I get Bad cramps and diarrhea after eating Honey Nut Cheerios

[Darci1414]

Hello, I was hoping someone could help me. Ever since I can remember, anytime I eat Hone Nut Cheerios, about 2-3 hrs later I get extremely bad stomach cramps and I feel like I have painful gas, but there isn't any gas. They are so intense that I get nauseated and then a little later the cramps are followed by more cramps and really loose stools. Regular Cheerios don't do this to me, I love the taste of Honey Nut Cheerios and would like to be able to eat them. I don't understand no other cereals or foods do this to me, not even generic brands. What would do this or cause this to happen? Could it be an allergy, and If it is an allergy, to what? Can I take something before or with the cereal so I don't get sick? Thank you for your time.~Darci~

[mifegr]

I am a Nutritionist.  My advice to you is this......STOP EATING HONEY NUT CHEERIOS!  First, your having an allergic reaction to something in the cereal and every time you have this reaction your stressing out your immune system.  Second, they are JUNK.  They are low in fiber and high in refined sugar.  Any nutrients in them have been artifically added so your body doesn't use them right.  Stick with regular cheerios, or bettter yet, look for cereals that are high in fiber and low in sugar.  Kashi makes some.  I think Kashi "Go Lean" is suppose to be good.  As long as you don't throw sugar on top of it before you eat it.

[southpawartist]

Oh thank you!  I thought I was crazy!

[Raeofsun111]

I've been doing an elimination diet. I know I don't do well with dairy at all, I always end up vomitting and get a bit of a hard time breathing after/ trouble swallowing during meals with dairy. I had also stopped eating any breads and cereals at the same time because I get trouble swallowing when I eat those items as well. I I doing perfecting fine with those items eliminated.

First bread-ish item I added back was honey nut cheerios and unfortunately it made me have a bit of a hard time breathing( nothing so alarming that i think it warants a hospital visit.) I've gotten used to this happening after eating certain things.
But I read honey nut cheerios are gluten/wheat and dairy free. I wonder what in the cereal could be causing a reaction.
This is driving me insane.
Ps- I've been waiting for an appointment with an allergist, which is a 3 month wait :/

[ggreg]

It's probably the nuts, a common allergy.  You could try putting honey on the regular kind that you also said you eat, and see how that goes down.  I used to put honey on mine and loved it, too.  Anyhow, try to avoid stuff with nuts from now on.  

[Pip23]

I get cramps from them . . . so does my sister! It feels like my tummy and intestines are going to explode!!!! It happened me on two consecutive days and it was only on the second day that i realised it was them! Theyre EVIL as far as im concerned!!!!! I know im not allergic to nuts or honey as i have eaten both without effect. . . but id like to know what they are doing to my insides to be causing that much pain!! Not an experience id like to have again. . . .hardly worth it for a bowl of cereal!!

STAY AWAY FROM THEM is my advice!!!!!!

Good luck from a Cheerio hater xx

[Mypalmary1]

This has never happened to me before until recently! Honey Nut Cheerios are my favorite cereal, but when I recently got a new box at the store, I one day had terrible stomach pains at work that made me even feel nauseas! I didn’t know what they were from until the next time I ate the Cheerios for breakfast and had the same intense stomach pains. I regret very much eating them :(

[WinlawWomyn]

I get pain in my gastric system from the regular (not honey nut) cheerios - I've always gotten this since I was a kid.  It's the only thing in the world that does this to me.  I eat really well and only buy Cheerios on occasion for doing crafts with my kids, but sometimes "indulge" and regret it EVERY time.  I have no idea WHY this would happen but I sense some serious BAD vibes from General Mills and all those nasty corporations - steer clear.  I'm going to move back to the more expensive "Heritage Os"!

[Hmmthatsweird]

Me, too!

[Uniquenamehere]

I haven't had Cheerio's in over 10 years because of these exact symptoms. The time I ate them I lost 6 pounds in less than 24 hours from severe diarrhea and became dehyrated. I couldn't even keep water down!

I've written General Mills about this issue and received no response from them.

[bronzzy]

Just bought a box of honey nut cheerios on sale and have noticed after i eat them in the morning I feel nauseated.  So just wondering if it was that particular box or if I've become allergic to something in them.  Have never had an issue before.

[sickalot12]

I always get the runs after eating hn cheerios and many times get burps that taste sulphuric/eggy and leads to vomitting...I think I'm going to pass on this cereal from now on...I just feel terrible after consuming it.

