Okra (also called ladies' fingers) is a vegetable in the Malvaceae family of plants, this family includes durian fruit and cocoa beans.

There are no recorded allergens for okra by the World Health Organization (WHO), because there have not been enough study into allergic effects from this food. If you are interested in what is needed by the WHO before they add an allergen to their allergen database you can check that out HERE.

Okra is high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

Okra contains a moderate amount of lectins, another cause of food intolerance. Cooking foods with lectins makes them more digestible and can reduce the symptoms of food intolerance.

Okra is a high FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Okra has been linked to occupational contact dermatitis in those who pick, process or cook with okra regularly.

There have been recent studies which show okra is a trigger for FPIES in certain people.

Other plants in the Malvaceae family of plants include durian fruit and cocoa beans.

The food lists are not exhaustive, the most up to date information is on the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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