Urticaria or hives is a skin issue that causes elevated, reddish welts or wheals on the skin and often accompanied by itchiness. If an individual is susceptible to hives, there are certain foods that can instigate their development.
Consumption of foods that are packed with amines, salicylates or glutamate which are natural compounds present in various foods particularly vegetables, fruits, spices, nuts and teas can trigger hives. Always bear in mind that the safest fruit to eat in order to avoid a reaction is fresh pear. The fruit can be eaten when it is ripe and peel it to minimize the salicylate content.
Citrus
Citrus fruits have a very high content of amine and salicylate. An individual prone to outbreaks of hives should avoid all citrus fruits to keep the hives under control. This includes oranges, grapefruit, tangelos, clementines, limes and lemons. It is vital to stay away from juices taken from citrus fruits since they still contain the same natural food chemicals in even higher concentrations.
Berries
Berries are packed with two natural food chemicals that can instigate hives – amines and salicylates. The individual should avoid eating cranberries, blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries to prevent the manifestation of the symptoms.
Even though strawberries do not contain amines, they are rich in salicylates and must be avoided as well.
Tropical fruits
Several tropical fruits contain elevated amounts of natural food chemicals that might be responsible for triggering the hives. The individual should eliminate passionfruit, kiwifruit, mango and pineapple from his/her diet due to the high amine and salicylate content. If the individual eats bananas, the fruit must be eaten when they are suitably ripe because as they ripen even more, the amine content increases drastically and can trigger the skin issues.
Dried fruits
The process of drying fruits can cause the natural food chemicals within them to become even more concentrated. The individual should eliminate all types of dried fruits from his/her diet including dried apricots, dried apples, raisins, dried bananas or dried cranberries in order to see an improvement with the hives.
Tomatoes and avocadoes
Even though avocadoes and tomatoes are typically eaten as vegetables, they are actually included in the fruit family. Just like with various fruits, avocadoes and tomatoes both have elevated content of natural food chemicals that are linked with hives. Avoidance of fresh avocado and guacamole as well as tomato sauces, fresh tomatoes, tomato juice, catsup, tomato sauce, salsas, tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes should be observed.
Grape and cherries
Grapes and cherries should also be avoided since grapes are rich in salicylates, glutamates and amines. As for cherries, they are packed with amines and salicylates. Elimination of all fruits that have high amounts of natural food chemicals can help the individual properly manage the symptoms and drastically improve the appearance of the skin.
Remember that some individuals who have allergies to these foods will not only develop hives, but other symptoms of an allergic reaction.