Yesterday was not a good day. Abby stayed home sick. I had a lot of work to do. I basically had one day to write my business plan (so I procrastinated a little), which had to be ready to present today. Let’s just say it’s a good thing I’m not trying to convince bankers. I also had church last night, which meant a good chunk of the evening was gone.
It meant for a busy day, but not too bad. Then I had lunch.
A month or so back I went on a banana eating kick. I had one every day with breakfast and it felt good to actually be getting a one-fifth of my daily allotment of fruit. I’m not exactly a healthy eater. Then one day as I finished my banana I felt intensely sick. A stomach ache and cramps set in for the next 45 minutes. It was a good hour or two before I was back to normal. By that afternoon I felt fine. Rather freakish.
The next day the same thing happened. I decided to cut back on bananas, as in not eat them, and I haven’t had a problem.
Of course Abby’s made a few loaves of banana bread in the past month, and I’ve devoured them with no problem. So it’s not a total banana thing. Or maybe cooking bananas changes things.
At any rate, yesterday for lunch I went to Jamba Juice, the default sick-person food in our house. I always go for a Strawberries Wild, which is basically a strawberry and banana smoothie. After finishing three-quarters of smoothie the intense stomach ache and cramps hit me. Suddenly our house became a double-sickie home. Speak didn’t know who to lick more.
The pain subsided after an hour to the point where I could work, but I didn’t feel great. The cramps came back later in the afternoon, though it was shorter and less intense. By supper time I felt fine again, though that night I couldn’t sleep on my stomach. Not exactly a conducive afternoon for writing a business plan. Thankfully enough came together that I could squeak by, though I’ll have plenty of revisions.
So I guess that means bananas are out. They’re the only commonality that’s made me sick like this, though I can’t imagine why. Nothing else has ever had this kind of reaction for me. Is it possible to overdoes on bananas? And if it is, that’s just not fair. I try to be healthy and I get hit with a double whammy of suck.
And I liked bananas. It was healthy eating but they still tasted good. And I really liked Strawberries Wild at Jamba Juice. It’s the only flavor I ever order. Jamba Juice has suddenly lost all appeal.
So that was my bad day. Lying in bed next to my sick wife with a damp washcloth on my forehead and intense stomach pain, all while an incredible amount of work was due the next day. Yuck.
It’s really not that dramatic — it wasn’t that terrible of a day. But it wasn’t a good day by a longshot.
Update: It’s been more than a year since I wrote this entry on what could be banana allergies, and it’s racked up more than 50 comments. I’m thinking the comments are more helpful than my actual entry, but hopefully people are finding what they’re looking for.
Since it has been more than a year since I wrote this, I thought I should give an update. I haven’t had intense banana-related stomach cramps since, though I have eaten small quantities of bananas. Back in February I had half a banana with no dire consequences. A few weeks back my wife made a fruit salad with bananas, and over a couple days I ate the equivalent of a couple of bananas. No dire consequences.
My only conclusion has been that my stomach cramps were caused by consuming massive quantities of bananas in a short period. If I eat them every day, I get sick. But once in a while seems to be fine.
Of course I’m still a little hesitant when it comes to Jamba Juice.
I too am amazed to read everyone’s symptoms which are so similiar to my own. I have had cramping and pain from bananas since I was about 10 or 11, and before then I ate them with no problem. I also have a mild latex sensitivity, and have linked the abdominal pain to raw (not cooked) tomatoes, avocado, and kiwi. I never have other symptoms of an “allergy” like itching or rashes from these foods, only intense stomach pains.
The strange this is that I have occasionally had these stomach pains at other times when I haven’t eaten any of these fruits – I suspect things like walnuts or long-grain rice were to blame. I am still working on pinpointing all of the culprits so that I can avoid those foods – as you all know the pain is horrible and nothing seems to relieve it except time.
I’m glad to read everyone’s comments – good to know that I’m not crazy!
Hallelujah! I am really shocked at the number of people posting to this issue. I guess if we think about the number of people on the web, it’s a relatively small number. Like everyone else, it’s such a ‘weird’ allergy that we’re all happy to find others that share symptoms because it gives us hope that there is an answer. I, too, began to show symptoms my freshman year in college after enjoying banana sandwiches my entire life. What a fascinating research subject this could be. Can someone forward this information to an allergy specialist at some medical school?
I also get horrible abdominal pain from pineapple, which I enjoyed today, until about an hour later, at which time I began to get flushed and get that all-familiar banana burn in my belly. It is such a sad allergy. Bananas are so yummy.
Wow!
I have suffered from severe banana belly pains as well since my early 20’s. I am now 35. I always had a banana for breakfast (always on the green side). I too can eat cooked bananas. Glad to hear I am not crazy!
I also get an uncomfortable/full feeling after eating eggs. My father and four brothers all get the same uncomfortable feeling in their stomach for the rest of the day if they eat eggs as well. It is not as bad as my banana pain. It does not happen if the eggs are cooked in a recipe, just eaten alone.
I was just wondering if anyone else has the same issue with eggs. I wonder if there is a genetic component.
