Bananas have been a long-time favorite food in thediet of athletesandMyFitnessPal users. From toppings on pre-workout pancakes, stuffing for a nut butter sandwich, mix-ins for overnight oats and smoothies to a simple snack, bananas are a go-to ingredient for meals that commonly fuel training efforts.
When any food becomes such a consistent staple, it begs asking whether this is just commonly accepted behavior, or is there actual, scientific proof behind the benefits of bananas that make them such a desirable choice for athletes?
Here, a break-out of proven benefits behind this powerhouse fruit:
Bananas provide roughly 120 calories per medium-sized fruit. This amount is a solid way to boost the calorie count of any meal without going overboard. Athletes commonly need to boost calories of normal meals and snacks due to high-energy expenditures of daily training.
The addition of a banana also provides acarbohydrateboost of roughly 27 grams which is roughly the same amount provided bymost sport gels. Carbohydrates are needed before and during exercise to provide a boost of energy that is easy for the body to pull from and use for explosive actions. Thismacronutrientis also necessary to replenish muscle glycogen that becomes depleted during workouts. Since only 47% of athletes consume therecommendedamount of carbohydrates, bananas are an easy dietary addition to meet these guidelines with natural, whole food.
The carbohydrates provided by bananas have an extra benefit; fructose and glucose. It has beenshownthat consuming foods with a combination of these sugars increases the gut’s ability to absorb more carbohydrates, providing more usable energy to fuel performance.
Athletes frequently turn tosports drinksto replenish electrolytes lost in sweat. Electrolytes like potassium and magnesium found in bananas are crucial for nerve response, muscle function and recovery. For athletes whoexperience cramping, getting more dietary electrolytes can be key to alleviating that performance-hindering ailment. In fact, eating a simple banana has beenfoundto be just as helpful as drinking a sports drink.
Fibermight not be a performance-boosting nutrient, but it is extremely helpful in maintaining weight andimproving gut health, two characteristics of health that are important to athletes. It has been extensivelyresearchedthatincreasing fiber intake is beneficial for weight loss. While not every athlete is trying to lose weight, maintaining a healthy and even competitive weight can be done in a healthful way by increasing fiber intake.
Bananas have a particularly good type of soluble fiber called resistant fiber. This form of fiber acts as aprebioticto feed good gut bacteria, which currentresearchsuggests to be even more beneficial in aiding gut health than supplemental probiotics. Athletes know a healthy gut is connected to a healthy mind and body!
营养成分之外,香蕉是一个很好的选择due to their portability, low cost and versatility. An athlete can take a banana along to the gym, in the car and even stash one in their cycling jersey pocket or running pack for a mid-workout snack. A single banana might set your wallet back a quarter which is a pretty budget-friendly healthy food. A downfall of this fruit is the fact they go bad relatively quickly, but this doesn’t mean they go to waste. Peel overripe bananas and place in a freezer-safe container to use in smoothies or mash intobanana bread.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Overall, there’s more to bananas than ritual and habit. Adding this simple fruit to your diet can go a long way toward improving your athletic success.
