Thursday, May 22, 2008

CARROTS. AND HICCUPS.

Yes, an odd combination without question. But I noticed years ago that eating raw carrots tended to give me hiccups. It's one of those things that you dismiss at first. But last night we had carrots for supper. Usually cooked carrots aren't an issue, but this time they hit me. Must have been cooked too lightly. So today I did what any self-respecting person would do. I Googled it. After some poking around I found no answer to the condition, but did find a lot of other people have it. I also found the new website CarrotHiccups.com. Alas, there's not too much there yet, but perhaps soon we can have our own certified medical condition.

84 comments:

Mary Ann Abner said...

You know, my mom gets the hiccups when she eats a hamburger and drinks a Coke. It has to be in combination, though. A Coke alone or a burger alone won't do it.

Anonymous said...

Today I decided to look into my unusual carrot/hiccup connection and found your website... So glad to know that I'm not the only one out there!!!

Becky said...

Ha! This has happened to me for years. I'm glad I'm not alone!

Anonymous said...

Carrots always cause hiccups with me - thought I was weird till today when I googled it.

Also - soda threw a straw will make me hiccup - garunteed.

C.Padmanabhan said...

I think we should further investigate the problem. I have hiccups everytime i eat raw carrots. It is certainly good to feel that I have company. So why dont we do a bit more of research and rope in some real medical man to help us tide over the issue. We could also share other problems and look for commonalities. I have gout as well though i am not sure they are linked.

Annie said...

Wow. I've had the carrot/hiccup connection for years also and finally decided to google it. I was surprised to find so many entries! We're not alone!

Beth said...

Count me in, too. It's weird though, that in a culture in which we value individuality, it is so comforting to find oneself part of a group. In this case, a group of hiccuping carrot eaters.

Jools said...

Yep, me too, raw carrots & hiccups. Funny how we all "googled" it to find the reason why.

Anonymous said...

I not only get carrot hiccups, I also get apple hiccups! The only thing I can find on it is that hiccups happen when our diaphragm starts to spasm. But the diaphragm really isn’t to blame for kick-starting them because the phrenic nerve controls diaphragm movement. When we take in excess air, overeat until our stomach distends or eat spicy food, for instance, it can irritate the nerve, triggering the diaphragm spasm. The tremor then causes us to inhale quickly at the same time that our epiglottis (a.k.a. voice box) closes, and we hiccup. Almost every place I look it claims it is from eating them too fast or too big of bites. ???

Anonymous said...

I have hiccuped eating raw carrots my whole life. I also hiccup when eating eating a burger and soda through a straw (only together). I always assumed I had an issue with my diaphram but never brought it up to a medical professional because I thought they would think I was a weirdo. So glad I'm not alone.

Laura said...

I thought I was the only one. I've only noticed carrots as a definite trigger for hiccups for about the past 5 years. I wonder if a hiatal hernia causes a connection. Happy to find this site via google!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I found this site! I also get hiccups right after eating raw carrots. Could it be a minor allergy???

DMS said...

I've had the same problem for as long as I can remember. Today while munching on the first homegrown carrots of the season I decided it was time to Google it and guess what I found? I'm not alone.

Carrotloverhiccuphater said...

There are two types of people on the planet. People who have hiccups when they eat carrots and the people who don't!

Anonymous said...

WOW I am so glad I am not alone, I too get the hiccups when I eat raw carrots. Google it today after eating a carrot and getting the hiccups and was pleasantly suprised to find it is quite normal!

Kirk Jordan said...

Count me looking for the answer. I hiccup when I eat carrots. Everytime. but I don't yet see an answer.

Anonymous said...

My husband always teased me about this and thought it was all in my head! Glad I'm not the only one. RAW carrots are the only food that gives me hiccups (they are wicked and often lasts 30 minutes)

Anonymous said...

I am eating a carrot and have the hiccups right now!

Anonymous said...

MEEE TOOOO

Anonymous said...

I just googled this to see if I was abnormal. Raw carrots have given me hiccups my whole life. My kids think its hilarious

Anonymous said...

