Red meat lovers, beware: a bite from the lone star tick could force you to give up your favorite meal.

The lone star tick exists in much of the eastern United States, including parts of New York, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If the tick bite deposits the alpha-galactose sugar molecule into the bloodstream, it can cause the body to develop an immune response while digesting foods with “alpha-gal” in them, like red meat and cheeses.

Tom Ryan, a PhD candidate at Cornell University and ornithologist, received his diagnosis a few months ago after he got sick from things like mushroom pizza and steak. This comes about three years after having his first reaction in a remote part of Australia while visiting a friend.

“It was shocking,” said Ryan. “I was dizzy. I threw up all over his small home in the middle of nowhere there.”

He can now only eat poultry or freshly washed fruits and vegetables. His immune system is sensitive to cross-contamination, which causes him to forgo some restaurants.

“If somebody’s at something like a Chipotle, and they’ve got pork right next to chicken … even if I get chicken, that kind of stuff just isn’t worth the risk anymore,” said Ryan.

He keeps an EpiPen around in case his body has a severe reaction to something unexpected.

He said throughout years of field work, he has found it difficult to avoid tick bites, and recommends layered clothes, chemical bug sprays and frequent checks of the body.