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 had a banana last night, didn’t think anything of it. But I did notice that the bananas that were bright green less than 24 hours earlier were now on the verge of being overly ripe. I usually like my bananas on the green side, so I hesitated, but went ahead and ate it. Gradually over the next 1-2 hours I started to develop a very sickly feeling in my lower stomach. Then all out pain and nausea. Then suddenly I realized that I had felt this way once before a few months back, after I had eaten a banana. So obviously there is some correlation there. I have no other problems with food. In fact I am nicknamed “the iron gut”, because I can eat anything. Since I noticed how quickly this last banana ripened I’m going to explore the ethylene gas theory. It may be hard to find organic bananas where I live, but as soon as I do I am going to have one and see what happens. I’ll post my results. Glad to see I am not alone, but it’s weird that this is the only website that I could find where anyone was mentioning this whole banana making me ill thing.
This is the first time I’ve heard of others having the same banana problem I have. When I was 24 and pregnant with my first baby, I ate at least 1 or 2 bananas a day. Probably before my pregnancy I’d eat 1 or 2 a week. After my baby was born I couldn’t eat a banana without getting the awful cramping (aside from that banana bread is no problem). I’m 38 and I still can’t eat them. My only other food “thing” is that too much dairy does me in- a little cream in my coffee and cheese pizza are OK, but more than that is painful. And that happened after my pregnancy too. Latex and avocados are fine. But I will be checking into the organic bananas. Especially as my youngest- 7 years old- is the banana queen. I’d hate for her to get the same thing. I’m also of northern european descent- interesting theory someone had there.
Everybody here seems to have a problem with eating bananas.
Doesn’t is puzzle you that bananas are considered to be GOOD for the health, and especially good for the stomach and the whole digestive system?
The problem might be due to misunderstanding.
First question would be:
How do you eat your bananas – mixed with other food, as a desert, or alone?
I too have the dreaded banana problem. I also have trouble with cantalope, nectarine, peach, avacado, cherries. Anyone else have problems with those too. Usually I just avoid these foods. I have found that Alka-Seltzer helps dull the pain and sometimes gets rid of it completely.
I’m going to try organic when I get up the nerve, I haven’t eaten a banana in years because it is just too painful.
Good luck everyone
My baby daughter gets GI symptoms from bananas. There’s lots of interesting information in this thread, but there are a few factors nobody has mentioned:
* Bananas, broccoli and several of the other foods that were mentioned are high in amines. Some of you might want to look into an amine and/or salycilate sensitivity. This could go along with the MSG problems that have been mentioned also.
* Even organic bananas can be gassed. But the gasses can be derived from different things. Most ethylene gas is derived from sulfite-treated corn, which can be a problem for people with corn or sulfite senitivities. In the Delphi Corn Avoiders Forum I frequent, many people find that they can tolerate some brands of bananas but not others. Many can eat Chiquita bananas just fine, but Dole bananas make them sick every time. (this is as of early 2007–of course, companies can change their practices over time.
* For those who have issues with eggs, be aware that eggs can be treated with various chemicals, the chickens can be fed substances to make the yolks yellow that cause some people problems, and some folks react to what the hens were fed.
* For those who have GI issues with many different fruits, vegetables or even grains, you may want to look into sugar malabsorption. Sucrose, sorbitol and fructose are a few (along with lactose) that can cause symptoms of intolerance.
All I can say is that “Thank God” for Google. I’m completely in shock right now because I feel so relieved to know that I’m not alone on this. For about 2 years now, I’ve been trying to pinpoint whether I have a problem with bananas or not.
I am not sure when this all started (because in college I didn’t eat many bananas), but I’ve been getting bad stomach cramps and feeling nausea from eating bananas of the morning at work. I used to think it was the Soy Protein shake that I had in the mornings, but that theory soon changed. I noticed that I get very irritable and my throat becomes sore after eating bananas.
