The fruity culprit?
Around 3 months ago I began to experience very bad, spasming pains in my stomach. I knew that the pains weren’t related to eating gluten because they were occuring on random days when I had eaten nothing but my usual breakfast and lunch which I knew did not contain any gluten. For months after being diagnosed I had been eating these same foods and suddenly they were causing me severe pains…Was it really the food or was it something more sinister? It was impossible for me to tell!
At first the pains appeared on a weekly basis which was horrible but it was when they started to come much more frequently (at one point I was in pain 4 of 5 days) that it became unbearable and I decided to go to my doctor. Unfortunately, but not too surprisingly, he said that it was difficult to pinpoint what was causing these pains and gave me a prescription for Mebeverine. He said to try these pills whenever the pains come and if they don’t work then to come back so that we can look into the problem further. Mebeverine is generally used for sufferers of ‘IBS or similar stomach problems’ but I thought I may as well give it a try. The pains, when they sneak up on me, are so painful that I can barely function properly and I didn’t know how much more of them I could take! It was affecting my work, my running and my sleep!
The next time the pains came I took the pills. They didn’t work immediately but the pain eased within an hour or so and was gone a couple of hours later. I would continue to take the pills for a couple of days to ensure the pains were gone. This worked as far as getting rid of that particular wave of spasms but the pains would always come back, resulting in the need for more pills.
The last time I had these pains was 2 weeks ago. I had just eaten my breakfast of gluten free cornflakes with soy milk and a banana a hour earlier and this made something click in my brain. I thought back to the last few times I had the pains and to what I’d eaten….I couldn’t rememeber every time but I could definitely remember eating bananas on at least 2 or 3 other occasions before the pains came…could bananas really be the culprit?
I still can’t be sure if I’m right because it’s only been 2 weeks but I haven’t eaten a banana since and this is the longest I’ve gone in months without pain. I googled stomach pains after eating bananas and came across an interesting article on banana allergy
I like bananas and it sucks if I can never eat one again without suffering but at least knowing for sure would stop me worrying that the pains are due to something else…it’s been 2 weeks and counting since the spams so I’ll keep you updated on living banana and gluten free!
(UPDATE: June 2012) I have now been banana free for over two years and those horrific stomach pains never returned. I miss bananas but I certainly don’t miss the nasty pains I suffered from eating them!
Are there any other celiacs who have experienced something similar? It seems ridiculous that bananas were what were causing me all those horrific stomach pains! Do they do the same to you? Share your experiences of evil banana pains or other foods that do something similar to you…
laura
May 8th, 2010I’ve now been banana free for a month and my stomach pains have not returned during this time. It’s looking like it was definitely the bananas!!
John
Aug 11th, 2010Strange. I was diagnosed 5 months ago and still enjoy bananas regularly without any issues.
Brittany
Aug 12th, 2010I haven’t been able to eat bananas for a year now because, like you, they also cause me horrific, crippling stomach pains. I had never had a problem with them before and out of the blue I started to get horrible stomach cramps. I still don’t know what exactly causes the stomach cramps but after a couple attempts at putting bananas back into my diet and suffering miserably, I’ve learned to just stay away. Thanks for posting the article! Interesting read as I am also allergic to avocado, although I’ve never had an adverse reaction to latex. Hmm..
Wendy
Oct 31st, 2010interesting…I thought I was becoming neurotic! I haven’t eaten bananas for quite some time now as, like you, I found i suffered crippling abdominal pains shortly after eating them. I am having problems with wheat/gluten at the moment and am being tested for intolerance. I craved cereal and bread and ate both in excessive amounts!
sansgluten
Jan 9th, 2011I’m thinking its the soy milk. Do some research on soy… you might find that’s the culprit. I can not tolerate soy. Banana’s, avocados and latex allergy are related, but I don’t know it would cause that level of pain…
I have to say a big huge thank you since I’ve been looking for a medication like Mebeverine or something to have on hand after a gluten accident. I can’t believe the crippling pain I had after a the last 2 gluten accidents (each over a year apart, but debilitating) and don’t know what to ask for other than pain medicine which just masks the problem… if I’m lucky. Thank you…
Laura
Jan 11th, 2011I will definitely will do some research into the soy milk thing although since I’ve stopped eating bananas the pains have gone away completely so I’m pretty sure it has to have been them (although I was surprised that bananas could cause such terrible, crippling pains!)