I have not had a banana for about 6 years and would love to have one. I am just terrified to see if the pains will reappear. They are so bad, at times I considered going to the hospital.
I am glad to have found this site too. I get the same awful stomache ache from bananas and avocados. After eating either, it feels like my stomach is full of cement. But I can eat banana bread, cooked bananas, etc. I had my gall bladder removed and was thinking this might be part of the problem? Has anyone else? In the meantime, the organic and beano suggestions I will have to try. Thanks!
I’m so glad I found this board. I’ve been researching this problem for years only to find there’s very little info out there. I began having the banana pains in my early twenties also. I can only describe it as deep, boring, burning pain. Accompanied by bloating and gas. It is intense and last for at least a few hours. The only thing I’ve found to give me a tiny bit of relief is some pepto and laying on my stomach for a couple of hours (not always practicable). I’ve never really cared for avocoados but have noticed the same pain after eating mexican if quaqamole (sp) had gotten on any of the other food I was eating. Now for the bad news. I’m 44 years old and have noticed in recent years that I experience the same stomach pains (deep burning) occasionally (and not as intense – yet)when I eat pineapple and walnuts. Haven’t noticed anything we cantelope though. The most interesting thing I’ve read on this problems so far, is that these food are all high in serotonin (I didn’t know that foods had serotonin and that people can have an intolerance to foods high in serotonin. But I don’t know if I’m completely convinced yet. Good Luck researching this problem and keep us all posted.
I’m 23 years old and about 6 months ago I noticed that my heart rate was rather high. The school nurse (my symptoms weren’t deemed important enough to see the doctor) said that it was probably due to stress and lack of sleep. Tonight I had a banana heart dish for dinner. About 2 hours later I was hit with a horrible pain in my jaw and decided to lie down. This was soon followed by what felt like rabid creatures trying to punch their way out of my sternum. As I laid down with tears falling out my eyes, I thought back to the last time my heart raced like crazy and I distinctlly remembered my conversation with the nurse. She asked how my diet was and I told her it was great; I was eating lots of fruits….mainly bananas. So right now, it sucks to be half Filipino. Bananas, avocados, mangos….could the list of possible allergies get any worse?
Hello all,
I was just searching for something on mushrooms, avocados and bananas, and came across your site. My problem started with mushrooms when I was pregnant at 25 years old. I thought it was just something about being pregnant, but, turned out I still got the horrible stomach ache after I had the baby too. A couple years later it started with avocados too, and soon after bananas. I can eat avocado or banana in very small amounts mixed with other foods (like in banana bread) without a problem, but I can’t eat a banana by itself. I can’t eat mushrooms in ANYTHING or I get really bad stomach ache. I wanted to post this b/c I didn’t see any of the others mention mushrooms, although alot of them say avocados and bananas. Also, can someone explain what the latex allergy is? Like what are the symptoms? If I have that I don’t know about it. Thanks!
Hi, I also get these horrible cramps, fatigue, dizziness and nausea after eating bananas, avocados, and fresh mushrooms. I developed my sensitivities in my early 20’s, I am now 36. I haven’t tried the beano yet but I have found that drinking as little as an ounce of red wine when I feel the pain coming on, cuts the pain and other symptoms dramatically in about 15 minutes or so. I’m so happy to have finally found other people that share this problem with me.
OMG – I wish I had found this site before. I too can eat banana bread with no problem – but am in so much pain after raw bananas. I just read yesterday how good they were for you the perfect food. I like them, but they surely do not like me – use for upset stomach – RIGHT! I also have a problem with avocado (which I used to be able to eat all the time) – if I eat quacamole I am in bed. It also happens with some melons – especially cantelope. I just read that cantelope has potassium in it – maybe it is a potassium allergy – that would be a common denominator in all of the items – maybe not mushrooms, but avocado, banana and cantelope. MMMM
I used to eat bananas for every break at work (about 2 a day) and never had any problems until about 3 years ago (when I was 26). Then all the sudden I would get these intense intestinal pains, basically folding me in half, along with intense sweating but I would never vomit, just pain for a good 30 minutes. Took me a couple of weeks to figure out bananas were the culprit. Ever since, whenever I eat raw bananas, I get that same pain about 80% of the time.
But what I wonder is: is it really the bananas or is it whatever they go through before they end up in the store (pesticides, radiation, genetic modifications, etc.)? I mean, why all the sudden do so many people seem to have a problem with bananas? Makes me a bit suspicious…
Happy 2007. I also began the intense, heavy, burning pain in my stomach in my early 20’s; I am now approaching 40! I discovered that raw tomatoes caused this more than awful feeling that lasted for several hours.(I can eat all of the cooked tomatoes that I want!) It never lead to diareaha or vomiting; unless I made myself vomit just to feel better. As time went on, I realized that avocado, bananas, somtimes eggs, and sometimes a larger serving of various nuts will give me this pain. I am also gluten sensitive, and have an allergy to shellfish! I do not know if I am allergic to latex, but would think that I would know that by now. I am far more holistic in my eating and in my beliefs than my primary care doctors; therefore, I have not had any help other than a suggestion to take a pill for IBS!! I was sooooo angered by this because: 1) I DO NOT have IBS. This is pain with constipation and diareaha and other symptoms that I do not have. I don’t ever have diareaha or vomiting unless I contract a GI bug, and IBS is defined as intestinal issues! 2) It really disturbs me that a doctor would really reccommend that one takes a pill to mask the pain just so one can continue to ingest what this particular body sees as “poison!”