I have had similar issues with eating guacamole, but I wasn’t sure if it was the onions (or large portions that made me ill). Now, I’m starting to think that the Avocado is the true problem behind my stomach cramps.
I’ll try out organic bananas, and I’ll see if I experience similar symptoms. For 20 years, I used to eat bananas religiously, and I’m not sure why all of the sudden I can’t.
Are there any doctors reading this who might be able to explain this to us?
Amazing that there are so many of us suffering the same stomach cramp banana related misery and that this link began in 2004 and gets readily updated. I find it similarly amazing that no-one in the medical world has hit upon the issues because it is clear that there is a problem here. I also suffer with shell fish which can bring me out in hives. I also first discovered the banana problem in my early twenties. Does anyone know of an alternative to banana that I can incorporate in my weight loss plan as all the diets say eat the dreaded yellow curse!
I also developed this problem with bananas when I was in my late twenties. I would get severe stomach cramps when I ate bananas, terrible pains that seemed to make my bones even ache. I hated it because I love bananas. A lot of times when I didn’t have time to eat a meal, one banana would hold me and make me feel full. A few years after the onset of this, I noticed that I was suddenly having the same problem with cantelope. If I eat cooked bananas in breads or pudding, it does not happen. I am wondering if bananas are gaseous and cooking takes it out. Tomatoes are higher in potassium than bananas and I don’t get those cramps from tomatoes, so I don’t think it is potassium. What gives?
I can’t believe I finally found information on this!! Ditto to the bananas and (recently discovered) avocados. As with others, I had no problem with these foods until around 19 or 20, and I’m now 29. I just find it so strange that there is not more out there about this…
Bookmarking this now with the hopes that someone’s doctor has a good explanation.
Thanks SO much!!
I was starting to think that I was the only one. The last time I ate a banana was 1 year ago. I actually went to the emergency room the complaints of severe stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweating, you name it…I was feeling ill right “down to the the bone”. Me being a former nurse, and navy hospital corpsman, I remembered one of the key symtomatic treatments for reflux (heart burn) It’s called a GI cocktail (mixture of liquid antacid, and viscous lidocaine)I thought to myself…the hell with waiting here in the E.R for treatment. I dashed to the local store and fixed the cocktail right in the store, even before getting to the counter to pay for it. The stomach pain was gone instantly, however I had no sensation in my tounge, mouth, or esophagus. I tried to drink a cup of water and damn near drowned myself. I’m more like Sheryl here…cooking the banana, or eating banana chips (dehydrated bananas) are fine, and have no negative effects.
I am 27 and realized about a year ago that I had a problem eating bananas. About an hour after eating one I will get a stomach ache. I have no other allergies that I know of. I love bananas and used to eat them two at a time. My aunt had some on the counter and I was curious to see if it would bother me…So I ate the smallest one and sure enough it got to me.
I don’t eat avocados cause I don’t like the taste so I don’t know if they would bother me.
Also, my wife and I shared a whole cantoloupe the other day so I know I don’t have a problem with that.
I spent the last 2 hours with severe stomach cramps after “over” eating banana chips. It appears I have an allergy…NO FUN.
I can’t believe Ive found loads of other people with the same problem as me, when Ive told people abount my banana issue theyve looked at me like Ive lost the plot!! Im fine with banana cake (so must be ok when theyve been cooked!!) but I love bananas , its one of the fruit I could eat tons of and I miss them sooooo much, am contemplating organic ones after reading the info on this page! Ive scoured Google for medical info on this problem and this is the only place Ive come accross with any other people sharing the same problem. Ive been to my GP who said, “Dont eat banana’s then!” Would like to pin point the issue that causes the abdominal pain from eating banana’s, maybe then I could find a way of eating them without the disasterous consequences!!!