Count me in too! I have had this same problems for several years.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad that I'm not the only one! My husband and childen find it so funny that I get the hiccups every time I eat raw carrots. I on the other hand, don't.

Anonymous said...

I'm now in the Google family of carrot-eating-hiccupers! Yay! I thought it was the strangest thing, and my kids keep telling me to find a new snack!

Anonymous said...

I thought I was crazy. So happy to see there are many out there like me. I love raw carrots so always eat with a glass of water nearby to help conquor the hiccups sooner.

goentropo said...

I'm now part of the Google-carrot-hiccup family but I became really annoyed with the all-knowing pontificating morons who said we were all eating too fast. Seriously, if that was the case, it would happen with more than just carrots.

The best and most logical answer I found is that there is something in the carrot which triggers the problem, possible the texture ...
Hiccups are the UNCONTROLLED contractions of the diaphragm muscle (which controls breathing). This fetal reflex is thought to get the 'new born ready to breath' before birth (ref:https://www.healthtap.com/#topics/why-do-carrots-give-me-hiccups)

At least it's not chocolate or my G&T's that trigger it *phew*....

Anonymous said...

Have had this same problem all my life and will be 65 in a couple of months. No other food causes this in me. Glad I am not alone.

Tweet in the City said...

I can't believe that so many other people are carrot munching hiccuppers, I thought it was just me.

I love carrots so I am often hiccuping, it feels like part of a routine! It usually happens when I eat them on an empty stomach.

I'd be interested to know more. I thought perhaps it was to do with the enzymes ??

Lou

Joy said...

Wow, this is strange...it happens to me all he time and I decided to look it up. Guess I am not alone? As soon as I take a bite of raw carrots, the hiccups start. I just thought I was "different", maybe we should start a study of sorts about this carrot hiccup phenomenon?

Sarah O'Donnell said...

I am at work and just ate a raw carrot. I hiccuped so loud that my office workers heard it and laughed! If this is the worst condition to have, its ok with me......
Sarah O'Donnell
New Jersey

Unknown said...

this is awesome! feels good to know im normal! I am just realizing the correlation between the two, but looking back its been happening for years!!! I think its an allergy. Because I eat my carrot the same speed I eat everything else!!

Anonymous said...

Im 16 and Ive had carrot hiccups for as long as I could remember... I seriously thought it was only me with this problem. Today my mom was making a carrot cake so she asked if I could shred the carrots and I literally took like a half a teaspoon bite of raw carrot and I got the hiccups lol Hopefully we can discover whats making this happen! :)

Anonymous said...

Yes, me too, always , aways after raw carrots, - I never don't get them. they are are very powerful and i have to drink at least 0.5 l of water to stop them but they still might come back later on in the day. I also get hiccups after eating raw cabbage and broccoli centre but not always like with the carrot. Just for further info, I am 5.7' - 50 kg - 39 years old with good metabolism, and generally good health (could do with better immunity system , but who wouldn't?)

Unknown said...

Hello fellow sufferer! I have the raw carrot hiccup, cold soda, and ice cube hiccup. I asked a very littered gastro doc about it and his answer was, just don't eat raw carrots! :-( duh! I have no answer. It bothers me. Once I drank soda with ice at a store and spit it all over, because I hiccuped. I never drank cold soda with ice again. That was 14 years ago. With exception to try if it has resolved on it's own. It hasn't! Melissa

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! I have the same carrot/hiccup issue, but it happens only with the first raw carrot I eat, never with any of the following ones. And I hiccup with the first sip of soda, too. Maybe it's my body's way of telling my brain to check what I'm putting in.

Anonymous said...

Count me in as another one who gets hiccups when eating raw carrots. Always have. I am an energetic practitioner and can identify and correct allergic responses. This is not an allergy. At least not for me.

Interesting that there are so many of us.

Nika said...

