My Black Pepper Blues

How many times have you discovered that what you were looking for was hidden in plain sight? Like car keys. For me, an unsolved health mystery was solved this past year, when I discovered a food irritant that was hidden in plain sight. Black Pepper.

I had seen numerous doctors, allergists and dermatologists over the years... not one of them mentioned black pepper as a possible allergen or food irritant. Nor did I find much on the Internet. I discovered it on my own, after eliminating many other foods from my diet including gluten, that I am indeed intolerant of black pepper... a seasoning I love and put on every savory meal I served, day after day... all my life. It turns out that I do not react adversely to any other type of pepper, so I am able to substitute black pepper with cayenne just fine.

Another discovery I made is that one can develop combined-food allergies and irritations. Black pepper and raw tomatoes are toxic to my system. Who doesn't like freshly sliced tomatoes with mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper?

Whether an allergen or and food irritation, there may be a sea of people in the world, like me, who have a negative reaction to black pepper, but are unable to recognize it as being the cause of their symptoms. For me, black pepper does not cause an anaphylactic response, but a host of hard to diagnose problems from head and sinus to esophagus and gut, including gastroespohageal reflux disease (GERD).

Food Irritants

"In contrast to a food allergy, a food intolerance is not an immuno-response. Symptoms may include any irritation to your digestive system, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, heartburn, bloating, cramps, constipation, or diarrhea, but will not include a rash, hives, severe anaphylactic shock, or long-lasting damage to your digestive system, as can sometimes happen with food allergies. Discovering which (if any) foods you are intolerant to is often a matter of keeping track of your diet and symptoms. A elimination diet or diet journal may be helpful." - IBS Diet

After eliminating black pepper from my diet, my chronic symptoms completely disappeared. When ever I dine out, I am very selective about what I order, always verifying that the dish want to order is gluten and black pepper free. Occasionally, there is black pepper in take-out food, which becomes apparent within minutes or hours of ingesting it. I do the best I can, but black pepper is a common seasoning in most savory foods.

Food Allergies

I found only a hand full of online articles about black pepper as an allergen: allergynursing, helium, squiddo, ehow and allallergy. If you suspect your child may have food allergies, check out Children Specialists of San Diego.