Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Carrots and Hiccups

Anyone else out there get hiccups every time they eat raw carrots?



This has happened to me ever since I was a very young child. Carrot sticks = hiccups is just part of my routine. Celery sticks do not cause hiccups. Nor do any other fresh veggies. Grated carrots don't either. Nor do cooked ones. But one bite of a raw carrot has me reaching for the water for my get rid of hiccups quick trick that I mastered decades ago.

Most people think the whole carrot hiccup thing is odd.

My mother does not.

Because she has the exact same issue with them and has as long as she can remember too.

No one else in the family does. Just the two of us. So we laugh and take comfort in the fact that, if we're crazy, at least we're crazy together.

The other day I cut myself some carrot sticks and celery sticks for an afternoon snack. One bite of the carrot stick and the hiccups started. I got rid of them with my drinking water trick and then headed off to the couch with the rest of my snack. It occurred to me as I reached for my iPad to continue my magazine that perhaps I should do some internet research to see what's up with this whole carrot hiccup thing.

Guess what I learned?

1. I learned that there are a whole bunch of people out there who get hiccups from eating raw carrots. No other veggies. Just raw carrots. And by a bunch I mean like a whole bunch.

2. I learned that there is no obvious answer as to why this happens. It is not a carrot allergy - that much I concluded. A few websites said that we are eating the carrots too quickly but I know that, for myself anyway, even when I pay attention and chew slowly, I still get the hiccups on the first bite. I know I am only an n of one but there were others who seemed to think that this hypothesis was horsepoop too.

3. I also learned that one woman started a website as a support group for people who get hiccups from raw carrots so that they could feel less alone. I read through the comments and every single person wrote something along the lines of "Omigod I thought I was the only one".

So guess what I did?

I called my mom of course.

And told her that we were not crazy.

38 comments:

  1. I hiccup when I eat spicy peppers--though I think this might be more common occurrence than hiccuping from carrots. I'm not sure how carrots affect me, because I won't eat them. When I'm asleep and have a dry-mouth, my dreams are all about choking on carrots. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My mom and I thought we were the only ones!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wonder for how many other people this seems to be hereditary? My mom and I both have this problem, although she has it far worse than I do. I've seen a lot of comments on the net about this seeming to run in families.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just ate one small cooked carrot-and guess what-instant hiccups!!! Nothing else causes this-but carrots-always!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been doing it for years. How silly... Everyone laughs at me cause I eat them anyhow! Just drink a glass of water and that seems to fix it!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my God, me toooo! Every time! Why????

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am eating carrots right now and started to hiccup so I decided to finally look up if I'm the only person on this planet that has the same reaction.
    I am very pleased to have come across many pages like this one, that reassured me that I am not alone. WHEW!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Every. Single. Time. and do they laugh at me? Yes. Every. Single. Time. I've never known a single other person with this affliction until today! Thank you, internet!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have the same exact issue. People told me to stop eating carrots, but I like them! I thought it was a fluke the first time, but after it continued to happen I figured I better look into this a bit further. I do not eat them fast. I do not swallow any additional air with a carrot, I eat the same way with all foods. I even tried taking a smaller bite, chewing it up really fine in my mouth and it still had the same affect. Glad to know I am not alone!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have the same exact issue. People told me to stop eating carrots, but I like them! I thought it was a fluke the first time, but after it continued to happen I figured I better look into this a bit further. I do not eat them fast. I do not swallow any additional air with a carrot, I eat the same way with all foods. I even tried taking a smaller bite, chewing it up really fine in my mouth and it still had the same affect. Glad to know I am not alone!