Come to think of it though, it’s been while since I’ve had any soy milk either. Interesting… Further research is required
Laura
Feb 10th, 2011First of all – I love that your name is Laura.
Secondly, my kiddo was reacting to something she’s been eating. Bananas was one of the things I haven’t ruled out yet. Need further testing. 
She DEFINITELY reacts to soy though. Soy flour, soy sauce (even the gluten free kind!) and soybean oil seems to get her too. It’s UGLY. Almost uglier than her response to gluten, even!! Dairy seems to give her a bit of trouble, but only if too much is ingested. She seems to do just fine with a piece of cheese here and there.
Laura
Feb 15th, 2011Interesting…sounds like there are quite a lot of people out there who have some sort of aversion to bananas and soy. I wonder if it is related to celiac disease/gluten sensitivity or whether it’s just coincidence…
@Laura, what a pretty name you have too! teehee
Susan Cassidy
Feb 17th, 2011Hi Laura, just found your site and it looks really useful, thanks! I have a problem with soy which causes nasty stomach pains – and I react to too much sugar so I thought my slight problem with bananas may be to do with all the sugar in them…but I’m sensitive to latex too so I will now investigate further…!
Laura
Apr 4th, 2011How interesting! It sounds as though there are a lot of people out there who have horrible reactions to eating bananas. Recently I’ve discovered that eating blueberries and blackberries gives me a little stomach discomfort too. Nothing as horrific as bananas but perhaps it’s related…
iGOR
Apr 29th, 2011This article caught my attention because it shows different aspects with different people having the same issues eating different things. My biggest problem is the soy milk. i’ve never had a problem drinking soy milk and all of the sudden i started to get this horrible pain on my stomach every time i drink it. I just changed my protein powder to a new brand that just came out and the other day i had it before i went to the gym and when i got there i couldnt do much because the pain was so intense that i had to go back home, not only that but my lips get fat and my mouth gets kinda numb. does anyone have the same probem?
R
May 9th, 2011Hi have been having crippling stomach pains for the past 2 weeks. Today I was absolutely beside myself, had to drop what I was doing, and return home I was in so much pain. It subsided after about an hour. A week ago I gave up caffeine in an attempt to ease the periodic pain with no success. Today, all I had eaten was a banana. And that’s when it hit me, I have been eating tons of bananas and sure enough, this must be the culprit. (I don’t eat soy, ever)
I started Googling and sure enough people with the same exact symptoms. Unbearable upper stomach pains shortly after eating, pain subsides in an hour.
Some say they can tolerate fully ripe ones, or small ones but not on an empty stomach. I’m not going to test this any time soon, but I suspect at some point I will.
Laura
Jun 9th, 2011Just ate a few handfuls of blueberries with my breakfast cereal and I’m feeling slight stomach pains.
Nothing as horrific as what bananas do to me but certainly a similar more mild version of the same feeling. Could blueberries and bananas perhaps be fruity cousins??
Lindsay
Jan 28th, 2012Hello, I just wanted to know if you ever found out what the pain is from. I have been suffering for years and years and my list of things that I cannot eat has grown incredibly. Tomatoes are by far the worst, but I cannot eat any fruits with small seeds (berries of all kinds, bananas, kiwi etc) I also cannot have a lot of vegetables (cucumbers, zucchini, squash, etc) also salad dressings oil and cream based and greasy/oily things. I cannot eat foods that are fried (no loss there) or anything with butter. I don’t mind the loss of dressings and other unhealthy options, but not being able to eat fruits and vegies is really bad. I know that vitimins cannot be enough. I have had so many tests done with no results. I have never heard of anyone having these types of issues before.