Oh my gosh. I am so glad I found this! I can’t believe it, but I, too, have an issue with bananas. I also think I have an issue with avocado…I got sick the last time I had avocado spread on my sandwich and just thought I got bad lunch meat. For months I’ve been thinking that it’s an allergy to blueberries. I didn’t really think about it, but I had blueberries WITH bananas when I’ve gotten sick. Other times I’ve gotten sick are with cantaloupe (and I’ve had cantaloupe with blueberries). Little did I know it could be the cantaloupe and bananas, not the blueberries. I’m so scared of blueberries, I’m afraid to try them. I am even afraid of trying organic bananas, but some people on here are giving me hope. Also, broccoli and eggs really bother me now. Dairy products have also fallen out of favor with me.
The pain I get is in the upper part of my abdomen. It is a sharp, continuous, gas pain almost. I can’t describe it. It hurts like heck. I feel like so much gas gets trapped in my abdomen and it’s unbearable. I have went to the ER twice, but they can’t find anything.
I am also investigating small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). I am wondering if this has something to do with why I’m becoming unable to tolerate sugars and fibers in certain things.
I am going to keep checking back here. I am so relieved to find some answers…or at least a new direction in my search for wellness. :)
Last night was the second time I had an “attack” from eating avocado and it was severe. I didn’t realize so many other people have the same issue. I would really like to know why. Corn is bad one for me also. A few years ago I went to ER and they called the surgeon to remove my gallbladder, thinking I was having a gallbladder attack. I was dehydrated and couldn’t keep anything from passing right through me and severe cramping. It ended up not being gallbladder. However, I was able to figure it out myself – it was from eating doritos which led me to realize I had issues with corn. A bologna sandwich triggered the attack – corn syrup was one of the ingredients in the bologna. I do find it strange though, that I can eat cooked corn with no problem.
I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to look up my problem on the net. I’m so glad that i’m not alone! I’ve always been able to eat bananas. Then 12 years ago when breastfeeding my first child i noticed that my having eaten a banana would make him vomit (he doesn’t have a problem now). Then i found that during subsequent pregnancies i would have to avoid bananas but could eat them afterwards. However, for the past 6 months i cannot even have one bite of a banana without the sever cramps and nausea which lasts a few hours. I’ve also had to avoid eating beef stroganoff (mushrooms?) and a chicken dish which contains capsicums.I’m 35 and this has just gotten worse in the last half a year. I don’t have any allergies to anything as far as i know!
yup, i have banana belly as well. i was pleasantly surprised that i could still eat banana bread though. someone else had mentioned hypo-glycemia much earlier…this common to anyone else? also wanted to know if anyone did anymore research on cyliac. i had a friend recommend i get tested. thanks!
I’ve recently added beef and bananas to my diet for bodybuilding (recommended by my brother who does the same thing). At first I thought it was the beef giving me these cramps but now I just woke up and had a banana-only breakfast (Actually, I ate just half of one) and I got these cramps. I guess I’ll try eating less and less to see how many I can tolerate.
i love that i’m not the only one with these problems. here’s a list of foods that bother me: eggs, cantaloupe, watermelon, bananas, plums, and more recently tomatoes. I get severe stomach pains that make me want to go to sleep while the pain passes because it’s so bad. Green apples occasionally make me feel like my throat is closing up, too. It’s basically when the foods are uncooked and raw. I mentioned all of this to my doctor and she basically said “don’t eat them then”. Hopefully people will become more aware of these food problems and find connections and solutions to them because I miss my favorite foods!
I did not read all the posts but there certainly seems to be a theme.
My daughter had similar issues. She loved foods that became what we termed allergies even foods she had not problem eating during previous months.
We did a lot of research and talked with some doctors. Only one doctor was of much help and he suggested the what I will describe below. For others that are in serious condition with a small list of foods they can now eat there are a few other steps to add nutrition elements which are missing in your diet.
I suggest that those whom seem to be having increasingly more foods that you cannot eat that you use to eat do the following.