Hi! Please count me in! It is good to know there are people like you :-). It is only carrots that give me hiccups.
You don't have to have your hiccups for 30 min! My mum taught me to stop them very effectively and quickly and I do it ever since my childhood.
While in standing position bend a little ad if tilting ahead and let somebody give you a slow drink of water - you have to drink slowly in bended position. Usually a few gulps are enough to stop hiccups. When you straighten up do it also slowly to sustain your diaphragm calm. :-) good luck!

Anonymous said...

OK - Just adding to the chorus - so glad I am not alone in this. It is entirely weird, no matter what the actual cause.

DRK said...

I start hiccuping on the first bite of those pre-packaged baby carrots. Someone told me it is the pesticides they use when growing them. Not sure if that is true but washing them off with water first helps dramatically.

Mia Autumn said...

count me in too. But can anyone tell me the reason

Anonymous said...

I've been getting hiccups after eating raw carrots for some time now. I really didn't expect to find any results when I searched for why carrots make me hiccup. But today I ate some raw brussel sprouts and got hiccups, so I figured I'd google it and found that I am not alone. Hmmmm.

Laura McLaughlin said...

Me too! I was just having some raw baby carrots for a snack, got hiccups and decided to Google it... Funny how many of us there are and yet there doesn't seem to be a consensus as to what causes them. Nice to know we aren't alone :)

Anonymous said...

I am 53 years old this Dec. I always get hiccups while eating raw carrots. I also get them when eating cold french fries.

noelle3036 said...

Gotta love the internet, I thought I was a freak until I found this!

Queen_of_Pain said...

Holy cow! I just googled this today. I have avoided raw carrots for years because they have caused me to hiccup since 1986! I thought I was weird. It's the only thing that causes me to hiccup when I eat them. I do like them...so like one of the peeps that posted before me...I keep water near by when I eat them. If I drink water after bites, it stops them immediately.

Anonymous said...

I am another one that gets carrot hiccups, but wondered if I wasn't chewing them well enough. I have only had them in the last few years. I am wondering if it could be related to a hiatal hernia. Hiccups are listed as a symptom.

Katrina said...

This is quite hilarious. I, too, have hiccups every time i eat raw carrots—and it happens after the first bite! I wondered if it was something to do with inhaling air when i put a long stick in my mouth, but it doesn't happen in other scenarios. That was a genuine train of thought and now i feel dirty. Hah!

Anonymous said...

Yes ! I would have to say 'ditto' to everyone who has commented before me. Had it for years and just today googled it and you're site was #1.

Anonymous said...

Raw carrots give me hiccups too.

Anonymous said...

Yep, all my life, including right now, half a carrot left, determined to eat it all too.

Anonymous said...

I have the same!! Feeling a sense of comunicty now :)

Anonymous said...

I've had this for as long as I can remember! I had no idea so many other people get the same reaction! I'm sitting here eating carrots, and hiccups started as usual, so finally decided to google it. Crazy!

Imogen said...

I too get hiccups from eating raw carrots and have done for years - oddly though, if I dip the carrots, say in hummus or ranch dip, and then eat them I don't have the hiccup issue - very random!

Anonymous said...

It is only with raw carrots. Finally thought to Google it. We are a special breed evidently.

Anonymous said...

ME2
I have joined the group!

Anonymous said...

me too!

Unknown said...

Wow! Guess I'm not alone. Happens every time I eat carrots - it drives me crazy! I'm honestly eating a carrot and hiccuping as I type this. HAHA! What causes this???

Unknown said...

Wow! Guess I'm not alone! Happens to me every time I eat carrots - it drives me crazy!!! I'm honestly eating a carrot and hiccuping as I type this. HAHA!

Anonymous said...

Hahaha! me too -- it always happens and I just ate a raw carrot and there goes the hiccuping so I finally just googled it! and here we all are!!!

Anonymous said...

Awesome! A community of hiccupers.I too have gotten the hiccups forever because of carrots (fresh grown or packaged). I also get them from white rice and soda. Sometimes they are very strong and are painful.

Anonymous said...

Add me to the list! It has plagued me for years, and as it just occurred a few minutes ago, I thought I'd look it up!

J-Me said...