Laura
Jan 29th, 2012Hi Lindsay!
It is definitely bananas which cause me the awful pains. I don’t eat them at all now…it’s not worth it as the pain is that terrible. If I eat more than a small handful of blueberries or blackberries I can a similar pain but not as severe as with bananas. It’s very strange but after writing this post I got a lot of feedback from people who can’t eat bananas and various other things. I wonder what it is inside these things which is giving people problems!?
You say you can’t eat fruit with small seeds…how are you with other fruits like grapes, melon, pear, etc? Which veggies are you alright with? I agree, it’s not too much of a loss not to be able to eat unhealthy things but we should all be able to enjoy the taste and health benefits of fruit and veg.
kate
Jan 29th, 2012Have you tried organic bananas? Many bananas are of the same strain and they do use chemical on them. It could be the chemicals that are the problem rather than the banana itself.
jacqui
Jan 29th, 2012I’ve never been able to eat bananas they have always given me crippling stomach pains. Been gluten free since 2005 but bananas have always been an issue for me
Laura
Jan 29th, 2012Hi Kate, Yip, I tried organic bananas and still get the same pains. I’ve also eaten bananas in a number of different locations at different times to rule out anything other than bananas themselves. Very bizarre.
Jacqui, How strange that so many of us get terrible pains from our yellow, fruity friend!
Win
May 6th, 2012Everyone needs to be very careful with soy. Soy does not allow for the absorption of vitamin D and Calcium and leaches calcium from your bones. My daughter and I are both celiacs and ate organic soy products for four years to gain calcium since we are also lactose intolerant, but during that time our bones began to ache and were unable to endure long periods of activities. After blood tests, they found that I was so close to Ricketts that it was astounding that I could walk at all. My daughter had very low calcium and vitamin D levels as well. So we had to take mega doses of Vitamin D and Calcium and two years later we are okay again. So take care when eating soy products which you will find are in almost every health food product!
Donna
Jun 6th, 2012I’ve eaten bananas for years and suddenly started getting really bad stomach cramps from what I have discovered is bananas. It’s weird that this started suddenly. I haven’t had a banana in a couple of weeks but just ate half of one about an hour ago and sure enough, crippling pain. I do know I can’t eat soy and have quite a few other food intolerances but am very upset about the banana problem as there isn’t a whole lot I can eat in the first place!
Kristyn
Jun 7th, 2012I just found out I’m allergic to beef. Now, I seem to do fine with chicken and pork, but beef makes me have similar symptoms as I do to gluten. I was so sick for two weeks and finally my food journal revealed the attack. According to one article about 20% of lactose intolerant people (another fun allergy for me) are also allergic to red meat. So, I say if bananas make you sick, skip them and I’m glad you’ve been two years pain free. At this point I know I’m willing to give up any food that makes me sick. No food is worth the pain involved. Celiacs have enough to deal with by surprise attacks.
Lea
Jun 8th, 2012Amazingly timely. Just underwent heart ultrasound and nuclear stress test plus full ultrasound of stomach,liver,spleen,kidneys, etc. to find the cause of sever pain in upper stomach. The pain appeared regularly each day about 30 minutes into my walk. It was short lived but became more and more intense. When I went on vacation in May, the pain stopped completely. What was different? No banana and peanut butter for early breakfast for 16 days. Now, back in the US and back to banana every am and pain. You post was so timely. Hate giving up bananas too but guess I’ll do it.
Barb
Aug 27th, 2012I was diagnosed last week with celiac disease and am becoming more aware of what causes my stomach to hurt. I have had no gluten today but ate banana and my stomach hurts. I am wondering if blueberries are doing the same thing too. I have a lot to learn but eventually I hope to be feeling better all of the time.
