A few weeks ago we had an email from Joyce who, for some reason, I think lives in the US… I could be completely wrong! Anyhow, she was really addressing her question to Dr Janice Joneja who, as you probably know, runs an on going Q&A series for us on the subject of histamine intolerance. And her questions was as follows:
When I eat anything that has vinegar in it I have food poisoning reaction. Severe stomach cramps. Nausea, diarrhea and pounding headache. Is this something I should be concerned about? It has only been over the past 5 years that these symptoms have come on (I’m 64).
Doctors just tell me to stay away from vinegar.
Any input would be appreciated.
I responded:
We are not doctors, as you know, so cannot give you any medical advice but, if you do not react to any of the foods from which vinegar is made (wine, apples, raspberries etc) then it would seem that it is the fermentation that is the problem. But do you react to any other fermented foods – sauerkraut, fermented cheeses etc?
To which Dr Joneja added:
I completely agree with your response, Michelle. One could proffer theoretical reasons for such a reaction, but to what end? She would still need to avoid vinegar! Unless she has reactions to other foods, I would tell her not to worry.
And Joyce replied……
Thank you for your reply.
To answer your question, Sauerkraut will put me on the floor doubled over in excruciating pain with diarrhoea afterwards. Cheeses don’t seem to bother me as much in normal (small) amounts.
I took a antihistamine tablet last week, not for any of the above symptoms but did notice that when I ate a deli sandwich that had pickles, oil and vinegar on it, I was not bothered. I wonder if there might be a connection.
To which I responded…….
Well the vinegar fermentation would seem to be a relevant issue here – cheese is also fermented but the base (milk products as opposed to fruit) is different which might be the explanation.
The antihistamine could, I guess have helped with your deli sandwich although maybe it had more to do with the fact that the pickles were heavily diluted and masked (from you stomach’s point of view) by the other starchy and fatty components of the sandwich?
Shall I put you query up on my blog and see if anyone else has any suggestions to offer?
To which she said: Yes please…..
So I am! Any input gratefully received!!
(Infused vinegars image, courtesy of Williams Sonoma!)
Hi Michelle
A very small proportion of my clients react adversely to all vinegars, [1% in a survey that I did in 2012]
• sometimes when they also have a yeast, cheese, yogurt intolerance, but mostly not.
• sometimes when they also react to other fermented products like malt or soy sauce, but mostly not.
In a large majority of cases they managed to use vinegar again after a a STRICT 3 month exclusion of it. But this necessitated VERY detailed reading of ingredients in all products. What such people may have noticed is a reaction after a large amount of vinegar…like in the sauerkraut, but maybe not to a small amount…eg in many breads.
The way forward for such a person is to exclude even the small amounts of vinegar like that, in order to lose their intolerance, to enable themselves to use vinegar again without a reaction.
Mary Roe
Registered Nurse Specialist in food intolerance
http://www.maryroefoodintolerancetesting.com
I have a problem with vinegar, as does my father. I can eat things that were marinated and then cooked, or if it’s added before a cooking process I’m fine. But I can’t have pickles, a lot of salad dressings, a lot of barbeque sauces, sauerkraut, and any other number of things. I basically get food poisoning responses, but thankfully not the puking part. Sometimes the smell of it can set me off.
I use white vinegar in place of water softener, and it does not cause a skin reaction. I can have mushrooms, cheeses, and other things that have gone through a fermentation process.
My dad has all the same symptoms I do. It’s so weird!
When I ingest vinegar from pickles, mustard, ketchup, bbq sauce, soy sauce, etc. I get immediate reactions. I become flushed, my heart pounds, my forehead beads with sweat and I feel like I can’t get a deep enough breath.
When I smell vinegar, I still experience a reaction where I have to leave the area or cover my nose and mouth to get a breath. But I do not experience the heart pounding or the sweating. Weird that I never liked pickles or Mustard, but when with child, craved dill pickle and pimento cheese sandwiches. After delivery began the reactions.