Anyhow, this is the first and only place that I have found other people with this food issue. My hope is for the medical field to recognize it, and to identify a common composition. My list of what not to eat just keeps growing! The upside is, I eat really pretty healthy. I look forward to more posts.
Nice to find this information. I have had slightly high blood pressure for years and all the meds the doctor prescribed made me ill. So I read that bananas were good to lower BP. So a few weeks ago I started eating two a day. Didn’t feel good from the start but stayed with it. Then after a week or so I was on the toilet many times a day. Felt warm, achy, nauseated, IBS – same feelings I get from sulfites and MSG. Then I skipped a day by accident a couple of days ago and felt pretty good. My sinuses also cleared a bit – nice feeling. Then today had a banana for b-fast. 20 minutes later, nauseated, and over the past few hours (it’s 1:30pm now) felt just like I do when I accidentally eat sulfited food. Guess the bananas are out for me. Interesting note though, the BP did drop.
Great site.
Hi, thanks for all your posts! I stumbled across this trying to help my wife who has been ill from (I think) eating so many bananas! Of course all you read is that there are no problems at all and they are a healthy food. She starts each day with a half or whole banana raw and has had nothing but increasing “kicked in the stomach” feelings in her stomach. She has lost weight. She has been tested for almost everything she can be tested for including blood tests one of those stomach scopy tests etc. She also reacted poorly to Broccoli so their might be something to the info here that deserves a look.
I didnt see anyone mention this, but has any of you who were eating bananas actually had lower appetite in general or just the banana eating pain? My wife seems not able to each much even later in the day. She is very thin for her age and height and we are going for more tests in a matter of days. Anyone with any weight loss that was eating bananas daily?
Thanks for all the great info!
Marty
Wow, I’ve been looking for information on this for years. I have the horrible stomach cramp reaction to avocado, even in the tiniest quantities (the stuff that clings to the sushi rice after you poke the avocado out), and to bananas if I eat more than a half uncooked. I have also had the feeling from broccoli when I eat a lot of it, and from pineapple. I live in California now and it is hard to avoid avocado. Has anyone had success at treating the pain from avocado? It really knocks me out. Has anyone tried to “cook” avocado to see if that prevents the problem? Sounds gross… but I just ate a bite today when the dummy at the burrito place added avocado instead of not putting any in when I specifically said NO avocado, I can’t eat any. Anyway, the stomachache is much milder than normal and I wonder after reading this if it is because the heat of the burrito steamed the avocado and neutralized whatever the gas products are that might cause the problem?
Thanks for any help. Maybe we should start a foundation!!
If any one is checking back, I believe a Doctor once told me that my stomach could not handle the high dose of potassium all at once, especially if I wasn’t consuming 8 glasses of water or more in a day. He also recommended that I eat toast or oatmeal with it; I chose toast since oatmeal does the same thing to me. Let’s face it, both bananas and oatmeal are heavy, and the complex sugars could play a role. A little goes a long way, considering it’s nutritional value and caloric content, half of a banana is best mixed with another meal option. I can’t seem to get all my water down so I still have the ache! Take care all
I forgot to add that I just hope they don’t find out there is something wrong with the bananas or the way they are grown in the near future!
I have that avocado problem too. Yes, the sushi and guacamole! Oh my. I also have to pick out the avocado from the sushi, and even then my stomach still hurts about an hour or so later.
Bananas used to be painful until I switched to organic bananas, for some reason those are fine.
And raw broccoli doesn’t bother me anymore either.
Raw and cooked mushrooms are also a big problem for me.
One solution I found = drinking a carbonated drink if I accidentally have avocado or mushrooms, that will to burp the painful gas.
I also get really bad stomachaches if I have even one bite of a banana! It happened all of a sudden, I used to have no problem whatsoever with them, and one day, POOF. Pain.
Someone mentioned gassing bananas to help them ripen. Now I think my problem has nothing to do with this, because I lived in Argentina, and they didn’t gas anything to ripen over there. It’s basically off the tree, in a crate, and over to us from Brazil!
The only other thing that really causes me this same sort of problem is eggs. Any more than 1/2 an egg and it’s the same story. The occasional problem with some spicy foods, but I mostly avoid those anyway. Still wondering what is IN bananas specifically that might be causing this!
I really wished I had looked for this information sooner. Just spent 5 hours in bed after eating half of an avacado realizing that the same thing happens when I eat a raw banana. Am surprised that the two are connected and will try the organic fruit and Beano route going forward.
Hi, I believe have something closer to an anaphlaxis response to bananas. I recently made a discovery after eating a dehydrated fruit and nut bar. The bar was banana flavored and from what the company told me, is mostly made of bananas, with some nuts as well.
