Stomach Pain After Eating Red Meat: Causes and Solutions
Health ConditionsDigestive Health

5 Reasons Red Meat Might Cause Stomach Pain — and How to Avoid It

5 Reasons Red Meat Might Cause Stomach Pain — and How to Avoid It
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Updated on August 12, 2025
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Red meat, which includes beef from cows, as well as lamb, pork, and processed options like sausage, pepperoni, and bacon, can cause belly cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting in some people. Foods that are packed with protein and fat can be harder to digest than others, which may be part of the problem — particularly when we overindulge.

Beyond eating too much at one sitting, there are several other reasons why red meat may hurt your stomach, from food allergies to preexisting gastrointestinal disorders.

1. Food Intolerance and Allergy

Isolated digestive issues often are the result of a food intolerance, which is a difficulty digesting certain foods. But it’s also possible to be allergic to meat.

 One way that a meat allergy develops is through alpha-gal syndrome, which is an immune system condition that usually begins with a tick bite.

In addition to stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting, alpha-gal syndrome can cause:

  • Hives, itching, or scaly skin
  • Swelling of the lips, face, tongue, or throat
  • Wheezing or shortness of breath

Treat It

If you think you have a red meat allergy, see your healthcare provider or an allergist, who can get you tested and talk you through your treatment options.

If you need to avoid red meat — or any type of animal meat at all — swap plant-based sources of protein into your diet instead, such as tofu, beans, and eggs.

Rarely, a food allergy can lead to anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction marked by shock and difficulty breathing.

 Get medical help immediately if you notice these symptoms.

2. Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis, which is inflammation of pouches found in the wall of the digestive tract, has been linked to diets high in red meat. Red meat is also associated with inflammation in several internal organs, and eating a lot of it can deteriorate colorectal health.

 Symptoms of diverticulitis may include nausea, tenderness in the abdomen when touched, and sudden diarrhea or constipation.

The connection between diverticulitis and red meat consumption needs more high-quality studies, and “there needs to be more direct data,” says Jacqueline Wolf, MD, a gastroenterologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.

 “There could potentially be a change in the gut microbiome in people with diverticulitis who eat a lot of meat,” she says.
Other digestive diseases, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, may also be impacted by consuming red meat.

Treat It

If you experience severe gastric distress after you eat red meat, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider. If you are diagnosed with diverticulitis, you may need antibiotics to treat this condition. For others, a liquid diet for a few days should allow your gut to slowly heal itself.

3. Gastritis

Another reason you may have stomach pain after eating red meat could be due to a case of gastritis. This is an irritation of the stomach lining, which can be caused by several factors, including a bacterial infection, an autoimmune disorder, or the long-term use of pain medications.

 While meat consumption may not cause gastritis, it can worsen its symptoms.

Treat It

To treat the typical symptoms of gastritis, which include gastrointestinal discomfort, indigestion, heartburn, and abdominal pain, you might want to eat smaller, more frequent meals and avoid fatty foods, including red meat.

4. Food Poisoning

If your stomach is bothering you after you eat red meat, it’s possible that you have a case of food poisoning. Foodborne illness usually occurs when the food you eat is contaminated with bacteria, parasites, or viruses.

Typical symptoms of food poisoning include:

  • Upset stomach and cramps
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
  • Fever
Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States.

 Two common bacteria behind it include E. coli and C. perfringens. “E. coli is from undercooked beef and can cause stomach pain and other GI symptoms, while C. perfringens is a toxin that can be found in contaminated beef,” Dr. Wolf says.

Treat It

Time is the best cure for food poisoning, although certain types may require antibiotics or antiparasitic medications. Make sure you stay hydrated until your symptoms go away, and call your doctor if your symptoms persist for more than a couple of days.

5. A Stomach Bug

Keeping track of what you ate and when you started having symptoms is one way to pinpoint stomach pain after eating red meat. But in some cases, your discomfort may not be related to your diet.

Viral gastroenteritis — also known as the stomach flu — may cause cramps, pain, nausea, vomiting, and watery diarrhea. The most common way to contract this illness is through contact with someone who is infected or by ingesting contaminated food or water. Symptoms typically appear within one to three days of exposure.

