digesting bananas

[bittersweet]

Oh my dear Bananas,
You are cheap and yummy, and you have low pesticide residues.
You are nutritious, and appear to be the perfect food for me... the nearly fruitarian who is rather poor... to make a staple of.
WHY DO YOU NOT DIGEST WELL?!!!

Bananas make me feel heavy, bloated, and backed up until they are out of my system- this can take 48 hours!!!

I let them ripen until they are freckley- why don't I handle them well??!!!

Should I keep trying?
PLEASE... any advice is appreciated.

love mallow

[Nectarine]

Do you digest other foods well? Do you eat bananas shortly before retiring for the night. That is never a good idea in my experience. I find that if I lie down too soon after eating anything (including bananas), my digestive system seems to slow right down, and when I wake up (say 6 or 7 hours later) I still feel like I just ate an hour ago. Another thing to consider: perhaps you are not drinking enough water. As with other high fibre natural laxative foods (such as figs, raisins, and prunes), if you don't drink an adequate amount of water during the course of your day, bananas, instead of helping to keep you nice and regular, will cause you to feel bloated, gassy, and 'backed up'.

[rawfigure]

eat them very very ripe !

[juliebove]

Bananas can be binding. They are part of the typical BRAT diet used for stomach problems. Bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, to slow down the bowels.

I don't personally like them very much and my daughter is allergic so we no longer buy them. But if you like them you might try mixing them in with other fruits like a fruit salad.

[bittersweet]

I do eat them on an empty stomach- and not right before bed, either.
Shame.
I guess I'll just have to stay away from them.

[RawNut]

Maybe you could start small and work your way up to eating more day by day. Is it only bananas and nothing else that does this to you?

By the way, your original post reads like a poem to me. ;)

Craig

[RowanC]

::making chimp sounds::: :D

I'll eat YOURS!

[rawfigure]

* yum yum banana's* I had two already today ! :p

yes such a shame ...maybe change to another fruit...

[Nectarine]

I eat 7 a day, and when I can afford it, I'll eat more :cool:

[mbf]

Don't eat them alone, use them in a green smoothie or mix with pineapple or strawberries. I can not eat them alone or else I feel like they are a lump in stomach.
I also eat the bulk of my fruit in the morning about an hour before heading to the gym...sometimes I am running late and drink my smoothie on the way to the gym and it still digests well. I can get up and teach a 90 minute cardio class and feel great as long as they are mixed with something!

But the on the other hand I always preach "listen to your body"! Maybe they are not what your body needs right now.

Good luck!

Mara

[Sunshine9]

Do you eat them as a mono-meal in the morning, or later in the day?

Perhaps first thing would be best.

If that doesn't do it, my only thought is perhaps they don't agree with you right NOW.. I've gone through phases with foods like this. For example tomatoes made me feel weird for a while, and after a break I can enjoy them in moderate amounts.

[Stina]

Yeah, well, this is my fourth day at 100% raw and I feel just magical. I'm probably consuming about five to seven bananas a day, which I suspect is too much, but it's doing the trick for this transitional phase. Not to mention, you can't beat the packaging for convenience, huh! I can make it through any craving knowing I'm going to go home and whip up bananas, frozen strawberries and carob in my Vitamix, so bananas are a blessing for life. I'll rate the digestability factor later when I'm more stabile in my Rawness. I know for now they are considerably more digestible, than, hmm, I don't know, say the fast food burgers I was cramming down the hatch........

[Apasaraw]

Bananas used to give me acid reflux like crazy....but since being raw they dont' anymore...maybe give it time? Apples make me ill. Maybe it's the way we're wired.

[RowanC]

Try different varieties...!!!

The yellow ones you get in the store are the most bland.. and most "messed with"... of any!

Try some little red bananas.... or the wee tiny yellow ones with the brown spots... see if you can eat those? Notice the difference in the taste!

[Princess Elaine]

This is interesting...now that I eat so pure and can account for everything that goes into my mouth...I'm noticing when I eat bananas I get a bit of a stomach ache...the first time I noticed it I'd had a HUGE bowl of banana ice cream...I figured it was cuz I had eaten too much...but a couple of days ago with just one , hours after a meal and a couple of hours before and the same thing happened...

I'm glad you all post what goes on cuz it helps to know I'm not alone...and I will try different kinds of bananas but I also know...maybe it's just not right for me right now and not try to force a food that doesn't make me feel good.

Thanks for all your posts, Elaine

[SeaRose]

Do you have allergies? People who are allergic to ragweed ( a seasonal allergy) are also allergic to bananas, watermelon and cantalope. That's me, can't eat any of that stuff. :mad:

It's my theory that if something you are eating bothers your stomach, you should stay as far away from it as possible. Trust me, I learned the hard way. :o