    ReplyDelete
  11. So glad to see this blog! I googled "why do raw carrots make me..." and the word hiccup came up. Except mine isn't hiccups it's seriously painful trapped air in my esophagus that sometimes makes me sort of like barf and salivate and all kinds of run to the bathroom things. When it's over I'm very glad but it takes a while. Well I only just finally made the connection, but then doubted myself and ate a carrot this morning and there it was again. I'm done! Mine will be cooked from here on out.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This is an important issue, how do we get
    on the scientific research list? Although it is a great excuse not to have to eat raw carrots.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hiccuping right now!! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you! My mom and I are also in the raw carrot hiccup category!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So happy to find that I am not alone! :) thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have this issue with raw carrots, turnip, and cauliflower, but not when they are cooked.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I get hiccups when I eat dry bread, carrots and apples. It's so frustrating but not enough for me to stop eating them.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amazing that no one has the answer for why. I also have had this from as long as I can remember and just with raw carrots. I'm sure someone could get some research money to check this out.

    ReplyDelete
  19. And I translated hiccup and carrot from the Dutch word "hik" and "wortel" and how funny what I found. The supportgroup. I wanted to stop the hiccup ofcourse. By the way I also have type 1 diabetes. I still eat carrots. Regards from the Netherlands, Marijke

    ReplyDelete
  20. OMG - Add me to the list! Every time I bring them to work for snack or lunch hiccups begin with the first bite and my co-workers start laughing and say "Noreen must be eating carrots"! Glad to know I'm not the only one! Noreen

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you... I'm not alone! My whole office thinks it's hysterical when I hiccup but it hurts. Literally, it hurts

    ReplyDelete
  22. I mentioned to my mum last night that it drives me crazy, I eat raw carrots and hiccup she said "So do I", it was great to see on the internet that I was not the only one. As soon as Im finished the carrots the hiccups stop.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Brought carrots to snack on and forgot about the hiccup thing until the first bite! Then remembered that it always happens so, naturally, I googled it. Glad I'm not alone!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I get hiccups also upon eating raw carrots...and as soon as I quit eating them...my hiccups go away so it's no big deal! I was just curious as to why this happens and that is how I came across this web site. Nice to know there are many of us out there!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I only hiccup once after the first bite.....

    ReplyDelete
  26. Yep Definitely not alone, just last night hiccup fit for my raw baby carrot addiction. Well I guess its the small price to pay for a healthy snack.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well well!! Very interesting! I start hiccuping on the first bite sometimes. But, 100% of the time I'll hiccup for a half hour or so. I'm dieting and love to munch on those Petite carrots.
    I'd love to know WHY?!?!?!?

    ReplyDelete
  28. Thinking body chemistry BC me too. I have factor v leiden

    ReplyDelete
  29. .....and my grandma was diabetic

    ReplyDelete
  30. This happens to me too and I also Googled it to see if it was just me. Imagine my surprise to see many, many people have this same problem. I also have to have my esophagus dilated from time to time and have found a way to turn the hiccups into a somewhat positive; I use an indicator as to when it is time for me to have this procedure done to make swallowing food easier for me. When I can't control it by drinking water with every bite...I know it's time for the procedure. Thanks for this wonderful blog!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I always hiccups when I eat carrots, I'm glad to know I'm not alone! This also happens to me when I eat muffins, anyone else's have this problem?

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have always got hiccups when eating raw carrots too. I get laughed at a lot at work when I eat them. Brown bread used to do it too but not as often now. Been like it since I was a little girl and I'm 55 now. 😊😊

    ReplyDelete
  33. This ALWAYS happens to me with raw button mushrooms. Just now it happened with baby carrots. I tried to google about mushrooms and it just brought up drugs lol I'll have to pay attention and see if it always happens with carrots (I snack on mushrooms more often)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Incidentally, I do not have diabetes and I don't think anyone in my family does, so I don't think that's the connection. But I'm about to text my friend who does and ask if it happens to her.

      Delete
  34. Factoid: Cooked carrots are actually more nutritious than raw ones, so another good reason to switch.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I've always wondered if chewing a raw carrot releases some sort of gas that we're reacting to. Any food scientists out there?

    ReplyDelete