sudden onset of a Broccoli allergy?

Question

For the past 18-24 months I've consumed 1 bag of frozen broccoli 3-4 times a week.
Each bag is approx 3 servings.
Last week I had stomach issues after the broccoli.
I didn't associate it with the broccoli at the time.
Next day, same thing.
I thought maybe I got food poisoning from the broccoli due to improper refrigeration during transport, so I tossed the rest of what I had and picked up some more of a different brand.
I had one of the new bags today, and while I don't feel ill in the same way i did before, I still feel flush and have a noticeable minor amount of nausea.
Could I have suddenly developed an allergy to broccoli?  3 servings a day 3 to 4 times a week is a lot, but is that really enough to cause an allergy?

gitalesleyspiller · Answer

I have always enjoyed broccoli, but at the age of 66 it makes me vomit.  Why so suddenly?

lalalandia · Answer

When I was a kid, I used to eat broccoli raw with dip, cooked, anytime. In college, I started getting bouts of severe gastrointestinal issues, lasting 6-12 hours, always in the morning and I connected that to eating uncooked broccoli the night before. So I switched to cooked and no problems for about 10 years, then it had to be well cooked and now, nothing. I cannot eat a bite. I cannot eat anything that has touched broccoli without getting violently ill. I have a suspicion that some meat I ate tonight came in contact with broccoli because I am feeling the symptoms coming on. The funny thing now is that the sickness is always delayed between 6-12 hours after I ate the broccoli and lasts about 12 hours from onset. I am also Type 1 diabetic (but with excellent, non-diabetc control), so gastroparesis could be an issue for me.

masterblogger · Answer

I'm sensitive to histamine and I'm a member of a group with those people too. So I met a guy, Jason, he had this problem with broccoli as well and he got the diagnosis histamine intolerance. We both are using Daosin, it helps us to eat everything without having any symptoms or this kind of stuff!

Gj_vi · Answer

Hi there, I developed a severe reaction to Broccoli, snap peas and green beans. it developed at age 27 after having my 2nd son...and when I say severe, I mean severe. GI issues equivalent to a horrible stomach bug for a day and then lingering pain and nausea for 2-3 days. 

So, I don't know if you blew your system by consuming too much broccoli, I think its more likely that you developed an intolerance.

I recently had a skin allergy test and asked the doc add broccoli to the list. Sure enough I was nauseous for an hour within about 20 minutes of the skin prick. 

Hope this is helpful.

paultond · Answer

Almost 3 years later, and the situation hasn't abated.  No change in my reaction to broccoli.  I'll try it again in another year or so.

Oddly enough, other cruciferous vegetables have no effect on me. I was worried that my favorite roasted brussel sprouts would garner a similar reaction, but, nope! I have those without issue (cut the bottoms off, cut in half, toss with olive oil and kosher salt, cut side down on a foil covered broiler pan, 2nd to bottom rack in a preheated 500 degree oven, 15 minutes, remove, grind on fresh black pepper, sprinkle on parmesan if you like.  Plate and serve or save and reheat.)

No issue with radishes, watercress or arugula either.

pinkypie88 · Answer

I just got a IGg test results back,  with broccoli, banana, pinapple, lemon, cucumber, and cranberries  being the worst offenders.  It is interesting you also have symptoms with similar food .

joyfulhope · Answer

I used to be able to broccoli just fine.   Then one day out of no where I had a bad encounter with broccoli and beef.  I was nauseous and flushed, stomach cramps and more. I thought it was maybe the beef or the establishment.  Next time I encountered broccoli, same thing, and each subsequent encounter was worse. A sad day when broccoli became banned in my house as the smell would remind me of my allergic encounters.  Almost a decade later, I have found I am now sensitive to even the florets. So I am very careful as it is not a good feeling and cross contamination at the salad bar is not my friend. Everyone has to know what's best for them.  I hear benadryl might work for symptoms or epi-pen...but I don't really know.  At this point in my life Allergies are not my friend, but I've learned to live with them.

brandysnap · Answer

It's possible to suddenly be allergic to any food. I have. When I developed my carrot allergy, I had been eating them raw for a couple days then one day Wham! Nasty hives and swelling. The only thing to do is stock up on Benadryl and avoid the foods you're allergic to. 
I hate allergies.