Treat It

There is no effective way to treat viral gastroenteritis, but if you’re otherwise healthy, you should recover on your own. If your symptoms are mild, stay home and avoid contact with other people. If your symptoms are severe, call your doctor, who may prescribe an antiviral medication.

Remedies for Stomach Pain

Belly discomfort after eating red meat should be treated in a similar way to other cases of mild gastrointestinal distress.

  • Drink plenty of water. Water or other clear liquids and beverages that contain electrolytes will help you stay hydrated until your symptoms go away.
  • Avoid solid foods. Skip solid food for the first few hours after symptoms appear, and avoid high-fat foods or ones that are fried or greasy, as these may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

  • Try home remedies. Licorice may help with excess gas. Ginger can ease indigestion. And peppermint may relax your intestinal muscles.

When to See a Doctor

If the nature of your connection between meat and abdominal pain is unclear to you, talk to your doctor about your symptoms and when they began. You may have red meat intolerance symptoms, which would require you to avoid eating red meat altogether.

If you experience these other symptoms along with stomach issues, seek medical attention:

  • A fever that won’t go away
  • Blood in your stool or vomit
  • Jaundice
  • Shortness of breath
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
  1. How Fat Affects Your GI Tract. Orlando Health. September 10, 2021.
  2. Food Allergy vs. Intolerance: What’s the Difference? Cleveland Clinic. April 13, 2022.
  3. Alpha-Gal Syndrome. Mayo Clinic. November 15, 2022.
  4. Plant-Based Protein — a Simple Guide to Getting Enough. Colorado State University. May 2022.
  5. Anaphylaxis. Food Allergy Research & Education.
  6. The Impact of the Western Diet on Diverticulitis. Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. October 16, 2023.
  7. Diverticulitis. Mayo Clinic. October 22, 2024.
  8. Carabotti M et al. Role of Dietary Habits in the Prevention of Diverticular Disease Complications: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. April 14, 2021.
  9. How Diet Impacts IBD. Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
  10. Diverticulitis. Mayo Clinic. October 22, 2024.
  11. Gastritis. Johns Hopkins Medicine.
  12. Meat Consumption and Risk of 25 Common Conditions: Outcome-Wide Analyses in 475,000 Men and Women in the UK Biobank Study. BMC Medicine. March 2, 2021.
  13. Gastritis. Mayo Clinic. February 14, 2024.
  14. Food Poisoning. Cleveland Clinic. May 28, 2025.
  15. Symptoms of Food Poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 31, 2025.
  16. About Norovirus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. April 24, 2024.
  17. Viral Gastroenteritis. Mayo Clinic. April 30, 2025.
  18. Abdominal Pain. Cleveland Clinic. April 18, 2022.
  19. Is Something in Your Diet Causing Diarrhea? Harvard Health Publishing. August 8, 2023.
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Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kara Andrew, RDN, LDN, is the director of health promotion for Memorial Hospital in Carthage, Illinois. She is also licensed as an exercise physiologist and certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Her experience includes corporate wellness, teaching for the American College of Sports Medicine, sports nutrition, weight management, integrative medicine, oncology support, and dialysis.

She earned her master's in exercise and nutrition science at Lipscomb University.

Andrew has served as a president and board member of the Nashville Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was recently elected a co-chair of the fitness and medicine group in the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

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Jennifer Kelly Geddes is a New York City-based freelance writer and editor, who covers health, wellness, pregnancy, and parenting. She has held positions at Food & Wine, Parenting, Seventeen, and Airbnb magazines and was a research editor at Parenting for more than a decade. Jennifer has also worked as a research editor for Kiwi, Scholastic Parent & Child, Dr. Oz: The Good Life, Modern Farmer, CR Fashion Book, V, VMan, Parents, and National Geographic Kids. She has created custom content for dozens of websites, including Care, SafeBee, Fisher-Price, Mastercard, the National Sleep Foundation, Realtor, Working Mother, Grandparents, Time Out New York KIDS, Good Housekeeping, and Chewy. She holds a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MA from Columbia University. And she is the mom of two teen girls and a rescue pup named Django. An avid tennis player, cross-country skier, and yoga enthusiast, she divides her time between West Harlem in Manhattan and Ghent, New York.

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