Laura
Aug 28th, 2012Hi Barb, welcome to the gluten free community
Figuring it all out is a challenge but it definitely gets easier! I never eat bananas anymore due to these terrible pains and like you I thought blueberries were doing the same thing too at one point but nowadays I can eat them every now and again and I’m fine. Good luck with your gluten free diet and let me know if you have any questions 
Sharon
Oct 12th, 2012Thank goodness I am not the only one. I was diagnosed in November 2011 with Coeliac after a biopsy. The horrible lower abdominal cramps and camping out in the bathroom have eased right off since starting Gluten free diet but all of a sudden I experienced crippling upper abdo pain within minutes of eating a banana. I thought I had a perforated ulcer or something. The pain was horrific and took 4 hours to ease off but made me feel very unwell for the rest of the day. Also for a couple of days afterwards my stomach was very ill at ease….wind pain, gurgling etc. Had to be the banana as I was fine before. Always eaten them fairly ripe as in the past they have caused a little bit of indigestion but this was off the scale. Never again will I eat them
Julie
Nov 4th, 2012I have problems with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, including bananas. It turns out I have oral allergy syndrome.
Rebecca
Nov 14th, 2012I too have experienced the same pain and have not had a banana in 22 years. I also experience the same pain with pears, almonds and just recently spinach… I used to be able to eat those foods with no issues. I would rather avoid them in order to not have to suffer through that pain. It’s almost like the stomach can’t digest the food…the pain is severe enough with both bananas and pears that after about 2 hours they come back up and empty my stomach. Pain disappears and so that food from my diet, forever!!
Terri
Nov 23rd, 2012I have had issues with bananas for years. I had read the Blood Type book by D’Adamo and it made sense to me after that. The premise is that our blood type pre-determines us to certain food allergies. I have been gluten-free for two yrs. and that has changed my life. I still have issues w/ bananas, melons and sometimes apples. My biggest food foe has been onion and garlic; causing extreme tummy pain and bloating. Try avoiding that in our world!
Kristina
Dec 9th, 2012Well, I have had this same allergy to banana as the one described above for 20 years. Today, I had avacado and had the same reaction. Surprising, but as I am reading up on it it’s very common to react to both.
Victoria
Jan 5th, 2013Hi Laura,
I just googled ‘bananas causing stomach cramps’ and came across your post on bananas giving you stomach pains. Your story is exactly the same as mine. About 6 months ago I started getting really bad stomach aches, and at first couldn’t figure out why, then managed to identify bananas as the probable cause. Since not eating them, I have been stomach pain free. I don’t get it – I have eaten bananas my whole life – why would we suddenly be allergic to them??? Do you know?
Best wishes,
V
Victoria
Jan 5th, 2013P.S I miss bananas!!!
Laura
Jan 5th, 2013Hi Victoria! I seriously have no idea what started it all. I know allergies and intolerances can begin at any time in our lives but looking back at the above comments it sounds as though many of us are suddenly having problems with bananas in adulthood. Many celiacs develop other intolerances (I’m not sure if you’re celiac or have other allergies?) so I often wonder if my banana allergy is something to do with that but I’ve never found a concrete answer. Before all of this begin I did eat a banana in my cereal almost every morning so perhaps it came from eating too many of them?!?
I haven’t eaten a banana for almost 3 years and I miss them too! Although from time to time I’ll have a tiny piece if my husband is eating one and I seem to be ok with that. Perhaps it’s now time after almost 3 years to try eating a quarter of a banana to see if I still get the pains..