Take a probiotic with psylium fiber on an empty stomach. Best taken before bed. Do this every night for a week or two. This process should be done every few months and especially after taking any antibiotics.
The second thing to do is take fish oil. Find a brand and taste that you can stomach. To find a good one you add the EPA and DHA numbers. You will want a daily dose of 2000-3000. For several moths you will want to be in the 3000 range and a maintenance dose of 1200-2000 daily. You may need to start out the first few days with only a teaspoon to get your system use to it. I suggest you stay away from capsules.
i cant believe this either. i get awful stomach pains after bananas and most recently eggs. most paticularly, egg beaters. i am going to my gp in the morning but i bet he’ll say quit eating them. any word on if we all have fishy gallbladders? i doubt it.
i have the same problem with bananas mushrooms peppers and eggs.i get bad cramps and servere bloating and it can last for hours.The only thing that can releave it for me is a product called andrews acid which is a white powder you add to water which fizzes,you then drink it and it calms the pain after a few minutes.My docter recons that it is my stomach causing to much acid when eating these foods which gives us this reaction.It is a cross between potasium and acid which causes this.
I also get a banana “reaction” and it began in my twenties. In my case I believe it to be potassium related because the only other time I get this reaction is when I drink Gatorade. Could be a combination of the potassium and some other chemical in the stomach as we get older.
I am 31 and just ate a banana for breakfast and about 25 minutes later I am having INTENSE stomach cramps. Ugh I guess I will go and lay down and take some pepto bismal. If I decide to try bananas again I will certainly buy organic. About 2 months ago I ate an organic one with no problems what so ever. I think I can’t tolerate bananas on an empty stomach as some previous posters mentioned. Good luck Banana friends!
Oh man. I had a banana this morning (empty stomach) and it took about an hour before anything started really happening. I have some intense pain right now in my stomach! I’m a bio engineer and I plan to do a research project on this within the next 2 or so years. I’m tired of people just saying “then just don’t eat bananas” I need to know why! And then I can engineer a banana thats allergy free.
Im so glad i found this on the web. All this time it was bananas? I started eating bananas a week ago, once in the morning and once after work. as soon as i got to work i started getting cramps..almost like hearthburn feeling but in the midsection. anyways.. i also coincidentally started fiber pills the same time i started my banana regiment and thought that was the culprit. i’ll be damn.. my sister just told me that bananas are a natural laxative.
Did anyone else notice the comment posted by: Puba at March 21, 2005 9:50 AM? (Just do a word search to find it on this page.)
I’ve noticed this happening to the bananas that we’ve been buying lately. About a month or two ago, I got in to a sort of banana groove – they taste so great on honey nut cheerios (or any cereal, for that matter) and it was the perfect way to start my morning off with fruit. For a while, things were good. But then I started to get pains in my upper abdominal area (like right between my rib cage). At first I thought it was the coffee, which tends to be a little strong and acidic in our house. But then there were days where I didn’t even have coffee, but I still had a banana and my stomach hurt.
This afternoon I had one for lunch and the pains came back. They’re not “severe” like some people have been describing. But its definitely not normal. I typed in “banana stomach pains” in google, and I got a bunch of sites that say bananas are suppose to soothe stomach pains. So then I typed in “banana cause upset stomach” and found this website.
I don’t think it means that we’re all allergic to bananas. I just think that (as with anything) if you have too many, you’ll get sick.
Plus this comment posted by: Puba at March 21, 2005 9:50 AM — says a lot. I don’t think its a coincidence. Gassing of any kind is not good.
I have been having the same problem with bananas.
And like many others who have posted, I can only find info saying that bananas are supposed to sooth your stomach! WTF?!!
I really believe I have developed some type of allergy to bananas. I ate them all the time growing up, but when I turned 20 (I’m 21 now) I got sick after eating them. I used to eat them every other day, but I just can’t anymore. I’ve been trying to make smoothies with them instead of just eating them, and it seemed ok for a few days. But, now…after eating one or having a smoothie I get intense stomach pain at the top of my stomach. It feels like I swallowed a baseball. LOL
And, my throat feels irritated. It feels like it’s tightening a little.