My symptoms when I ate this bar were dry throat, dry mouth, tingling and itching in my tongue and palate, and laryngeal irritation (it made my throat itchy and I developed a dry cough). I felt this after a few bites, but was in the middle of something and chalked it up to bad ventilation (I work in an old, dusty school building). Then later I ate the rest of the bar in my car and noticed the same symptoms again, but worse.
I remembered that I had had a similar reaction, but even more unpleasant, when I was in college and absent-mindedly ate a small jar of bananas my mother had dried in a food dehydrator while studying one night. That night my mouth became dry and my tongue felt furry, and I felt really, really out of it for a few hours. I have (cautiously) eaten raw bananas since my reaction to the banana bar without any negative results.
I’d be curious to know if anyone else finding this page has an anaphlaxis type response to dehydrated bananas. Maybe it was just the amount of concentrated banana, or maybe it was the slow heating process.
I am 28 years old. I have seasonal allergies and lactose intolerance. I don’t have other food/fruit allergies, though fresh pineapples sometimes “sting” my tongue.
Hey there,
Hmm after perusing most of the comments it’s strange how many people suffer from this.
I have issues with a LOT of foods.
Guava – the smell of the fruit straight off the tree is enough to set off allergies which then have me wheezing like the asthmatic I am.
Bananas, avocados, mushrooms, eggs (though they kind of fall under ‘dairy’ and I KNOW I’m not supposed to eat them) all cause the SAME thing.
They found that it MAY be IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The foods are ‘trigger’ foods and basically I can eat banana’s now … but LET me try eat one a few weeks from now … or maybe I’ll be okay that time but the Avo will set it off. So sometimes I will have pain and other times while my ‘spastic colon’ is behaving I won’t … it’s a risk factor. It’s like onboard Fear Factor!
The pain is like someone drove a hot poker into your middle at the belly button – let it stick to skin, twisted and jabbed. It’s horrible, horrible pain … also lasts for up to 4 hours with me (I usually eventually go to sleep from sheer exhaustion of having to deal with it). Stress is a common trigger that sets off the bowel – then when consuming (strangely) these foods they set it off.
I was told to eat wholewheat bread to help the bowel – I spent more time in pain than when I ate white bread – try not to eat bread much if at all now. Preparation of the bread also matters.
Bananas – not sure if it’s an allergy or if they ARE in fact a trigger food. NEVER had the classic itchy nose, itchy throat / ears, swollen feeling in airways that I experience with most other allergies. The joys of being an asthmatic is that I’m allergic to blooming EVERYTHING given half a chance.
May well be a case of allergy in some cases above, IBS might be something to consider too, it might be an overdose of potassium as one person said …
Interesting though that it’s the same fruit(s). I can add mushrooms.
PS thank you for the info and also to the comment info about gassing banana’s – that might JUST be what helps this fruit drop it’s ‘trigger’ food status for me. I live in South Africa, and Durban (Kwazulu-Natal) is one of the largest Banana places here – we *shouldn’t* be gassing but who knows.
My sister found this blog for me. I have had a “Banana Issue” for years- If I can remember right, it started about the time I was pregnant with my first child as well. Also have a mild lactose intolerance-most severe when I am pregnant or nursing. I first noticed that Banana’s were making me sick (about 6years ago- now 34), then linked avocado’s to the “issue”, then most recently got sick just 2 days ago without eating either of those foods… tried to figure out what it was… the only thing I could think of that I don’t normally eat was I had a salad for lunch- made MOSTLY of Spinach! I am thinking it is the spinach- which doing some research on the internet tonight- makes sense. I too have had problems eating eggs.. but now I don’t eat the yolk, just cook the egg white- and usually do much better! I, too, on occasion will TRY a banana or avocado (because I really LOVE them!) only to find the same reaction- truly sad!
An interesting thing for me is- I had an Great Aunt pass away a few years ago- they found NO POTASSIUM in her body AT ALL!!! don’t know if it was the cause of death or not, but just found it interesting…. Maybe some of us just don’t jive too well with high levels of Potassium and our bodies fight it. But, I do think it is important to find other ways to get the potassium. I am going to try the Organic produce- and even try Beano.
Just FYI for all of you…. I was told by a nurse at one time that banana and avocado reactions can be related to a latex allergy… which we all know now, BUT… she said that the actual “latex allergy may become evident not until a much later time.. so be watchful!!! and Good luck. I have added this blog to my favorites to check back on occasion- am interested to see what others have to say. Thanks for all your input. Thought I was alone with this as well…. Good thing is.. I can still eat Banana Bread— YUMMY!!! :)
I have the same problem since I was ~ 35 years old. Does anybody see a link to allergy to Vitamin A? I never seem to be able to maintain the correct amount of Vitamin A in my system. It is always a little over (cracked lips, hairloss) or a little under (upset stomach).
I had the same problem, I had to stop eating bananas totally. The pain was so bad I swore I wouldn’t eat them again no matter how good they are for you. The pain wasn’t worth it, my wife couldn’t relate to the pain I was in. 31 y/o male, it might have started at age 29. I gave up after trying to blend it with a smoothie and the reaction was the same. Maybe a severe acid buildup ? I can’t think of any other reason.