Chloe
Jan 8th, 2013It was very interesting to not only read this article but the responses with it. I’m a gluten free vegetarian and I very much loved eating a variety of fruits and vegetables however a few months ago I started to get sick again. The symptoms were similar to that of being glutened however I knew it wasn’t the case. After a couple of weeks of being unable to hold any food (and losing over 6lbs) I went to the doctor who told me my stomach acidity was too great. This was the cause of the nausea, slight stomach pain and increased bowel activity. He put me on pills to try and reduce the acid however I just felt worse. He also suggested I eat a high fibre diet (after eye rolling on his part about my vegetarianism and my gluten allergy (which isn’t medically diagnosed, although my aunt is celiac and a few cousins cannot tolerate gluten either). This new way of eating (more nuts, seeds, flax, quinoa) has greatly alleviated my stomach issues. I still mourn the loss of a lot of fruit in my diet but try to mix bits in with high fibre partners and (touch wood) it seems to be working alright at the moment.
Holly
Jan 16th, 2013Hi….I also googled stomach pain after eating a banana….thought I was going crazy….was so glad to find you posts! I am also gluten, lactose, latex intolrant . Couldn’t figure out why I had such severe pain after a simple banana ….all I know is I won’t eat one again! Thanks so much everyone for sharing!!
Sara F-M
Jan 27th, 2013I started having problems in my early twenties with bananas, aspirin and almonds. Many years later it was pointed out to me that I had a problem with amines. Bananas are fine if they’re with something else or baked (20 mins until skins are black & I have them with maple syrup & cream). Almonds are fine if not eaten on an empty stomach bit no aspirin whatsoever, as my reaction is severe and I end up with a 4 day migraine, not fun! Have a look a fedup.com.au. Best wishes everyone x
Rosie
Jan 27th, 2013so glad i found this site, i am also gluten intolerant but have always been able to eat bananas until last night. I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so perhaps it was because I had an empty stomach but my Gosh, the pain in my stomach and intestines was horrific – will be afraid of bananas after this for a long time!
Sherri
Feb 1st, 2013I have noticed that I have a lot of pain after eating bananas that are not quite ripe. It took me a while to figure it out. I am also having more inflammation in my joints and nasal congestion when I eat too many carbs. I can not drink beer at al. My doctor is calling it a sugar intolerance, but I don’t have high blood sugar. It is strange, indeed, but nevertheless, I must reduce my carb intake.
charlie
Feb 5th, 2013this is a great thread, and it’s comforting to know other people have been dealing with this too. i have long suspected that a mild gluten allergy was contributing to my psoriasis, however a few months ago i started getting very sick to my stomach after eating breakfast. i figured there was no way it was bananas because I had eaten them every morning for years, but sure enough, I ate one in the late afternoon and had the same pain. I stopped eating them and the pain went away. However, two points:
-The stomach pains also coincided with my starting to take a particular multivitamin. Literally, the first time i tried it was the first day i started getting the pains. Although I stopped taking the vitamin, I cant help but think something in this “flipped a switch” in my stomach so that I now cant have bananas.
-I’ve started noticing other foods having the same effects; particularly green beans. And now I’m laying awake at night with the same stomach pain and can’t figure out what I ate that’s causing it; onions, potatoes, portabella mushrooms, quinoa and chicken is what i had for dinner, all foods ive eaten a million times without problems.
I saw a posting a while back from someone that resonated with me. They had a doctor tell them that they had actually developed an allergy to high-fiber foods. It sounds completely insane, and actually at odds with the advice that an above poster received, but the piece of advice that poster gave- to drink lots and lots of water to alleviate the stomach pain, actually tends to work for me (although it also keeps me up at night).
Anyways, hope some of this can be useful. I plan on going to see an allergist in the next few weeks so hopefully can get to the bottom of it. Good luck to everyone else.
LuAnn
Feb 8th, 2013I was diagnosed Gluten Intolerant several years ago. My doctor also told me to stay away from soy. Prior to my diagnosis I had been taking an herbal pill with soy in it. I had already discovered that those pills were definitely causing a lot of my pain. A few months ago I had two very painful Gluten attacks that both lasted over a week. I had been drinking smoothies in the morning made with blueberries or bananas. I could not figure out at the time what I had ate that was causing such terrible pain any why it was lasting so long. I thank you for your posting as now I feel I was also victim to eating bananas.
