Around 30% of the population suffers from food intolerance. Due to the industrial production of food, the rate is also steadily increasing.

Do you like to eat bananas? Do you have any discomfort after eating it? Banana intolerance is rare, but it does happen nonetheless. You may be one of those people who suffer from an intolerance to bananas.

A banana is rarely eaten with other foods. Many people who suffer from abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting after eating a banana ask themselves why.

Symptoms like these could be an indication that you have a banana intolerance.

You can read more about this below.

Are Bananas Healthy?

It is not without reason that bananas are one of the most widely consumed types of fruit. Not only do they taste good, they also impress with their nutritional values. Bananas provide many important vitamins and nutrients. Are suppliers of potassium, magnesium and B6.

These vitamins are especially important for the muscles. The heart and kidneys also benefit from it.

Athletes regularly use bananas for a quick source of energy and nutrients. In addition to apples, bananas are therefore mostly consumed in Germany. There is almost no household that does not regularly have the yellow fruit in the kitchen.

Did you know that eating bananas can even help relieve muscle spasms or actively prevent them? Many people therefore consciously eat them after exercise in order to supply the body with an extra portion of magnesium.

But what if you have symptoms of intolerance after eating bananas?

Fun fact: why is the banana crooked?

Like many other people, you’ve probably wondered why the banana is actually crooked.

Every banana fruit is called a so-called banana finger by the fruit growers. There are 10 to 20 fingers per bunch of bananas. You thus form a hand.

A banana plant can hold around 10 to 12 hands. It weighs around 50 kg.

Because the tufts hang down from the heavy weight, they also tilt the bananas towards the ground. The fruits also seek sunlight and at the same time lean upwards. This will give you the answer to the question why the banana is crooked.

The causes of a banana intolerance

The reasons why a person suffers from an intolerance differ from person to person.

The most common cause of banana intolerance is small particles in the banana that slip through the intestinal wall. This will get them into the bloodstream.

If your body perceives these particles of the banana as a threat, it sends so-called antibodies to fight the particles. Experts also speak of IgG antibodies. In connection with an intolerance, they are responsible for causing an inflammatory reaction in the body.

The reaction of the antibodies then becomes noticeable in you as unpleasant symptoms of intolerance. The digestive system or the complexion are mostly affected.

The more permeable your intestinal wall, the worse the symptoms will be.

Another cause of banana intolerance is the processing of the banana in the intestine. For example, if you suffer from an enzyme deficiency, the components of the banana may not be able to be removed properly. Digestion suffers as a result. This brings with it many different symptoms.

Bananas also contain fructose. If you suffer from fructose intolerance, this can also be the cause of your symptoms after eating a banana.

Symptoms of a banana intolerance?

It is not easy to attribute certain symptoms to those of a banana intolerance. The symptoms cannot be clearly assigned. In many cases, they also appear after a few hours or even days.

Often the symptoms of a banana intolerance are therefore mistakenly attributed to another food.

In most cases, however, the digestive tract is affected by a banana intolerance. Those affected suffer from stomach cramps, abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, headaches and rashes.

The symptoms can be different for everyone. Some people mainly suffer from gastrointestinal complaints, while others only complain of rashes.

Due to the fermentation process of the fruit, which takes place in the intestines after consumption, many people suffer more from gas after they have eaten a banana. This is also due to the high fructose content in the banana. The fructose cannot be completely broken down in the small intestine and therefore reaches the large intestine. There, hydrogen is formed through the breakdown of fructose. This leads to gas.

What is a banana allergy?

A banana allergy should not be compared to a banana intolerance. The symptoms of an allergy are much more severe and can even reach life-threatening proportions.

Many people are allergic to bananas because of the protein contained in the banana. The protein is only found in very few types of fruit. These include, for example, avocados or kiwis.

Many people who suffer from a banana allergy are often also affected by a latex allergy. Doctors refer to this phenomenon as cross-reaction.

For most people, skin contact alone is enough to cause the symptoms of a banana allergy. In most cases, the symptoms of those affected go well beyond the digestive tract. Rashes, swelling of the mouth or throat, or even shortness of breath are not uncommon symptoms of a banana allergy.

The symptoms do not appear after hours or days, but mostly within a few minutes.

Other symptoms that can be triggered by a banana allergy are a runny nose, shortness of breath, and red, itchy eyes.

If you have a banana allergy, it is important to avoid contact with bananas. In the worst case, your body could react to the yellow fruit with anaphylactic shock. This is life-threatening and must not be underestimated under any circumstances.

How can you test for a banana intolerance?

Do you suspect you have a banana intolerance? Be sure to discuss this with your doctor. He can use various tests to find out whether you actually suffer from an intolerance.

Most of the time, the doctor will do a blood test. This brings certainty whether you suffer from an intolerance.

If you suspect you may even have a banana allergy, the doctor may do what is known as a skin prick or patch test.

You can also find out for yourself if you have a banana intolerance. An elimination diet can exclude you from this. In doing so, you eliminate the suspicious food.

It is best if you also keep a food diary. Always write down exactly what you ate and when, and whether you have any symptoms.

If your symptoms subside by not eating bananas, you are most likely suffering from a banana intolerance.

The most reliable way to find out if you have an intolerance is still a doctor’s blood test. There are now many providers where you can do an intolerance test from the comfort of your own home. To do this, you take a drop of blood yourself and send it to a certified laboratory.

What to do if you have a banana intolerance?

The only therapy to reduce or even remedy the symptoms of banana intolerance is to absolutely avoid bananas.

Doctors also recommend avoiding foods or substances that could trigger a cross allergy. Avocados, carrots, papayas, potatoes and tomatoes are known to cause allergies or intolerance in people who already suffer from a banana intolerance.

Latex is also known to cause cross allergies in the case of an existing intolerance to bananas.

If you suffer from a banana intolerance, avoid eating bananas completely at first. The intolerance may decrease a little after a certain period of time and you can put bananas back on your diet.

When you do without it, make sure that you do not eat any ready-made foods that contain bananas. Most of the smoothies you can buy in the grocery store have bananas in them.