I have suffered for at least 35 years…I’m 72 now with chronic cough. This has been investigated but to no avail. I have mucus in the throat which can be really bad and bring on terrible attacks of coughing. I wonder if it is a food intolerance so doing a bit of research wonder if histamine is the culprit. I experimented taking an antihistamine and was very much better. I noted vinegar was a high histamine food and I have it each day on my salad. Today I left it off and haven’t been too bad. What are your thoughts?
It is certainly a possibility, Wendy. I would suggest that you did a little more research to see whether you also appear to be worse when you eat other high histamine foods. You can read an article by histamine expert Dr Janice Joneja here – or you can buy her Beginner’s Guide to Histamine intolerance which will give you a fuller picture.
Good luck…
Thank you very much will do
Well, I have a strange reaction to vinegar that I’ve never seen mentioned ANYWHERE!. When my sister and I were little and we were done with our bath, my mother would drain the tub, then have us stand with our heads down. She would then pour vinegar on our hair. The nasty stuff would run into my nose and I would gag. Ever since then, whenever I smell vinegar, I will gag and retch. But this didn’t happen to my sister. To me, it’s the most foul-smelling stuff. So anything that has vinegar in it (such as mayonnaise, salad dressings, etc.), I cannot eat if I can smell it. BUT, I make potato salad that has both mustard and mayo, and since the strong smell of mustard cuts the smell of mayo, I can eat it. I can eat pickles, along with catsup and mustard (in small amounts). I truly wish I could eat salad dressings, but alas, the stench makes me push away from the table. Any ideas or comments? Has anyone heard of other people with this reaction?
So sorry – I have only just seen this. I think this is what would be termed an ‘aversion’ rather than an allergy – a taste/smell strongly connected with a very unpleasant memory rather than any physiological reaction. Which menas that you might be able to get rid of it with the help of something like CBT (Cognitive Behaioural Therapy) which woud help to retrain your brain/memory so that the smell of vinegar became disconnected from your horrible memory. It might be worth a try? Good luck.
I went to an allergist 35 years ago. I was developing a chronic cough. My doctor said it was asthma. Wendy Wright’s comment reminded me of this. I stopped eating vinegar, foods that contained vinegar and the other foods I was allergic to. I felt so much better after I eliminated these foods. I hadn’t realized what eating these foods had been doing to my body. I think if Wendy would give up the vinegar she may no longer have that cough. Of all my food allergies, giving up vinegar was the hardest. I do wish I could eat it again. Even smelling it if it is sprayed will give me asthma.
I cannot tolerate any products containing vinegar – mayo, mustard, pickled veggies, ketchup, etc. I cannot stand the smell of it let alone the taste. I’m like a drug-searching dog, as I know when a food item has even the smallest amount of vinegar or items containing vinegar. If I accidentally put a food item in my mouth that contains vinegar, my automatic reaction is to immediately spit it out. I often wondered if there was a vinegar taste bud. If there is, I definitely don’t have it.
So I have extreme vinegar allergy, I have to carry an epi pen. If I eat something with vinegar my tongue swells and I have breathing issues. I also have started to avoid soy due to the same issues. Is there a guide out there on vinegar substitute cause I am really missing enjoying food.
Hi Brittany.
Those with histamine intolerance – whose symptoms closely match allergy as in allergy the body’s reaction to a substance to which it is allergic is to release large amounts of histamine – also react badly to vinegar and to lemon juice. However, they are able to tolerate tararic acid (which you can buy in a chemists) dissolved in a little boiling water. Tartaric acid is an ingredient of cream of tartar/baking powder but is not the same thing. The tartaric acid works well as a vinegar substitute – see my Histamine Intolerance the Cookbook.
Howwever, before using it PLEASE BE SURE THAT YOU TEST OUT A TINY AMOUNT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO NOT REACT TO IT.