It might be an acid buildup in the stomach. I notice this same pain not as severe but with Oranges and grapes. I’m fruit intolerant… Sometimes also with watermelon. The only fruit I notice no pain really is cantelope and melon.
“latex-fruit syndrome” Is what they call this condition.
http://foodallergens.ifr.ac.uk/food.lasso?selected_food=5
Sweet Holy Mackeral, I just found a club that I can join. I have a relatively steel stomach and can eat anything. I found in my early 20’s that eating raw banana gave me to most painful upset stomach that I’ve ever experienced.
I’ve tried several bananas over the past years. Shortly after eating one I get an intense abdominal pain. This always occurs.
So, naturally, when i saw a banana sitting in the fridge at work last week and I was starving and didn’t bring any lunch in with me i ate it; you knw, because I’m a moron.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results…
I’m so glad there are others out there! It looks like this banana conversation has been going on for a long time. I’m 30 now, but first noticed my banana-related stomach aches around age 25. I was diagnosed with gastritis, and at the time salad also caused the same pain, but I narrowed it down to the bananas as causing the most gut-wrenching doubled-over pain, so severe it sent me to the ER once. I got over that, but bananas still cause me to have a mild stomach ache, every time. I’m trying to figure out what is the cause but there doesn’t seem to be much out there about this.
Joey! Thank you so much for providing us with the name of “latex-fruit syndrome!” I wonder why even my Allergist never made this connection?? Anyhow, even though I still cannot eat bananas, avocados, raw tomatoes, and nuts in large amounts, I am happy to understand this connection! I have Googled “latex-fruit syndrome,” and there is good info. out there!
Good luck to all who have this!
Chele
Does anyone else get rapid heartbeat and heart palpitations after eating bannana? Feel sick and sluggish as well. Happens 100% of the time I eat bananna and happens fairly quickly (no stomach pains).
Wow, I’m so amazed to find so many other people have banana allergies!
The other day I decided to eat a fresh banana for the first time in several years. I slowly stopped eating them starting from the age of about 12 after they started making me feel a little nauseous. But I never expected the intense stomachache that I recently experienced! It reminded me of period pains, a sort of spasm or muscle clenching feeling (I felt like I needed to vomit, but found it impossible, even if I really tried to). I had to lie down for about 3 hours, and the rest of the day my stomach was really sensitive and I felt quite dizzy. I am never eating a banana again!
A few people have said they get the same with eggs. For a few years in my childhood I got intense pains like this after eating eggs, but these seem to have totally disappeared. Eggs still give me the creeps though.
Interesting to see it’s linked with other fruits like kiwis. As a child I used to get a burning sensation in my mouth after eating kiwis, but I kept eating them because I love kiwis. Looking back I probably shouldn’t have, but I didn’t know much about allergies back then, haha.
For a long time now, i’ve had a list of foods I cannot eat. Included in that list are:
mushrooms (the white kind)
eggs
bananas
cantelope
avacados
spinach (different feeling, I get what I like to call “peanut butter poo”)
While I don’t care for mushrooms, it’s been a real challenge to avoid the rest of the list and although I don’t always “feel like i’m going to die” after eating the suspect food, it’s generally because I think i’m keeping the GAS-X with Maalox people in business. Today, cantelope was the culprit. I started with mild hearburn creeping up my throat, it quickly turns to a bloated hardening through out my chest, I then feel the desparate need to burp (but can’t) or christ, i’ll suck up my pride right here at work to release any gas (from anywhere!)Then I get terribly tired, sometimes dizzy, and nausea creeps over me. Now mind you, I will avoid things that make me feel this way, but have never understood how I can eat a chili cheeseburger without a single problem, but can’t have a spinach omlett with banana in the morning. I will check out the latex connection but curious if anyone else has the same list of foods they cannot eat!
Like Mindi above, I’ve had a food sensitivities to specific foods for a long time. Twice now I even had to be hospitalized with pancreatitis after eating eggs without realizing it (they are in EVERYTHING). The frustrating thing is that over the years I’ve been having to add more and more food to the list. At this point it’s up to:
bananas
eggs
broccoli
avocado
white mushrooms
pineapple
red peppers
I’ve had every test the gastros knew to do (blood tests, ERCP, hidascan, CT, both endoscopies and more) because they can’t figure out why these foods should cause pancreatitis.
Now here’s the really interesting part, which may be helpful to some of you with the same problem:
drinking a big glass of orange juice (12 ozs or more of the NOT-from-concentrate kind) right when the pain first starts makes it go away. It doesn’t work for me if I drink it before I feel pain, or right when I eat the “bad” food.
