Strange Question about Bananas

[Guest Mary from OH]

OK. I think I may have found a pattern. I was wondering if anyone has had this same experience or if I'm just really weird. If I eat bananas, I get VERY severe muscles cramps in my legs (calves and thighs). They are similar to the ones you get when you are pregnant. It's strange because usually they tell you, you get them because you are low on potassium and bananas are high in potassium. SO, what's the deal???

I hadn't eaten bananas in a while and I've had several this week and now I'm waking up with SEVERE leg cramps to the point I'm almost crying.

I know I have severe food allergies, but I've never tested + to bananas.

Any ideas???

Thanks!!

[opus88]

I can't have bananas - I can't handle the sugars in them. However, part of the Metabolic Typing tests involved ingesting a high-potassium solution. Oh man, was I weak from that! Couldn't even walk myself to the bathroom until it wore off. Turns out my potassium ratio to something else (can't remember offhand what it was) was sky-high.

The reason I tell you this is that it's possible you may have an overabundance of potassium, and adding the banana pushes you over the edge. There is a delicate balance of potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. If any of those is out of normal range, all kinds of weird symptoms can occur. My thought is that maybe your potassium to magnesium ratio is unsuitable, but that's just my barely educated rambling.

It's just a guess, but might be worth considering.

[Guest Mary from OH]

That makes sense to me!! I also CRAVE salt now!! Ever since I was pregnant with my daughter, I can't seem to get enough of it. When I was dx with POTS, I told my mom, SEE I told you I needed the salt!! She kept yelling at me for putting salt on everything and using so MUCH of it!! It was strange because I had never used it before!! I guess I'd better just avoid bananas!?

[Star382000]

I'd look into possible allergic reactions and at least stop with eating bananas. I don't eat them much because of my 'irritable' stomach but I don't recall experiencing such cramps and pain.

I also want to add that for the past years I just LOVE salt. I would always be yelled at for putting SO MUCH on and I would worry too myself but now we know. My POTS doctor said that taking in more salt increases blood volumn which helps the blood pressure not drop so much when standing up. I CRAVE salt, it's madness. Good luck with the bananas

[Guest tearose]

I had this cramping in my calves and minor chest pains too. The blood work showed elevated levels of potassium. I had this after drinking a lot of orange juice. Also very high in potassium. I now use electrolyte packets to better regulate how much extra salt and potassium I actually am taking in. tearose

[DancingLight]

hmmmm....very interesting....

another weird thing to add to the mix about bananas (chiquita banana and i'm here to say...oops, sorry)

they have serotonin in them and can make some people feel weird (per my geneticist at hopkins who is in to this diet stuff...) but i don't know anything else about it.

i cut them out and haven't added them back in yet to see how they affect me.

depressing...b/c the fruit selection in the winter stinks!!! apples, pears, apples, pears, grapes, apples, pears, grapes, gross oranges b/c of the hurricanes...

emily