This is very strange.
I like bananas, but I won’t be eating them anymore, or making smoothies with them. The pain and discomfort just isn’t worth it.
mine started at 19 I used to eat bananas as a child but at 19 it started to bother me I couldnt believe it at first but then I realized that it was bananas its crazy
I’m 24 and for the last 6 months I cannot eat bananas either, same upper abdominal pain as most of you! I have tried taking Beano right before I eat an organic banana and that seems to help, but without the beano I’m in agonizing pain!!! Organic bananas alone still cause pain though. When I tell people they think I’m crazy, even my doctor! We need to find out what causes this!
I also have had the same problem (intense upper stomach cramping after eating uncooked bananas). I’ve isolated the problem since my early 20s, at least. I had similar problems as a child (strong stomach cramping after certain foods). When I was a kid it was never really determined which foods caused this cramping – it could have always been bananas, although I don’t remember eating them very often as I didn’t like them much then. I bought some organic bananas for my husband and had one just now (it was ripe) in a smoothie (on an empty stomach) – and now I’m having severe cramps once again. So I don’t think it could be a chemical that is sprayed on the bananas now, unless my organic banana somehow got contaminated (not very likely!).
I have noticed that if I eat bananas on a somewhat full stomach, they don’t seem to bother me as often. It’s not all the time, too, that they bother me, and I wonder if it’s a certain brand or origin of a banana that has a chemical in it that causes these symptoms. In general I avoid them because of these problems. It’s interesting that all of us have the same symptoms – I’ve never met anyone else who has this problem. I also get this bad stomachache sometimes (not always) after eating canteloupe, avocado, and kiwi.
I am 46 years old and have eaten and loved bananas all my life. This past Monday I had a turkey sandwich, some cauliflower and a banana, and about 20 minutes later was doubled over in agony. I thought the sliced turkey was bad as the cramping/burning feeling was soon accompanied by the other messy dreaded GI symptom. I took some tums and went to bed for a coupel of hours and when I woke up, I felt a lot better. Yesterday I had a can of chunky soup and a banana for lunch, and guess what!!! It was’nt as bad as Monday, more like bad indigestion, but very unpleasant. Well I hadn’t really put two and two together, so today my lunch consisted of of a ham sandwich, an orange and, you guessed it, a banana. Well, I’m sitting here in a lot of dicomfort (worse than yesterday, not as bad as Monday)and it suddenly dawned on me that it was the dang bananas. I did a google search and, voila, I find this site and discover this is not real uncommon. I’m a daring soul, so I’m gonna give the organic thing a shot and I’ll let you know what happens. It’s just so strange how suddenly this has occured.
I’m 47 and about 6 weeks ago, started eating a banana every day. Yesterday left work early with severe stomach cramps and again today. I realized it was after eating a banana. The thing is that these are organic bananas I got from Trader Joe’s. Has anyone who tried the organics still having problems?
I have been baffled by this for years. As with many, it started in my 20s. Had loved bananas all my life until then. It feels like someone is stabbing just under the sternum with a knife. Here’s the sad thing. I ate a Macintosh apple today and had the exact same reaction. No bananas, now no apples. Anyone else out there have a problem with apples? Does anyone know what causes this? My doctor doesn’t even know.
I haven’t had any pains yet with apples, but I do get pains sometimes with pears and melon. I’m starting to fear all fruit!