paultond · Answer

Another year and a half later, and still no change.

seekanswers2012 - I have no idea if the broccoli was GMO-free, but I've tried with organic broccoli with the same result.

chitchatnine - even a single floret makes me feel flush, so I'm not ODing on iron intake that way (or any other way)

gardengrirl93 - raw, steamed until al dente, steamed until soft, it makes no difference to my reaction; although I'd never voluntarily have soft broccoli beyond trying it for this experiment. It needs some bite.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions!

gardengirl93 · Answer

paultond, perhaps the broccoli has been undercooked at times and those were the times your stomach objected. (I know my response is late, but perhaps someone else is reading too.)

For the last 25 years, ever since college, I've reacted to raw and undercooked broccoli. I can eat when well cooked just fine, but if it's at all al dente, my stomach will have pains for hours afterwards. The same happens if I eat raw banana or fresh raw pineapple (canned seems to be okay although I don't consume much canned pineapple). I've always wondered if there's some connection between these foods but haven't done much research.

IrishSwag93 · Answer

I have the same problem dude out of no ware I can't eat broccoli will out my throat swelling and vomiting and coughing and dizzyness

ChitChatNine · Answer

Be careful .. broccoli is very high in oxalates .. I would be concerned with eating that much of developing an oxalate kidney stone or other related problems.

Is there a lot of iron in broccoli I wonder?  Wonder if that could be giving you to much of a particular mineral like iron .. just a thought to toss out there.

C~

seekanswers2012 · Answer

i hate to report this.  but actually paultond, i recently started suspecting brocolli too. and chicken broth also.  both seem to upset my stomach.

i haven't had problems with organic soy milk, cocoa powder, vegetable juice, ground beef, whip cream, margarine, chips.  sticking with organic on the safe side. haven't had reaction to coffee either.

did have upset with suspected non organics for soy and others.  the others being too hard to narrow down.

but i also got problems with apple and hybrid mango but good with pure breed mango before.

seekanswers2012 · Answer

are you gmo free? i think its possible gmos cause new allergies to organic foods.

paultond · Answer

Thank you.

Since last checking in I've given broccoli other attempts every couple of months. Just a couple florets. I still get the same reaction.  Not only that, I tried picking some chicken out of a chicken/broccoli mix, the chicken had a few minor flakes of the broccoli that had adhered to it.. like crumbs almost.  Again, I could feel my system react to it.  

I'm resigned to believing that I just blew my system out.  Maybe if I lay off cold turkey for a year and then try again.

SMS77 · Answer

Have you heard of Gastroparesis?  I'm not a medical expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have done a lot of research on Gastroparesis due to one of my children being diagnoses with it.  It is caused by delayed gastric emptying and although the symptoms vary in individuals one common symptom is a feeling of nausea and sometimes vomiting after eating foods that are especially hard to digest.  Broccoli is definitely one of the hardest foods to digest.  Although you probably don't have Gastroparesis I can't imagine even a healthy stomach could handle that amount of broccoli in one sitting over a prolonged period.  I would suggest you lay off the broccoli and try a more varied diet.

allmymarbles · Answer

Even when dieting you still need a certain amount of fat and carbohydrate consumption. The cutting out of fats, or any other nutritional requirement, is bound to have a bad effect on your health. The only thing you can safely cut out completely is stuff like candy, sweet desserts, sodas, and the sugaring of foods that don't require it (for example, bean salad). Be patient. A careful diet that contains all the nutritional requirements will work wonders if you don't exceed normal portions.

paultond · Answer

Thank you for the reply.
Yeah, I know it's a lot of a specific vegetable.  I got in the habit when I was in a serious weight-loss mode, and broccoli fit the bill of a vegetable that was both high in antioxidants, and one that I didn't detest. 
In the week and a half since I first posted this, I've had broccoli 3 times since. I reduced the amount that I've been eating, and it's made somewhat of a difference.  I still feel a bit flush, but no nausea.  Maybe it's just my body telling me, "Whoa, there.  Not so much."  Even with something as healthy as broccoli.

allmymarbles · Answer

That is an awful lot of a particular vegetable for anyone to eat. I don't see an allergy here, but your eating habit would throw your diet out of balance. Try varying your meals.