Food Allergy and Sensitivity
Sensitivities to a particular food may result in canker sores—many interchange food allergies with food sensitivity. Food allergies are the reaction of the immune system to a food. This may cause life-threatening conditions, while food sensitivity or intolerance is a reaction to a substance found in food.
Common causes of food sensitivity and allergy are acidic fruits. These citrusy fruits could cause the appearance of mouth ulcers. The citrus content of these foods aggravates the mouth’s soft lining tissue. Irritation from these will lead to sores. If left untreated, these sores will become painful mouth ulcers. Surprisingly, nuts can also trigger mouth ulcers. The L-Arginine found in nuts contributes to the swelling and worsening of mouth ulcers. Chocolate can also cause canker sores. This is because of the alkaloid content found in chocolate called obromide. Obromide is a carbon tetrachloride that can cause allergic food reactions. People with a chocolate allergy will develop mouth ulcers quickly due to that compound. The disruption of the soft tissue lining caused by spicy foods can also trigger a mouth ulcer. Spicy foods are also full of acid. Like citrus fruits, they can share the same effect in the mouth.