Just ate a green banana and got terrable cramps. Found this, just under another site that said there was too much starch in a green banana and it would cause the cramps, something about, the sugar had not developed, in the ripening proccess, I have no problems with a yellow… yet. Also I found several years ago that I can not eat raw apples, carrots, celery, peaches and some other fruit and vegetables without getting itching in my mouth and severe stomach pains, that subside within an hour. Strawberries, oranges, mango and leafy greens are no problem, oh and bananas till today. I am 33 and it started when I was 23-ish. Allergist years ago said that they had talked about this allergy, industry wide at seminars and had no reason for a cause yet, but said it was gaining For me cooking, blanching or steaming any of theses work for me.
I have had to add PEAR to my list. Man, last night was not fun. Heartburn gas pain, BACK pain, nausea, sleepiness, general horrible pain.
I found this site, RE food latex syndrom.
http://dmd.nihs.go.jp/latex/cross-e.html
I categorized the “suspect” foods from their list but feel like the absolute trigger foods don’t seem like enought to say I have this Latex Food Syndrome:
Absolutely
mushroom
banana
avocado
cantaloupe
pear
bell pepper
Sometimes / Unsure
kiwi
mango
cherry
coconut
peach
peanut
pineapple
apple
papaya
passion fruit
chestnut
apricot
loquat
buckwheat
peppermint
bamboo shoot
Never
potato
tomato
grapefruit
walnut
carrot
lettuce
almond
fig
soybean
orange
celery
mustard
nectarine
strawberry
pepper
watermelon
Oh man! I am so happy to have found this! I feel I don’t have a lot to add to the already plentiful comments but I’m so glad it’s not just me. The pain I get from avacados and bananas doesn’t sound as severe as some–mine is more of a mild discomfort with mild to medium cramping. It’s kind of like my body feels likes it’s revving up for major gastrointestinal problems but it just sort of plateaus at annoyance with pain, if that makes any sense. The other food that does this to me is fresh mushrooms (never canned, only fresh. sort of liked raw banana vs. cooked banana).
One I haven’t seen listed here that gives me almost the exact same pain is HONEY. I know that babies shouldn’t eat honey due to botulism spores, but it is odd that it’s the same pain as bananas, mushrooms, kiwi, and avacado. The other strange part that I don’t think I’ve seen mentioned? All of these tummy issues are coupled with slight inner ear pain/itchiness. Is that part just me? Please someone tell me that they can now think back and realize that bananas make their ears hurt too!
I’m off to investigate this latex allergy connection. Thanks so much you guys.
I’m so glad to have found this site. I’ve suffered from VERY severe stomach pains after eating bananas for years now and my Dr. doesn’t know what this could be. I do not suffer from any other symptoms like the itching throat, etc. and do not notice the problem with kiwi, avocado, or canteloupe. It has been years since I narrowed it down to the banana and like many of you, I ate them allmy life until my late 30’s before I noticed any problems. I do recall, however, eating a banana while on a trip in Hawaii that was direct from one of the farms and did not have a problem. I really love them and wish I could eat them – so much in fact I try every couple of years or so – tried the other day, like clockwork within one hour I was doubled over in pain, could barely breath for about 2 hours. I think I’ll try the organic bananas, and even the beano to see if that works. Thanks for all the comments. I hope someone figures out what this really is all about.
This is soooo crazy. I have been experiencing this since I was 16, but it’s totally weird because bananas are the only thing that gives me cramps like this. And the strange thing is, I’ve read about banana allergies and I don’t seem to fit the symptoms for what I’ve seen because the only thing I experience is very intense stomach pain. I don’t experience any rashes or itching and I’m also totally fine with avacados and other birch-related fruits.
So I want to know. What’s up with my banana problem! Why is there such a limited supply of information on this?
By the way, I think everyone who posts here should post the YEAR when they developed their problem, just in case it’s the chemicals they’re using on bananas. It could be interesting.
I developed my allergy in 1996.
I am 26. Had the stomach aches back in grade 6. I can not eat banana’s but there is also a list of other things I can not eat. The pain in my stomach/rib area is bad, and I also have the sweats. I find if the fruits and veggies are cooked I only sometimes end up in pain.
