Pineapples are delicious and nutritious — it's no wonder they're a favorite fruit for many. But for some people, eating this sweet fruit can lead to some not-so-sweet stomach problems.
Why might pineapple cause stomach pain for some people? Here are five potential reasons, plus tips to help you avoid those aches in the future.
1. You're Eating Too Much Fiber at Once
Fiber is an essential nutrient that helps regulate your digestion, lowers your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and supports weight maintenance.
Fruit is a major source of the nutrient, and pineapple is no exception. In fact, just 1 cup of pineapple supplies 2 grams of fiber. According to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adults should aim to eat 28 to 34 grams of fiber per day, depending on body size and activity level.
If you don't typically get your fill of the nutrient every day, eating too much fiber all at once can lead to digestive issues like gas, bloating, and cramping.
How to Fix It
To prevent an upset stomach from eating too much fiber, it's best to ease into eating the nutrient. Slowly upping your fiber intake over the course of a few weeks allows your digestive system to adjust to higher doses of the nutrient, which can help you avoid symptoms. Drinking plenty of water can also help minimize stomach pain and other side effects of eating too much fiber.
2. You Have a Food Intolerance
Another reason pineapple may be hurting your stomach could be that you have a food intolerance, which is when your body has a hard time digesting certain foods or ingredients. Symptoms of a food intolerance include:
Upset stomach
Diarrhea
Gas
Bloating
Headache or migraine
Nausea
Heartburn
In some cases, pineapple itself isn't to blame. You may instead have an intolerance to specific sugars in the fruit, such as fructose.
How to Fix It
Talk to your doctor if pineapple hurts your stomach on the regular. They can help you determine if you have a specific food intolerance or sensitivity. If they diagnose you with a food intolerance, you can typically prevent pain by reducing or eliminating the trigger food from your diet.
3. You Have an Allergy
An allergy to pineapple isn't common, but it does exist. And if you do have an allergic reaction to the fruit, it can cause the following symptoms:
Itchy or tingly mouth
Hives, itching, or eczema
Swelling of the lips, face, tongue, throat, or other body parts
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Nausea or vomiting
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Fainting
Anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction where your throat swells up and restricts your breathing
An allergic reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to a particular food, triggering your body to release a disease-fighting antibody called immunoglobulin E, or IgE. IgE then stimulates your body to produce histamine and other substances that cause allergic symptoms.
It’s important to note that a food allergy isn't the same thing as a food intolerance or sensitivity. Food intolerances typically lead to digestive issues, whereas allergic reactions tend to produce more respiratory or skin-related symptoms.
How to Fix It
Tell your doctor if you experienced allergic symptoms after eating pineapple, or if you experience symptoms of anaphylaxis, seek medical care immediately. Your doctor can run tests to confirm if you do indeed have a pineapple allergy that affects your stomach. If that's the case, avoiding the fruit altogether can help prevent symptoms.
4. You Have Acid Reflux
Certain foods can aggravate acid reflux, a condition where acid in your stomach persistently leaks back into your esophagus. Acid reflux — along with the chronic form of the condition, called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — can lead to the following symptoms:
Heartburn, which can sometimes cause the sensation of upper abdominal pain
Regurgitation
Feeling like you have a lump in your throat
Coughing
Chest pain
Trouble swallowing
Sore throat
Acidic foods are common triggers. And while pineapple isn't as acidic as some other fruits (like citrus), it still may cause symptoms for some.
How to Fix It
Talk to your doctor if pineapple triggers acid reflux for you often. They can help you identify problem foods to limit, and may also prescribe acid-reducing medications or recommend another course of care.
5. You're Sensitive to Bromelain
Pineapple naturally contains a group of enzymes called bromelain. Bromelain digests proteins, including those found in your mouth (that's why you may have heard that pineapple “eats you back,” although this effect isn't harmful).
Though bromelain is typically well-tolerated — in fact, it's sometimes extracted from the fruit and used to help relieve pain and swelling — it can cause an upset stomach for some. So if you're wondering why pineapple hurts your stomach, bromelain may be to blame.
How to Fix It
Check in with your doctor if you regularly get an upset stomach after eating pineapple but your symptoms don't seem to correlate with any of the conditions mentioned above. They can help determine the best way for you to find relief.
The Takeaway
If pineapple causes stomach discomfort for you, it could be from eating more fiber than your body is used to, which can lead to gas and bloating. If you want to increase your fiber intake, doing so gradually could help minimize symptoms.
Food intolerance or sensitivity might be another cause of stomach pain from eating pineapple. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you have one; if they diagnose you with a food intolerance, limiting or avoiding pineapple can alleviate the discomfort.
Allergic reactions to pineapple, although rare, can lead to stomach upset, as well as serious symptoms like swelling and difficulty breathing; immediate medical attention is necessary if such symptoms occur.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Mayo Clinic. December 11, 2024.
Reyna Franco, RDN, is a New York City–based dietitian-nutritionist, certified specialist in sports dietetics, and certified personal trainer. She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master's degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Columbia University.
In her private practice, she provides medical nutrition therapy for weight management, sports nutrition, diabetes, cardiac disease, renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, food allergies, eating disorders, and childhood nutrition. To serve her diverse patients, she demonstrates cultural sensitivity and knowledge of customary food practices. She applies the tenets of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of chronic disease and improve health outcomes for her patients.
Franco is also a corporate wellness consultant who conducts wellness counseling and seminars for organizations of every size. She taught sports nutrition to medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counseling to undergraduate students at LaGuardia Community College, and precepts nutrition students and interns. She created the sports nutrition rotation for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship program.
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine's Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Member Interest Group. She is also the treasurer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, having previously served in many other leadership roles for the organization, including as past president, awards committee chair, and grant committee chair, among others. She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, too.
Diane Marks started her writing career in 2010 and has been in health care administration for more than 30 years. She holds a registered nurse license from Citizens General Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Arts in health care education from California University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Science in health administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
