If I eat a green banana, boiled egg or fried plantain quickly, I get severe pain in my throat and chest. I can’t get any air in, it feels like there’s something stuck in my throat even though I’ve swallowed it. The chest pain is crushing. It lasts from 30-60 seconds and I’m left with mild throat pain after. I have no idea why it’s only these items that provoke that response.
Comments
Allergy?
Probably the banana having trouble going down your throat. Banana can be quite sicky and because of how muchy it is i can imagine that it happens
I have no clue, but I have on a rare occasion, had the same thing happen.
You need to drink water with it it’s getting stuck
Try chewing?
Oh yeah, definitely, anything that’s like, too dense or starchy. It happens most often to me when eating something like a sandwich with potato in it, or a really good pasta and going too quickly, it feels terrible. I think it’s a mechanical issue rather than an allergy since it does seem to be connected to speed of eating.
dont do that shit then
Indigestion, LOL.
Dyspepsia for the hipsters
Not a Dr, am a dbag
This is me with bread!! I feel like I’m gonna pass out!
Stop rattlesnaking your food
You’re swallowing too much at once and it’s getting stuck. Chew more, or take smaller bites, or both.
Oh! I get the hiccups when I eat too fast or swallow too much- usually rice or pasta. They can really hurt too.
Hiccups are actually your diaphragm in your chest spasming. Maybe it’s messing with your diaphragm when you swallow dense/sticky food. That could cause spasming, though not necessarily a kind recognizable as hiccups.
Something similar happens to me if I eat a flour tortilla too fast. Almost feels like I’m choking and it can get scary real quick.
Chew not kiss
You’re not supposed to deep throat bananas. Slice them with your teeth before swallowing.
I hate using this, but my mother died of stomach cancer and complained of pain for years but not like what you are describing. Still, God forbid you miss a serious condition for polling uninformed Redditors like me. So I asked ChatGPT for you. I’m not a doctor!
That sounds incredibly uncomfortable—and definitely something worth getting checked by a medical professional. But based on what you’ve described, there are a few possible explanations for your symptoms:
Esophageal spasms can cause severe chest pain that feels like something is stuck or like a crushing sensation. They can be triggered by certain textures or temperatures of food, or even the act of swallowing too quickly.
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is another possible cause—an inflammatory condition where certain foods (like bananas or eggs) trigger a hypersensitivity reaction in the esophagus. This can make it feel like food gets “stuck” and cause pain and trouble breathing.
Food Bolus Impaction
If you’re not chewing fully and swallowing chunks of food (especially dense ones like green bananas or boiled eggs), they may temporarily lodge in your esophagus. This can cause chest pain, inability to breathe, and a feeling like the throat is blocked.
Globus Sensation or Cricopharyngeal Spasm
Sometimes, swallowing can trigger spasms in the upper esophageal sphincter (cricopharyngeus muscle), giving the sensation of something being stuck and difficulty breathing. This can be made worse by certain food textures or fast eating.
Vagal Nerve Stimulation
The vagus nerve runs close to the esophagus and can be irritated by swallowing or a distended esophagus. This could possibly explain the crushing chest pain and breathing difficulty.
Why only bananas, boiled eggs, and plantains?
All three:
Are dense or starchy foods that don’t dissolve easily with saliva
Require thorough chewing to become an easy-to-swallow bolus
Can be dry in texture when not fully ripe (banana/plantain) or cooked (egg), which might make them harder to pass through the esophagus
What You Can Do
Chew thoroughly—especially with starchy or dense foods
Drink water before and after swallowing bites
Slow down eating pace—especially with those specific trigger foods
Consult a gastroenterologist: You may need an upper endoscopy or esophageal motility testing to rule out EoE, esophageal strictures, or spasms
Talk to a GI doctor. Honestly, it sounds very similar to my experience with eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE). Certain foods trigger it more, for me bananas, peanuts, potatoes, and a few others trigger it. Basically the chewed up food gets stuck in the esophagus and it can be very painful.
They did an upper endoscopy to diagnose it and then dilated my esophagus and it’s been incredible. There’s also some medications they can prescribe to help you manage it.
Bro you are probably allergic. That is not normal.
Unless you’re swallowing it too fast and your throat is cramping up or something:
This happens to me if I eat a spoon full of peanut butter. Usually have to drink it down with some milk.
Next time it happens, trying taking a drink of something, it’ll hurry it along and the pain will be over quicker!
Drink a liquid with your food my god
Your esophagus and trachea are two different things. One does food, one does air. If you can’t get air that’s choking. You aren’t choking. You can get food stuck in your esophagus so try and take smaller bites, swallow, take a sip of water, and wait a second before you take another small bite. You could have something called rings and webs/Gherd because I also get the same pains sometimes. Bananas really mess my stomach up these days.
No, but my wife claims to have a similar feeling (less painful) with carrots. I’ve laughed at this for years because she just figured everyone else felt the same way.
Stop deepthroating bananas
I get this with cantaloupe, not excruciating, but it hurts. I just don’t eat it anymore
Happens to me with soft manufactured loaf bread, I don’t eat that stuff anymore
Sounds like esophageal spasm if I had to guess. You can breathe. It just doesn’t feel like you can.
Could potentially be an allergy. My first banana allergy symptom was heartburn and indigestion almost immediately after swallowing. I was never allergic as a kid but developed it sometime in my early 30s
Go to the doctors. That’s not normal. It sounds like an allergy. But don’t ask people on reddit, go to an actual doctor.
Now Im just curious how fast you eat these things? Because I can eat me some food real quick, but I’ve never had this experience with food (sometimes liquid does it).
Eating banana burns my mouth to hell, it’s got worse for years until I can’t eat them at all now. Allergy I think.
This sounds like an allergy… especially the feeling like something is stuck when you try to swallow. Have you seen an allergist about this?
i think you are allergic brother
That sound like anaphylaxis. That can be fatal. See a doctor. Like if it happens again before you can see your primary care, go to the hospital.
It’s called heartburn (indigestion). Taking an antacid like Tums or taking a teaspoon of vinegar will help. Next time eat slower, and take smaller bites.
INTENSE indigestion. I’ve had this experience.
Dude. Are you perhaps ALLERGIC TO BANANAS? don’t fuck around with that, you can die. Goddamn we may not survive as a species lol.
Do you know how to chew?
30 seconds. Yes, if I stress eat, eat too quickly and forget to chew my food properly, it can hurt.
We have to learn to eat slowly, and put down our phones, like, not to watch fast 30 seconds videos while you eat, so that the body has time.
We live in a significantly more stressful society, which with social media has made everything have to happen within 30 seconds, like TikTok’s short videos.
Um. Sounds like you are allergic to them…
Sounds like an esophageal spasm. Slow the fuck down.
Haven’t felt that, you should consult to clarify
slow down and enjoy every bite
Probably an allergy. You should take an allergen test for such
Don’t wolf your food like a competitive eater.
This happens to me with bread and rice. My Dr suggested I may have an esophageal stricture, a narrowing in a portion of my esophagus. It only happens in the same area. I think the food is able to pass easily until that point, but then its being squeezed through a tiny passage and that causes pain. I would ask a Dr about that possibility! Im getting an endoscopy to confirm. I also get told to chew more or eat slowly but that wont get rid of the underlying issue!
either ur swallowing that shit whole or ur allergic to bananas/fruits in the same family and eggs. get that checked out and please god chew ur food more thoroughly lol.