Wow, so many. I have had this problem for years. I love raw carrots but very often get hiccups after eating them. Usually just a mild annoyance. A couple of nights ago it was scary though. Started hiccupping and then my throat seamed to close up, it was really painful. Caused me to throw up since they were stuck in my throat. I was thinking it was maybe some weird allergy but my breathing was fine.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see I am not alone. Having a drink of cold water while eating raw carrots seems to solve my hiccups.

Anonymous said...

I am a carrot hiccuper! Seems to only last thru the first 4 or 5. I have done this for as long as I can remember

Anonymous said...

I get raw carrot hiccups...it's very strange!

Anonymous said...

I am hiccuping and eating raw carrots as I write this! This is so weird!!!

Anonymous said...

Ditto! Happy I'm not alone in this! Raw carrots and rice, the two foods that always give me hiccups!

Anonymous said...

Haha hilarious there's so many of us hiccupping raw carrot eaters! My mom gets the same effect from them. I also get hiccups from toast, but only dry or buttered toast, not if I eat it with peanut butter or jam on it...weird.

Heidi said...

Raw carrot hiccuping groupie!!! Yea, not alone

Anonymous said...

I'm a fellow hiccuping carrot eater too. Like you all I googled it!

Anonymous said...

Actually, you are eating them too quickly. Don't believe me? Cut the carrot up and chew each piece 20 times. Problem solved. You may now chew in peace.

Anonymous said...

Im so happy Im not the only one!! Ive been hiccuping for years after eating raw carrots. Cooked ones are fine but every time I eat a raw one Im hiccuping all over the place!

Anonymous said...

Me as well....... carrots and bread are my nemesis.

L. Slater said...

Eating raw carrots, hiccuping, and googling right now. I also always hiccup eating white bread. I read once when I googled about the bread that it was due to a larger than normal amount of food being swallowed which triggers something in the esophagus . If I chew the carrots longer than I really do if I'm not thinking about it then I do not hiccup as much!

Anonymous said...

This carrot/hiccup thing is bizarre! and its usually only the first few bites.

WHAT IS IT!!! I want to know so badly!

Kathi said...

I first noticed that eating raw carrots gave me the hiccups when I was 13. I am now 50. It never fails. I believe it happens to me 99% of the time. The only time I really don't get the hiccups after eating raw carrots is if there are small slivers sprinkled on a salad; apparently not enough to trigger this reaction. I am wondering what causes this?? Is it a "carrot" allergy???

Anonymous said...

I just got them again when eating raw carrots hello fellow hiccuppers

Anonymous said...

I've had the same problem as long as I can remember. Almost any time I eat raw carrots, I get loud, hard hiccups that are spaced closely together and stop after just a few minutes. If I eat certain cheeses (usually slices or cubes of cheddar) it happens, too. I really doubt it's an allergy because I am quite healthy and no one in my entire family has any known allergies. But it sure would be nice to know what's up with the carrot hiccups! :)

Anonymous said...

Same here!...I eat a banana and it goes away :)

Mamiki said...

I'm so glad I'm not alone I surely thought there was something wrong with me. Thanks to Google I stumbled across people with the same problem as I do.😃

Anonymous said...

Yep, a handful of baby carrots = hiccups!!
Also bread!
Glad to have all this company, maybe it is the non-hiccupers that are weird!

Margie said...

I've found my people! It only dawned on me today (after I started hiccuping while eating a... carrot, of course!) that I should google it.

Unknown said...

I had to google it as I TOO get the hiccups when I eat carrots. Glad to know that I'm not the only one? I don't see an answer to why we get it, did anyone ever find out?

Anonymous said...

Well same for me only raw baby carrots. As soon as I eat one the hiccup starts but if I continue to eat them it stops.

Amy said...

Not only did I get the hiccups, but I got this weird pain in the neck. It felt like my throat constricting, the chewed carrots like a lump going down, and resulting pain. Too weird eh? I guess my body knows better than I do, I shall stay away or very small amounts of carrot from now on. Cooked carrots are not a problem and we have such lovely tender garden grown carrots this year.

Amy