didn't test as allergic but you are clearly having some sort of reaction to it.

[SensitiveMe]

I can't stand watermelon either. And I relate to eating honeydew and cantalope and having such pains you want to die or be taken to the emergency room. I remember as a child having cantalope very infrequently and loving it so I really don't know why in later years I came to have such a problem with it.

I could never tolerate bananas well...they give me painful indigestion and heartburn. Eating a whole apple will also cause me problems. Several years ago I ate a kiwi for the first time and will never do that again because I was in terrible pain for hours. And once I drank some juice with mango in it and was is such distress that I will never touch mango neither. I also can't tolerate pineapple juice now but in earlier years I could and drank it without problems.

When I went to the dietitician recently I asked her if she knew why I have such a problem seeming to digest certain fruits and she said she had no idea. I have also looked around on the internet for reasons but never found anything.

I eat cherries, grapes, and ripe pears without a problem and make my own applesause. It seems to me I tolerate cooked fruit better than fresh fruit. I have wondered if I am lacking some enzyme or something in order to digest fruit but can't find any confirmation about anything.

[Juliebove]

I haven't had any problems with it myself, but you mention issues with digging out the seeds. With cantaloupe and honeydew I cut them in half and use a large spoon to gently scrape out the seeds. It's far less messy and it sounds like it would save you a lot of trouble. Something else I do instead of cutting it up is to simply cut it in half or quarters and scoop some ice cream or cottage cheese into it and eat it with a spoon. Then it doesn't need to be cut up.

Okay, I'm going to also throw a completely off the wall idea out there for you.... if it is irritating your skin and making you uncomfortable but they want to eat it the could just cut it up themselves. I know, some some women prefer to do things themselves and some men prefer not to do things in the kitchen. Frankly though if it is making you feel unwell in any way they may just have to learn do it or live without. You didn't test as allergic but you are clearly having some sort of reaction to it.

I do use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

My family won't eat it with the rind on and that is no longer recommended. They now say to wash the outside well, cut it up and discard the rind.

[Juliebove]

I can't stand watermelon either. And I relate to eating honeydew and cantalope and having such pains you want to die or be taken to the emergency room. I remember as a child having cantalope very infrequently and loving it so I really don't know why in later years I came to have such a problem with it.

I could never tolerate bananas well...they give me painful indigestion and heartburn. Eating a whole apple will also cause me problems. Several years ago I ate a kiwi for the first time and will never do that again because I was in terrible pain for hours. And once I drank some juice with mango in it and was is such distress that I will never touch mango neither. I also can't tolerate pineapple juice now but in earlier years I could and drank it without problems.

When I went to the dietitician recently I asked her if she knew why I have such a problem seeming to digest certain fruits and she said she had no idea. I have also looked around on the internet for reasons but never found anything.

I eat cherries, grapes, and ripe pears without a problem and make my own applesause. It seems to me I tolerate cooked fruit better than fresh fruit. I have wondered if I am lacking some enzyme or something in order to digest fruit but can't find any confirmation about anything.

Someone I used to know online but it no longer with us surmised that I might have a problem with sorbitol since the fruits that give me trouble are high in it. I know I can not consume the sweetener called sorbitol because it causes stomach trouble. I can eat raw apples and pears although I very rarely do. They don't seem to cause trouble. I can eat canned apples such as sauce or canned pears. Can also eat canned pineapple, but very rarely do. Raw pineapple hurts my mouth so I have to spit it out. If I eat cherries or strawberries it is only just a few. Really I don't like most fruit so giving it up is no problem for me.

[RuskitD]

I have tried watermelon twice and reacted as if I had corn. It was precut in the deli, so I assumed they sprayed it with corn based citric acid. But it was not labeled as such.

I do gas up from muskmelon/cantaloupe. If you search the net, even healthy people do. It is suggested that it should be eaten on and empty stomach, not with protein foods. Less chance of distress that way.

I also gave up broccoli and cauliflower, due to the gas distress they cause me. After years of tummy/colon issues, and them being fixed by given up the intolerated foods, I don't want ANYTHING that is going to give me ANY distress! I like feeling good.....

[Martin-0123]

I have always been a voracious melon eater and now, out of nowhere I start to itch like crazy on my neck/chest when I eat it. I tried eating it on three different occasions and the itching occurs simultaneously as I'm eating. The food allergy test I had didn't have 'melons' listed in the food items I was tested for but I swear the itching is worse than when I ingest wheat flour products... What has melon got to do with casein/soy/wheat or even yeast??? Anyone?