SherriDee
Feb 11th, 2013I am not celiac, have no known allergies, but have had a problem with bananas for years. I also get the stomach pains which last for about an hour, but not every time I eat a bananas. In fact, yesterday I ate a banana that was not quite ripe and had no problem, but today I ate one from the exact same batch and had the pains. My mom told me she suspected that I reacted to bananas as a baby. I don’t usually have a problem if the banana is ripe enough, but can’t figure out why my reaction is so unpredictable. I have wondered if it is pesticides and maybe if I get the chemical in my mouth sometimes and not others.
Yulia
Feb 12th, 2013I am in pain now because I ate a huge glass of a mix fruits jam: blueberry+banana+apple+ strawberry. Actually, I suffered a crippling stomach pain a month ago, it was getting wore and wore that it became so horrible. I ate various mixed fruits every day, and the pain happened when I added blueberry/cranberry/ strawberry mixed together with avocado/ banana/apple/wiki. The doctor gave me some capsule and the pain is ease day by day, and I stopped to take any fruit since seeing the doctor.
I started to eat fruits from yesterday. I ate apple+wiki+banana+small amount of blueberry(maybe 10 granules of them), and I didn’t feel pain yesterday. This morning I put apple+wiki+5 strawberry+25 blueberry+banana. And then I am suffering the pain now. fortunately, it is not as wore as last time.
I’m still not clear which of the fruits caused the pain, but I will reduce the amount of the berries every time from now on.
Yulia
Feb 12th, 2013I forgot to say that I always mixed the fruit jam with 30g protein whey.
Lulu
Feb 22nd, 2013Hi, I just started gluten free 3 weeks ago. All had been going well until this week. Stomach pains like I had gluten. Its been driving me crazy trying to figure out what it was. I’ve been googling every ingredient that I’ve been injesting that wasn’t a fruit or veggie. I already know my allergies where those are concerned. Or do I? It just hit me about 10 mins ago as I was eating a banana, that I’ve had one every day this week, sometimes twice. Now I am wondering if all my stomach pain is now related to that. I’m going to be very upset about it if it is but at least I would know. Now to test that theory out by not eating anymore for a few days.
Bo
Feb 26th, 2013A few years ago after eating a banana, I had stomach pains so bad that I’ve not dared touch one since. Before that I never had any allergies to anything.
LM
Mar 7th, 2013I don’t like bananas, haven’t eaten one in maybe 7-8 years, so I wouldn’t know anything about the bananas..
But I love blueberries, I usually eat a few in my plain yogurt when I wake up.
But yesterday I ate more than usual, I ate a bowl of them before going to bed, and today before lunch I got some really bad stomach pains that lasted about 30-60 minutes, after that it was almost fine. Maybe it was the blueberries?
I ate a lot more than I usually do!!
-LM
Neda
May 7th, 2013Im 38 yrs old and just last week, I started getting the most horrid stomach pains in the morning, about an hr after breakfast. This just started last week, and every day after that. I tried pinpointing what the hell I was eating, and changed it. Never once occurred to me that it could be the banana I have every morning. I realized I didn’t have any pain on Sun and Mon because I didn’t eat one. So I thought I was cured. This morning about 8am I had one and about 12:30pm, the pains and nausea made me call my doctor. Hopefully she gives me some answers!
ivy
May 19th, 2013I thought I was going crazy or was really medically sick!! Started drinking green smoothies for breakfast about two months ago and I noticed on some mornings after my smoothie I would be in horrible pain! I thought maybe it was the bananas and stopped using them for a week or so, no pain tried to used them again and bam I felt like I was gonna die! I am asmatic so I have alot of allergies only food allery is shell fish so I dont understand why the bananas do me like this! But I am so glad to see Im not the only person like this thank you for sharing!