I’m very curious if anyone else has tried that before and if it worked. Next time you get that pain, give it a shot; I know I would try almost anything when I’m feeling that bad!
step_mar@yahoo.com
I am so glad I found this website! I also have some sort of allergy to bananas. This started when I was 17 years old, and I am now 20. It was totally out of the blue, I had eaten bananas my whole life with no problem. Then one day, after one banana, I had severe stomach cramps, and just felt horrible all over. Like everyone else though, I can eat banana bread. Then just a month ago, I had a horrible reaction to strawberries. I ate one strawberry and had the same stomach pains, but also threw up and had horrible diarreah. It lasted only an hour, then I was fine again. anyone have those two related allergies?
I too get these weird stomach achey cramps that are like nothing I have ever felt before after eating bananas. I never had problems with bananas before (I am now 20), but the past 2 times I ate a banana I got stomach pains within 10 minutes of eating the banana. Yesterday, I was getting annoyed with myself because I kept snacking, so I figured, why don’t I have a banana, maybe it will make my hunger decrease. And let me tell you, that banana did not disappoint me, but I wasn’t hungry anymore because of the pain that resulted! The cramps were more severe than I last remembered and it lasted for hours! So yesterday’s episode solidfied the fact that I can not eat bananas because they consistently cause stomach cramps.
I really wish I knew exactly why this happens though and if it is indeed an allergic reaction.
Other people with the weird banana allergy! I’m 32 years old, and use to eat bananas all the time. I had laid off eating bananas for awhile (no particular reason), but then tried eating one about 6 months ago. I was then hit with tremendous stomach cramps. I then tried another banana a few days later and got the same result.
I’ve never really been allergic to anything. As I get older though I have started to develop some seasonal allergies that I never had before. Maybe my banana allergy is just a sign of me getting older.
The banana/avocado nightmare is not age related!! Last fall at age 47 I got violently ill from eating a banana. I had eaten almost l per day for 3 decades prior to this incident! A few weeks later I ate some avocado with same reaction.
My reaction sounds more severe than some of you. Horrible stomach pain, nausea, explosive watery stools and drenched in sweat!!!!
How can a person all of a sudden get so sick from eating something you have eaten for 30 years with out a problem?
I have read that if you have more of the G.I problem instead of respitory, it could be a food intolerance instead of an allergy.
I am going to get to the bottom of this!!!!
I have been trying to look things up and no hope. I eat a banana (raw) and burp every couple minutes and feel heartburn or acid reflux or something. bananas are supposed to be so good for you. and I’m 23. does this have anything to do with drinkers? I drink frequently but not the past couple days and I had a banana this afternoon. Maybe drinking wears down the stomache so that something in the banana causes this? and I’ve been going through a lot of stress also.
THE CURE
THE CURE
THe CURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pretty sure…
ok, here’s my theory. info I found online.
http://waltonfeed.com/self/health/vit-min/potnsalt.html
Its about potassium and salt balance. Even though its uncommon, which may be why we are all having trouble finding solutions, we may all have too much potassium and not enough salt. The cramps are probably gas thats blocked in your stomach building up, a sign of to much K. I’ve been on the verge of tears from such, I understand the pain. The burpers (which is me) are letting the constant gas out. The babies get upset from gas pain but I also think too much potassium affects your mood and makes you irritable (saw something about it on another site). I had a banana around 4pm today and its almost midnight and my stomache was upsetting me and I was constantly burping, but I had a small glass of warm salt water and I’m feeling much better. So maybe we’re the health freaks (our only common denominator) and are the few that actually don’t eat enough salt. The foods high in potassium were what everyone complained about, and I think banana bread didn’t bother anyone because it contains enough salt in it. There is a list of foods containing a lot of potassium and I’m sure this group eats a lot of them. The recommened daily amount for potassium is 2,000 and most of the foods we eat would get us past that amount just from breakfast. and fyi, : )I finally stopped burping, I just realized I went 10 minutes with no burping where before it was many times a minute. So, really, try the warm-saltwater. Let me know if this helps!
Thanks everyone for all the posts! As a fellow banana intolerance sufferer, I will add my little bit here. My banana stomachaches started in my mid-20s (I’m 43 now). You all have described the feeling so precisely! That kicked-in-the-gut, awful pain.
Like most of you, I’ve found that I can eat cooked bananas with no problems. (Try them grilled… yum!) If I am feeling daring, I’ve found can also eat a raw banana without problems if it is organic and perfectly ripe — no green bits and no brown bits. I also have allergies to ragweed (causes hayfever) and kiwi (causes itching and edema) but have never observed any issues with latex, cantaloupe or avocado (knock on wood).
I am skeptical about potassium being the culprit here since potassium is found in so many foods. It seems more likely that it is an enzyme that we cannot digest properly and that the gassing somehow makes it worse, maybe in bypassing some important step in the natural ripening process? It somehow makes sense that fruit picked too green would make your stomach hurt….
My father also had the banana stomachaches, and I’ve met several other people who have it. Reading all these posts, I wonder if this is more common than we think!
It would be interesting also to look at what our various ethnic/genetic backgrounds are… FWIW, mine is Northern European (eg, freckly white person!). In other words, my ancestors are from a place where bananas were not available. So I may have them to thank for my banana indigestion?
Hey thanks Brandi,
I like your theory. I’ll test it out and tell you what I find.
And yes, it does look like we are all health freaks.
Thanks a lot!
