Anyone here allergic to potatoes?

[D_Tim McGnaw]

I know, I know, hardy har har, I live in Ireland, I think I might be allergic to Potatoes, I see the irony :biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:

However, what's weird about it, is I'm not sure I am allergic to potatoes, allergy testing doesn't show any sensitivity in my case, and I can eat potatoes cooked in a variety of ways. Except, that is, for mashed potatoes. I have incredible digestive distress if I even have a couple of mouthfuls of the stuff. Stomach cramps for at least 24 hours, and other less pretty side effects which I'll draw a veil over...


So what the fuck is up with that? I can eat em roasted, chipped, fried, boiled, etc etc, just not mashed....


Anyone else have this or a similar peculiar reaction to some foods when they're prepared in a specific way like this? I'm mystified.

 

[nudeyorker]

I don't really think you are allergic to potatoes I think your digestive system somehow does not like mashed potatoes. How is it with mashed peas?
As for me the only thing I'm allergic to is mangos. I can't even touch them without getting a skin rash. I once accidently ate something with mangos in a restaurant and had to go to the hospital.

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

I don't really think you are allergic to potatoes I think your digestive system somehow does not like mashed potatoes. How is it with mashed peas?
As for me the only thing I'm allergic to is mangos. I can't even touch them without getting a skin rash. I once accidently ate something with mangos in a restaurant and had to go to the hospital.

Wow that's so unusual too, I mean they say that allergies normally come about from long term exposure to large quantities of specific allergens, did you grow up surrounded by exotic fruits or something? Is it just mangoes then? Or are any of the Mango's relatives a problem too?

 

[nudeyorker]

Wow that's so unusual too, I mean they say that allergies normally come about from long term exposure to large quantities of specific allergens, did you grow up surrounded by exotic fruits or something? Is it just mangoes then? Or are any of the Mango's relatives a problem too?

Well I grew up in California and Hawaii and we had a mango tree in our yard and ate them a lot as a child, but when I was 35ish I had a horrible reaction to a mango and have been avoiding them like the plague. Once I was at a friends house icing a birthday cake for their little girl and the knife I was using had been used to cut a mango and had not been washed properly and I licked some of the icing off the knife and my throat started to close up and had to go to the hospital. That and the restaurant incident have been my only horrible experiences with it. I have no problems with papayas or guava or any other tropical fruit.

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

Well I grew up in California and Hawaii and we had a mango tree in our yard and ate them a lot as a child, but when I was 35ish I had a horrible reaction to a mango and have been avoiding them like the plague. Once I was at a friends house icing a birthday cake for their little girl and the knife I was using had been used to cut a mango and had not been washed properly and I licked some of the icing off the knife and my throat started to close up and had to go to the hospital. That and the restaurant incident have been my only horrible experiences with it. I have no problems with papayas or guava or any other tropical fruit.

BANG! There ya go, that mango tree in the back yard in Nudey's childhood home, that's the exposure which probably set your allergy in store. weird isn't it. Well be careful with Indian food then, quite apart from the ubiquitous Mango chutney, there are lots of dishes in regional Indian cuisine which use Mango powder, or preserved mango as the basis of sauces.

 

[VernalTiger]

That's... hmmm. Is it the richness of mashed potatoes? Any sensitivity to cream, butter, milk otherwise?

I'm trying to think if there's some kind of emulsification or cosmic alchemy that happens in the mashing process.

Experiment, please! Squash a cooked potato, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in butter, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in cream, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in butter and cream, and eat it.

I can only guess that it's the additional ingredients, and not the texture that's bothering you. Or maybe it is! In which case - damn, that's weird.

 

[nudeyorker]

BANG! There ya go, that mango tree in the back yard in Nudey's childhood home, that's the exposure which probably set your allergy in store. weird isn't it. Well be careful with Indian food then, quite apart from the ubiquitous Mango chutney, there are lots of dishes in regional Indian cuisine which use Mango powder, or preserved mango as the basis of sauces.

I love indian food but it stopped agreeing with me. Interesting about the mango tree we also had pineapples and papayas and lemons and strawberry guava and a load of other things too... I count my blessings a friend of mine in Honolulu is allergic to palm tree pollen. It's so bad he tries to leave the island when it's high. (The whites of his eyes turn fire engine red and he has difficulty breathing.)

 

[B_subgirrl]

Like VT, my first thought was to wonder if you have some kind of intolerance to whatever you're mixing your potato with.

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

That's... hmmm. Is it the richness of mashed potatoes? Any sensitivity to cream, butter, milk otherwise?

I'm trying to think if there's some kind of emulsification or cosmic alchemy that happens in the mashing process.

Experiment, please! Squash a cooked potato, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in butter, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in cream, and eat it.
Squash a cooked potato, mash in butter and cream, and eat it.

I can only guess that it's the additional ingredients, and not the texture that's bothering you. Or maybe it is! In which case - damn, that's weird.

Well it must be said (living in Ireland as I do :tongue that I get to eat potatoes in every possible combination and concoction you can imagine really, and I know for sure that I've had mashed spuds in all the varieties you specify and the reaction is always the same.


