Why Do Bananas Give me Heartburn?

Do bananas cause you heartburn? If yes, you should know why it happens. According to sources, raw bananas can increase acid in the stomach, causing heartburn

Because of their high potassium content, bananas are considered an alkaline food. A ripe banana can help reduce heartburn and other reflux symptoms by neutralizing stomach acid and coating the stomach walls. Bananas can be a trigger for some people, especially if they are ripe.

There are other foods such as raw onion, tomatoes, and coffee who’s over intake can cause heartburn. Doctors recommend not to over-consume such products because they can cause acid-reflux problems.

Some people consume bananas regularly without noticing such an issue, but it can affect your health. People consume bananas in their breakfast by mixing them with other foods or grains since it’s a heavy fruit and becomes a substitute for a full-time meal of an individual.

In this article, we will tell you about the complicated relationship between heartburn and bananas. Not only this, you will be learning what you can do to manage your stomach’s PH level while you are suffering from heartburn after you have consumed too much banana. 

Why Do Bananas Cause Heartburn?

Ripe bananas have a PH of 5, making them acidic food to consume. According to research, bananas are a good source of nutrients that provide various health benefits. But it is not healthy to consume too many bananas, especially raw bananas. 

Raw bananas are responsible for heartburn, and if you have heartburn, then eating raw bananas can trigger it more. Bananas are alkaline and are not considered acidic because of bananas’ PH scale. 

The banana combats the stomach’s PH level, which can cause pain in the abdomen and heartburn. The acid level in the stomach gets unbalanced when we consume a raw banana. 

The Life Cycle of a Banana 

A banana’s life cycle has three growth stages – vegetative development, flowering, and fruit stage. The longest period in the life cycle is vegetative development.

This phase lasts for six months. The fruit stage and flower stage lasts for 3 months each. This sums up 12 months from planting a banana tree until the ripened bananas’ harvesting. 

In the first six months, the vegetative stage, the trunk of the banana grows till 4-6 feet. The three grow smaller leaves at the start, then they grow about 2-3 feet long. Until last month, the tree had many layers and leaves on it, and the flower’s buds were little visible. 

At the flowering stage, the flowers are visible near the branches of the leaves. Also, the temperature for the three to grow at this is 26-28°c. A too cold or hot climate is not suitable for a banana tree to grow. The tree needs a lot of water to grow well.


During the fruiting stage, raw bananas grow with large leafy fruit. There are almost 30-40 bananas on a single leaf. As the bunch of bananas is big and the flower is huge, the size of the mature flower is 1-2 feet long.

Usually, it takes 12 months for a banana tree to grow, but it takes more than 12 months if the climate is cold. 

How to Reduce Heartburn After Banana Consumption?

For reducing heartburn after banana consumption, regularity in nutrition is requirable. We need to regulate the acids present in the stomach to stabilize acidity in the stomach to stop heartburn. 


Try drinking milk; the PH level of milk is higher than the neutral PH level. Milk is an efficient method to stop burning in the stomach and heartburn. Drinking a glass of milk is enough to regulate acids in the stomach. Note, the milk should not be too hot. Boil the milk, then keep it in the open air for the cooling process. 


If a person is lactose intolerant and cannot intake dairy products such as milk, the other best option is coconut water. Coconut water is not available everywhere, but if lucky enough, coconut water is the best option to get rid of heartburn after consuming a banana. 


Sometimes milk and coconut water are not available then eating juicy fruits such as apples will help. Apple is very nutritious and helps to maintain acidity levels too. Eating an apple will help a lot because it will help to stabilize the burning. 


These natural fruits may not help if the heartburn are too much to handle. It will be a wise choice to visit a doctor. Tell the doctor everything happening in your body so he can give you the right medicines to stop heartburn. Do not consume medicines from the pharmacy without a prescription. 

How Can You Monitor Your Triggers?

Heartburn occurs at night after eating dinner and eating bananas. Heartburn also increases if we eat too many bananas. 


There will be a burning sensation in the chest. This burning will increase while laying down or while sitting. If the burning feels uncomfortable, try the above-given methods to reduce heartburn. 


There will be a bitter or acidic taste in the mouth that ensures the burns. You may also burp a lot if you are having heartburn. 

Final Thoughts

Heartburn is common and occurs in everyone’s body. But if the heartburn occurs thrice a week, you should visit a doctor to get proper treatment. Even after drinking milk, coconut water, or eating apples doesn’t help, take medication given by the doctor.

Some severe cases of heartburn also have symptoms such as difficulty while swallowing food. Also, there can be a sensation of vomiting or nausea.

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I have always been a shopaholic. A lot of times my questions went unanswered when it came to retail questions, so I started Talk Radio News. - Caitlyn Johnson

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