Banana’s
broccoli
califlower
pineapple
red and green peppers
oatmeal
pears
melon
I knew it… I couldn’t be the only one. And my mom says it is a “mind problem”…
It is a horrible pain. The other day I ate like TWO LITTLE SLICES of banana on a pie (then I realized it was a banana pie ¬_¬ ) and I got the pain for about an hour :(
…I’m gonna try that organic bananas… if I find out where to get them.
Great idea about posting the year, Jeanne!!! I posted earlier about my problems, but wanted to add the year it started.
My issues with bananas first started in 1996 or 1997.
I too am 21 and about 3 or four months ago started having these terrible, make you want to slap yo mama cramps. I found out the hard way that anything with uncooked bananas causes the cramps. Why? I don’t know. I’m thinking that this reaction is purely digestive not an allergic reaction but I could be wrong. I was also met with frustration surfing the net and finding no info. However I have found a remedy. Peppermint tea if drank a few minutes after eating bananas helps to prevent the pain. If you let the cramps go on too long before drinking it the tea won’t work as well. try to drink it without sugar. After this banana busines i won’t need to ask the guy who just got junped on the corner how it feels to get punched in the gut. My ultimate suggestion is to just lay off uncooked bananas completely but if you can’t resist USE THE TEA!!!!
what a relief to read all these posts!! i have never had food allergies before (only skin allergy to certain jewelry)– about 2 years ago i got deathly ill after eating an avocado (never happened before), stomach pains so bad i was crying. thinking back, i had had reactions to avocado like this before, but never realized it was the culprit. around the same time i was also having mild abdominal pain after drinking my morning smoothie (banana, yogurt, berries). i stopped those thinking it was the yogurt bothering me. now today, for the first time in a few years, i sit down to enjoy a banana and 20 minutes later–boom! stomach cramps. glad i am not alone! hope i don’t have a latent latex allergy– i am 40 years old, btw– so glad i am not alone!
hey, I don’t have reactions to bananas but was curious about this… I saw one post that said that when eating organic bananas there was no problems while there was with the other… I think bananas are supposed to be one of the fruits that have the highest concentrations of pesticides… it could be that your body has so many toxins built up over time from the pesticides on the bananas that it is having a reaction as if you were poisoned….. just a thought :)
I love bananas, but they don’t love me. I can eat banana nut bread, banana flavored ice cream, etc. But if I try to eat the actual FRUIT, I feel like I’m going to die. I get severe nausea/vomiting and stomach pain. It’s horrbile. My grandma said it could be an allergy or the extra potassium from the bananas could be causing the problem. I’m glad I’m not the only person that has this issue with bananas. God Bless!!
Glad I found these posts, I too suffer from bad stomach cramps, cold sweats & nausea from eating the Devil’s fruit. Just recovering from another bout after stupidly tryin a 1/2 of a crummy banana, never again!
Good to hear I’m not alone. I love banans and pretty much ate them every day until recently when I started to get severe cramps from eating them. The pain is awful and seems to be getting worse. I’m am going to try organically grown bananas (has this helped anyone?) because I don’t think I can go forever without it.
My daughter is 14, very athletic and very health conscious. We read that in order to gain the most benefits from fruits, they need to be eaten first and alone. Since bananas are supposed to be so healthy, she has been trying to eat them each day especially for breakfast prior to soccer games. A few years back she would often get sharp pains during a game and it was thought to be due to a lack of potassium so we began pushing bananas. She only likes them a little “green” and not ripe. Lately, she has experienced problems only when eaten in the mornings on an empty stomach. Symptoms are nausea and “pressure” in the stomach area, gas and some burping. So far, no extreme pain. Symptoms begin soon after eating the banana and often last a couple of hours. She eats kiwi each day at lunch with no problems. She does eat the kiwi immediately before her sandwich just as she does the banana, but no problems with the kiwi. Cantalope also hasnt caused a problem.