[DCMatCU]

Me too, I quit eating toasted oat cereal. Always leads to disgusting burps, followed by intense vomiting, which tastes/smells like rotten cheerios or fecal matter. What causes this? Rice or wheat cereals never give me problems....neither do whole oats, oatmeal, etc....only these toasted oat cereals....

[karene2309]

I can’t believe I’m having the same problem I usually have the multi Cheerios but these were offer so I bought them. Yikes never again! I’m glad it’s not just me!

[poot4]

I just had this exact problem. It’s never happened before but I hadn’t had NH cheerios in forever and decided to eat a little before bed one day. I regret it. It’s been two days and I’m still having nasty burps (even after vomiting) and loose stools. I can’t seem to keep anything down. It also feels like the cheerios are just staying in my stomach and aren’t passing, almost like they’re just hanging there fermenting. When I threw up all the particles looked like jelly, all swollen and undigested. This for sure will keep me away.

[Texas_tea]

I used to be able to eat them with no problem.  But about a year ago I starting having the same problems.  Pain, cramps,, bloating feeling.  Took me 5 to 10 episodes before I figured out it was the Honey Nut Cherrios.  Had the same prolem once with Oatmeal.  Seems to go away if I go a long time without eating them, like I get desensitized to whatever the problem is.  But if I start eating them again, after a short time it will happen again.  Seems like an alergic reaction of some sort.  I am careful when i eat anything with Oats now to see if I get the same reaction, but almost never do with anything other than Cheerios.  Seems to be a problem with the cerial not with me, so I just avoid them now.

[Emma778777]

My dr mentioned it might be the weed killer in the oats and cherrios. Because I have MS and wasnt well and explained my symptoms and he asked did you by chance use or around any weed killer? Then mentioned a few times inspection there had found cherrios and oats had 18 times the chemical in weed killer that's safe. So I am never eating or buying that seems like we got a high amount and all got sick from it.

[Raeofsun111]

Damn...that's concerning.

[FurballsMom]

I agree with the nutritionist.  This type of cereal is junk.  Plus, some people have problems with oats.  Not all oats are gluten free.  Only the ones that are certified as gluten free are alright to eat for people needing to be gluten free.

Then, there is the honey and the nuts, which are obvious allergens to many people.

But, the other large portion of the junk is the preservatives and the refined sugars.  This stuff is NOT health food.

[Sondy2100]

I love the taste of Honey Nut Cheerios but they make my stomack burn. I don't have the other problems that have been mentioned here but the burning is bad enough that I won't eat them now.

[AvgJoe1234]

I have the same problem, its ONLY when I eat Cheerios, any kind. I have a lead stomach otherwise and can eat most everything else, including oat meal, chex (all kinds), nuttin honey, whatever. There is something verrrrryyyy nasty lurking in those hideous little b@st@rds.

[bellbell47]

The same thing happens to me evertime I eat it,I was trying to find out some research when I saw the comments on this site,not sure why some people have this reaction to cheerios(honeynut)but I won't eat them again.

[lon22]

I know this is an old thread, but here is my two cents...

I always get a bad case of gas from eating regular Cheerios or Honey Nut Cheerios. The smell is like sulfur. I don't have IBS and I'm not lactose intolerant. After looking at the ingredients list of Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, I suspect that the cause of my adverse reaction is the Tripotassium Phosphate additive.

Any painters here probably have heard of Tripotassium Phosphate (TSP) before. It is an industrial strength degreaser. It use to be in dish washing detergents.

Here are some symptoms of toxicity from TSP according to http://www.drugs.com/:

Gastrointestinal
Gastrointestinal side effects have included diarrhea, nausea, stomach pains, and vomiting.

Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular side effects have included fast or irregular heartbeat, dyspnea, lower extremity edema, and unusual weight gain.

Nervous system
Nervous system side effects have included headaches, dizziness, thirst, mental confusion, seizures, weakness or heaviness of the legs, muscle cramps, numbness, tingling, and perioral tingling.


Read more at http://www.drugs.com/sfx/potassium-phosphate-side-effects.html#TvITHS4jLGK7jFHV.99

[tweena6]

I get nasty GI symptoms and a friend just had to go to the ER after eating a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios.  He quickly developed hives on his hands which then spread to his entire body.

I don't have any other food allergies and my friend doesn't either.