Tonight has been the worst ever !!! I regret eating that banana !!! The pain is unbeareable and the bloating makes me look as if I was having a baby. The pain is high up on my stomach and it feels like I got kicked and punched. I started thinking about all the things I have eaten when I get this horrific pain with the bloating, nausea, chills, sweating and feeling like my insides are being twisted into a knot. I was sitting in the bathroom thinking I was going to literally pass out because I also got so dizzy, I guess from the pain. I had kidney stones and I’ve delivered 3 kids and nothing compares to this. Well, I came to the conclusion that it must be the bananas. It has to be I ate dinner hrs ago and I felt the urge to snack. Watching my calories I grab a banana that was calling out my name and bang, 20 minutes later I feel like i’m being torchered. Nothing happens with anything else except, fresh pineapple. It makes me cough and wheeze and triggers my asthma which is allergy related. It makes me feel like my throat is closing and I get itchy in my mouth, throat and lips. Not to mention that it makes me cough like crazy. Yet, no problem to the canned pineapple.
I also looked up in the internet and nothing and this here is the only thing I found to convince me it has to be an allergy. I ate them all my life with no problems. Eaten them even green, boiled with cod fish and nothing. Banana bread and nothing. Smoothies with bananas make me wanna throw up though. Oh yeah, papaya shakes make me hiccup somethng aweful, also. I’m turning 36 this month and this problem started about 1 yr ago. I really hope we can all find the reason behind this because it’s crazy.
OK, I know that the original post is pretty old, but it is seriously the only thing I could find online about this banana issue – I, too, am a banana lover and suffer from this intense, excruciating pain. Anyway, after reading all these comments, I just (like yesterday) switched to organic bananas – which surprisingly, aren’t that expensive… I’m still testing this theory, however, I had 2 bananas yesterday, and one so far today and have had NO PAIN!!! Maybe it really is the ripening chemicals (or other pesticides) that are ripping all of our stomaches apart??? Give it a shot – I’d like to see if organic works for anyone else.
I have posted here a couple of time regarding my banana, raw tomato, avocado, nuts & egg stomach pain woes. A while back, someone mentioned latex-fruit syndrome. I have cut and pasted some information below:
Proteins very similar to the allergy-causing proteins present in latex (a plant sap) are present in other plants, and some of these are foods. For example, a latex-allergic person may have a reaction if they eat a banana; this is then known as a cross-reaction. It is caused when there is a very close structural similarity between the two similar proteins due to the sequence of their amino acid building blocks.
Amino acid sequence in banana allergen:
E Q C G R O A G G A L C P G G L C C S Q Y G W C G N T D P
Amino acid sequence in latex allergen
E Q C G R O A G G K L C P N N L C C S Q W G W C G S T D E
Although symptoms are normally fairly mild, in theory (and very occasionally in practice) these foods can cause anaphylaxis in a latex allergic person. Other foods that have been found capable of causing these cross-reactions in latex-sensitive people are shown below. The resulting condition is known as latex fruit syndromeR and a very similar condition is called the pollen fruit syndrome in which the cross-reaction is between the food (certain fresh fruits and raw vegetables) and the pollen. Collectively these conditions form the oral allergy syndrome, as mouth symptoms are the most common manifestations of the problem.
Foods that have ever caused symptoms should be avoided. If any of the foods listed below (the commonest are shown in bold type) are known not to cause symptoms, they need not be avoided, but sufferers need to be aware that the food could start causing symptoms at some time in the future, and avoid it once this is suspected.
latex fruit syndrome
cross-reacting foods
rubber latex
almond, apple, apricot, avocado, banana, raw carrot, raw celery, chestnut, cherry, dill, fig, ginger, kiwi, mango, melon, oregano, papaya, passion fruit, peach, pear, plum, raw potato, sage, raw tomato
Also:
Banana allergy can take two different forms: one associated with allergy to tree pollen, such as birch, and another type associated with latex allergy. People with birch-pollen allergy can develop symptoms either immediately or up to 1 hour after eating fresh banana or a banana-containing food. Symptoms comprise local reactions in the mouth and throat with itching and inflammation (called oral allergy syndrome, OAS).
Others develop banana allergy because of the similarity between the allergens in banana and natural rubber latex (e.g. gloves, condoms, balloons) a condition known as the latex-fruit syndrome. Symptoms developed by these individuals comprise generalised urticaria, abdominal pain, vomiting and sometimes life-threatening symptoms. These individuals often develop adverse reactions to chestnut, avocado, mango and kiwi.
When these fruits and vegetables are cooked, the compositions changes, and usually the food is tolerated… I have found this out, and I have read that many of you can eat these foods when cooked.
Good luck to all!