I'm begining to wonder if the mashing releases too much of the starch and destroys too much of the cellulose and the large quantity and availability of starch in mashed potatoes could be the problem.

But having said that I know I've eaten dishes of other foods containing what must be at least an equal level of starches and not had the problem...

 

[VernalTiger]

Well it must be said (living in Ireland as I do :tongue that I get to eat potatoes in every possible combination and concoction you can imagine really, and I know for sure that I've had mashed spuds in all the varieties you specify and the reaction is always the same.


I'm begining to wonder if the mashing releases too much of the starch and destroys too much of the cellulose and the large quantity and availability of starch in mashed potatoes could be the problem.

But having said that I know I've eaten dishes of other foods containing what must be at least an equal level of starches and not had the problem...

I would have thought that the cooking process changes the starches to their limit... As in, they've been boiled to buggery for 20 minutes, what's left to happen? And any further change that can be executed manually (by mashing) would be so minor as to be undetectable.

Are you sure there's not some deep-seated psychological issue involved? Were you spanked with the masher as a child? Forced to eat it cold after you dithered with your dinner?

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

I would have thought that the cooking process changes the starches to their limit... As in, they've been boiled to buggery for 20 minutes, what's left to happen? And any further change that can be executed manually (by mashing) would be so minor as to be undetectable.

Are you sure there's not some deep-seated psychological issue involved? Were you spanked with the masher as a child? Forced to eat it cold after you dithered with your dinner?

Hmmm, well I know from having been on GI and Southbeach diets in the past that of all the ways one can eat potatoes the one that's highest in simple carbs and the least difficult (supposedly) to digest and most likely to cause an insulin spike and therefore most troublesome if you're trying to loose weight is mashed potato.

I could have developed some kind of unconcious issue with mash spuds from knowing these things, but I've never heard of extreme bloating, stomach cramps and the en-veiled symptoms we wont mention being associated with psychosomatic ailments. Mind you I'm not a doctor (or tremendously clever) so what I don't know about a whole bunch of stuff doesn't bear contemplation :biggrin1:

 

[VernalTiger]

Hmmm, it must be something in the preparation. For whatever reason, a boiled potato has a GI of 56, but a microwaved spud is 82 - I'm guessing the difference is in the use of water and a longer cooking time. Boiling potatoes allows you to dump out a lot of starch with the cooking water. The same chart says that mashed potato has a GI of 70, but gives no mention of preparation methods or other ingredients.

Long story short? Don't eat mashed tatties, I guess.

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

Hmmm, it must be something in the preparation. For whatever reason, a boiled potato has a GI of 56, but a microwaved spud is 82 - I'm guessing the difference is in the use of water and a longer cooking time. Boiling potatoes allows you to dump out a lot of starch with the cooking water. The same chart says that mashed potato has a GI of 70, but gives no mention of preparation methods or other ingredients.

Long story short? Don't eat mashed tatties, I guess.

Yeah see I think the difference is that even in a boiled potato there remains a high level of dietry fibre, and more of the cellulose remains intact, but mashing it destroys the remaining cellulose and turns the potato into what is basically equivalent to potato flour porridge. The reason that even though mash has a GI of 70 and a microwaved spud has 82 but you can still eat microwave potatoes without gaining as much weight as you would from eating mash is because it simply takes your body much less energy to absorb the energy and carbs from the mash than it does an more intact potato.

It's like the difference between white rice and brown rice, correct me if I'm wrong but brown rice has a higher GI than white rice but because brown rice takes sooooooo much more energy to digest it remains a much better option if you're trying to keep the flab at bay.

The other thing I'm wondering is if perhaps the much more readily available sugars in the mash cause fermentation of some kind in the digestive tract in a way that more intact potatoes don't get the chance to do... :tongue::biggrin1:

 

[vince]

Maybe you're not really Irish. Maybe you were adopted from Romania!

 

[MickeyLee]

amylase allergy

comes from over heating/over whipping potatoes. is something to do with breaking down the starch cells. some people just get dog sick after eating mashed potatoes.

waxy potatoes are the worst. that gluey texture is gross to boot.

 

[D_Tim McGnaw]

amylase allergy

comes from over heating/over whipping potatoes. is something to do with breaking down the starch cells. some people just get dog sick after eating mashed potatoes.

waxy potatoes are the worst. that gluey texture is gross to boot.

OMG Doctor Mickey! Thank you, honestly, I'm so glad I asked this now.... how come you're so genius?!

 

[MickeyLee]

one of my former girlies was allergy girl.

i mean everything. she schooled me hardcore.

was good. cuz nothing but nothing spoils a mood like anaphlactic shock or projectile vomiting.

 

[VernalTiger]

cuz nothing but nothing spoils a mood like anaphlactic shock or projectile vomiting.

Maybe for some...
:biggrin1:

 

[AlteredEgo]

My HS sweetheart was allergic to wheat, but only in certain preparations. He could eat bread, but not pretzels. Cereals were okay, as long as they used sugar, not salt. He could not eat wheat and salt at the same time. Freaky.

 

[MickeyLee]

Maybe for some...
:biggrin1:

*blink* respect ya levels of freakosity