[tweena6]

I get nasty GI symptoms and a friend just had to go to the ER after eating a handful of Honey Nut Cheerios.  He quickly developed hives on his hands which then spread to his entire body.

I don't have any other food allergies and my friend doesn't either.

[Interested101]

I believe you have misunderstood what TSP stands for.  TSP is TriSodium Phosphate.  It is not TriPotassium Phosphate, as you state above.  Just wanted to clear up any misleading information, as Cheerios does not contain traces of an 'industrial strength degreaser'.

[Cortne]

You're both wrong. It does contain tripotassium phosphate, but that's not a degreaser. Trisodium phosphate is the degreaser.
Triotassium phosphate is used as an emulsifier.

[Wonlov10]

Ate a large bowl of honeynut cheerios mixed with  fruitloops. For the next 48hrs I was burping, passing gas, suffering from diarrhea and I vomited. WTF is in this cereal to get people this sick? I know they contain genetically modified organisms (GMO). If this is happening so frequently why is it not being discussed more openly & why isnt general mills doing anything about it? I think they know there is bad stuff in their cereal but the money is pouring in for now so why stop getting people sick?

[PFram]

I'll bet it's the corn starch they have been adding to Cheerios to cut down on the sugar. They taste a bit odd these days too. I only discovered it because the reaction I had to the stuff was nearly instant and so horrible that I had to check the ingredients list. They were probably hoping people would blame something else for the IBS-like symptoms; most people would think it was food poisoning. Horrible stuff.

[Adam7doyle]

You're all lactose intolerant!!! Stay away from dairy products. Switch your milk to Almond milk.

[carpal]

I had the above symptoms today after eating Cheerios with almond milk.  I avoid lactose.  I don't think this was lactose intolerance.

[lexlarrylawrence]

Yeah. I'm vegan, and I have a horrible reaction to Honey Nut Cherrios. Actually, I think any oat cereals. But oddly enough, not oat meal.

[lkaw]

I ate Honey nut cheerios and have pretty bad diarrhea . First thing I thought of was to Google it and found this thread. Guess I ate too many, I was using them as a snack.

[Dbrstwrt]

I had a bowl with no milk and became violently ill with stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.

[Beavfac]

Not true. Are with lactose free milk.  It’s the cereal.

[Hmmthatsweird]

Agreed- I ate them dry, just a handful.

[Cajuncurlzz11]

Too funny I noticed I had diharea every time I ate those darn things and asked my bf since he was a nurse if Cheerios could be causing it and he told me it was probably the milk. I never get that way any other time I have milk products. Just had a large bowl last night and again just an hour or so later I was running to the pot with a bad case of the poohs!! So odd but glad I am not the only one!! Wait till I tell my bf that

[Manelinehairstudio]

I was thinking my iron pills were causing me to have the “Pooh’s” as u say. Lol. But I too been eating Cheerios lately, the regular kind,  and I had some this morning and shortly after I got the bubbles and then off to the bathroom.

[Wigman43]

I am experiencing the same thing with multigrain cheerios!! I actually went through it earlier today. It could be the amount of fiber in the cheerios. If You don't  eat a lot of fiber, it can cause diarrhea and pain/ discomfort when you all of a sudden eat a lot of it. I know the milk didnt cause me this because I used almond milk which never bothers my stomach and is carrageenan free ( carrageenan can cause stomach pain). I think you should try having Quarker's life cinnamon cereal. It doesn't have a lot of sugar and tastes really good without giving me discomfort. It also has a lot of vitamins in it. Hope this helped!

[MarageLewis]

Cinnamon LIFE causes MAJOR issues for me, I wouldn't recommend it if you're experiencing digestion issues. I read on another blog about how so many people have this issue with any LIFE cereals. Beware! I'm suffering from it at this moment!

[tawseefchoudhury]

omg yes. i usually dont eat so much fiber but now i ate cheerios all of a sudden, like 3 bowls in one sitting.

[EmptyBarrel]

Yes!  Just had a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios (after NOT having them for several months) this morning with lactose free milk - NO BUENO!  I have always had a connection in my mind that Cheerios might be having this effect on me, but just figured it might have been the milk.  Given how easy it was to google "cheerios flatulence" I blame it on the cheerios for sure.  No problems with other cereals.

[Taly8888]

I too struggle after eating this, the gas it causes is deadly. It smells almost as bad as when I eat broccoli, I will not be eating them anymore.