Chele
Just some thoughts … as many on this post, I became stomach cramp allergic to bananas around age 21 and am now 43. Every 5 years or so I get a big fat banana split and see what happens. Stomach cramps every time, but I sure enjoy the banana splits. My brother has had stomach cramps for years, but not related to any one thing. He has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease (see celiac.org). It is a genetic thing that can show up at any time or never at all and 1 in 133 folks have it. To avoid repetition of information, I’ll just say that it can cause so many problems across the board, mainly with vitamin and nutrient absorption. My only cramping comes from bananas and the occasional way too much cantaloupe (minor cramps). Since this disease is hereditary, I am going to get tested and have my daughter tested. I’ll re-post when that’s done. This disease requires the complete removal of all wheat, rye, barley, etc … basically gluten free. Not fun at all, but it’s said that this will eliminate any and all effects of said disease. If positive, I’ll attempt the gluten free thing and see if banana belly goes away. Of course, it’s been about 4 years since I’ve tested for banana belly, so I’ll do that first and make sure it’s still there. Read up on celiac disease at the address I provided and see if it just might be your issue … fairly common and a simple blood test will rule you out. It can cause very bad things down the road. I’ll post again when I have more information on my test, etc. Oh … cooked bananas seem OK and dehydrated one are also OK with me. Make sense?
I’m amazed to find so many people have this problem that I thought was really obscure. I haven’t eaten a banana for over 20 years because of the crippling abdominal pain and am so paranoid that I won’t knowingly eat anything containing bananas. My last bout was after drinking a banana daiquiri which didn’t even have fresh fruit in it, just banana liqueur!
Like so many of you, the problem developed in my 20s, having had no problems before that. I just sort of assumed that I can’t digest bananas properly anymore as it appears to be trapped wind, albeit of the most painful kind. I have no allergies or intolerance to other foods although I don’t particularly like avocado so I avoid that anyway. Tomatoes and nuts are fine.
My sister has also developed the problem so it seems there is something hereditary here.
I had also made the link with potassium – about 7 years ago, I was in the hospital for an operation and my blood pressure was extremely low, so they attempted to inject potassium directly into my blood stream. The pain was so intense that they had to give up and gave it to me orally instead. Also horrible but it didn’t make me scream. (I don’t actually remember much of this as I was on a morphine drip at the time!) I’ve never really figured out how it ties up with bananas other than the fact that I know banana contains lots of potassium.
I too am gluten free; however, I still cannot eat the bananas, avocados, raw tomatoes and on… I’m still sticking with the “latex-fruit syndrome” that I have posted above.
I did do some further reading, and, as folks here mentioned, the organic bananas are better tolerated. I don’t dare try! I just feel too GREAT now, and I don’t see the need to experiment anymore.
Best to all,
Chele
ORGANIC IS THE WAY!!!! YEAH!!!
Two weeks of banana heaven (2 a day) and NO PAIN!!!! Now keep in mind, I have no other food related pains/latex issues. Bananas were the ONLY problem for me and now I am cured! No more strawberry-banana smoothies at the mall, but I can enjoy as many as I want at home!!!! ORGANIC BANANAS CHANGED MY LIFE!!!! :) Hopefully this works for some of you out there. I couldn’t imagine life without bananas! :) Good luck to you all! I’m off to enjoy a banana!!!(Finally!!)
I also get bad stomach aches everytime I eat a banana. Some updated information!! I have heard, though not tested the theory as I am scared of the terrible stomach aches bananas have caused me, but apparently non-organic bananas have high concentrations of pesticides sprayed on them. Perhaps it is the pesticides that people are allergic to and not the bananas themselves. I have a friend who had the same problem and since has been eating organic bananas with no stomach aches. I am considering trying myself. Let me know if it works for anybody else.
This might not help anyone but I’m extremely disapointed and have to share. I have a lot of allergies, wheat, soy, pollens, animals, medications….I’ve even had anaphalaxis reactions (scarey). Bananas were one of the first things I had trouble with as a child. I had the oral allergy thing going on, itchy mouth/throat, swollen lips, stuffy nose, etc. I’ve avoided them like the plaque. I decided a few weeks ago to try one. I was in heaven….no problem what so ever. I started with 1/2 then worked up to a whole one. I started noticing about two weeks later having a sick stomach. Didn’t pay attention until one day I had two bananas within a few hours of each other. I had such severe stomach cramping and pain like I’ve never had in my life (I’m 50)I also became stuffy and a little wheezy. I was in denial, so I had another one the next day and was really sick, then again the next day…same thing. So I have now gone back to being banana free.
I am interested in the idea of similiar proteins of things. I have found if I stay away from wheat, all of my other allergies are really manageable, if I eat things I shouldn’t, I end up with asthma attacks and all kinds of problem. I have to use inhalers, and a variety of antihistimes to control it. When I stay away from wheat, I don’t need to use anything for weeks on end.
Medication is another thing….it seems like once I had a reaction to one pain killer (narcotic), whenever I try a new one, just after few days I have to stop (I have physical issues that require pain management). Now I’ve started to have reactions to other things. Over the last few months I’ve reacted to 2 perscription anti-inflamatories, a muscle relaxant, and an antibiotic. I believe there must be some inert ingrediant in these things that I’m reacting too and not really the actual medication, but I’m not sure how to go about figuring it out or who to ask. If anyone has any ideas, that would be great.
Thanks to Kevin for allowing this blog to continue, it really helped me to realize bananas are bad for me.