How can I tell if my child is allergic to a food?
My daughter had a bowl of fresh pineapple and within minutes began complaining that her tongue was stinging. Her taste buds look raised and red. I had her drink some milk, but she still has discomfort. Should I be concerned about this?
Your daughter’s discomfort and the raised papillae on her tongue were most likely due to the acidic nature of pineapple. This same reaction can occur with other acidic foods such as tomatoes, oranges and grapefruit. It generally happens when people eat a fairly large amount of the fresh fruit. Whole milk or yogurt or ice cream can help, but bread sometimes works better. It’s unlikely this was an allergic reaction as that will generally cause itching rather than pain.
