banana's every day, good or bad?

mattkellett

Great source of potassium. I usually eat two or three a day.

imo...WAY too many

banannas are fine but they are so over rated

I agree 100% there is not a lot of nutritional value in a banana. Try field berries, low on the glycemic index and packed full of antioxidants. Banana's are SOOOOOO overrated!!!! and the whole "but they ar e a fgreat source of Potssium" line makes me ill, there are very few of us working that hard that we need to be concerned with our potassium levels, and even if we were to be concerned, broccolli is a better source, amoung others. this is the last time I am going to say my piece on BANANA"S- the most over rated "fruit" out there!!!!

taunto

I used to make bana shake alot when i was a kid. That shake was basically milk and bananas in a blender. Thats all. The sugar in the bananas were enough to make it sweet but every now and then i'll add some more

glenr79

Post-Workout Carbs
What's The Best Choice?


As many of you know, there are really only two times of the day to take in simple carbohydrates: first thing in the morning and after your workout.

First thing in the morning because you are coming off a "fast" - which is how ever long you slept the night before. So, at that time you want a simple carbohydrate source and a quick digesting protein source. Now, if you plan on doing morning cardio, skip the carbs and have a small protein shake, then when you do your cardio you will be burning mostly fat for fuel. When you're done, have your carbs and protein.

After the workout is the other time to take in simple carbs: this is critical because it starts the whole recovery/muscle growth process. Following a hard workout, your body is severely depleted of glycogen and glucose.

.
Following A Hard Workout,
Your Body Is Severely Depleted.

During the workout hard working muscles use glucose (usable energy) and glycogen (stored energy) for energy. As such, there is a point at which blood glucose levels (available energy) and glycogen levels (stored energy) get so low that intense exercise can't continue. There just isn't enough available energy for your muscles to use.

So what happens is that the hormone cortisol is secreted, this is your body's "stress" hormone and it has very catabolic effects. What cortisol does is eat up muscle tissue for protein and convert it into glucose. A process called gluconeogenesis ensues, producing glucose from these amino acids in the liver. The net result is a loss of muscle tissue.


The Implications Of Cortisol Release!
Cortisol is termed catabolic as it has the opposite effect to testosterone, insulin and growth hormone in that it breaks down tissue.

The post-workout shake prevents this. It also allows insulin to be released, this is, as most of you know, one of several anabolic hormones in the body (if you are a natural trainer especially, you want to maximize the release of all your body's anabolic hormones through all available methods).

So, whey protein is your best protein source at this time because it is absorbed quickly, what is the best carbohydrate source? Well, we want a high glycemic carbohydrate source. This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index (70 and above rates as high).

The Glycemic Index is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence insulin levels. Normally, it is best to eat lower glycemic foods so as not to initiate an insulin spike (55 and under rates as low). But post-workout, the exact opposite is true.


It is critical to get the carbs (and protein) to the muscle cells as fast as possible. As well, the elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. And again, high-glycemic carbs are best for this purpose.

killagb

Great source of potassium. I usually eat two or three a day.

imo...WAY too many

banannas are fine but they are so over rated

I agree 100% there is not a lot of nutritional value in a banana. Try field berries, low on the glycemic index and packed full of antioxidants. Banana's are SOOOOOO overrated!!!! and the whole "but they ar e a fgreat source of Potssium" line makes me ill, there are very few of us working that hard that we need to be concerned with our potassium levels, and even if we were to be concerned, broccolli is a better source, amoung others. this is the last time I am going to say my piece on BANANA"S- the most over rated "fruit" out there!!!!

Simma down bro. :huh:

Sixalicious

Great source of potassium. I usually eat two or three a day.

imo...WAY too many

banannas are fine but they are so over rated

I agree 100% there is not a lot of nutritional value in a banana. Try field berries, low on the glycemic index and packed full of antioxidants. Banana's are SOOOOOO overrated!!!! and the whole "but they ar e a fgreat source of Potssium" line makes me ill, there are very few of us working that hard that we need to be concerned with our potassium levels, and even if we were to be concerned, broccolli is a better source, amoung others. this is the last time I am going to say my piece on BANANA"S- the most over rated "fruit" out there!!!!

You're assuming that those of us that eat bananas more than once a day don't eat other foods for potassium. I can only speak for myself and say that I eat plenty of foods rich in potassium like brocolli, kale, oranges, swiss chard, and spinach. Banana's just happen to be my favorite. But, to each his or her own. It's not that serious, really it isn't. Some of us like them, some of us don't.

kitkat4141

No, you shouldn't cut back if you like bananas. They are so good for you. And I don't subscribe to the "half a banana" philosophy either. Nature packaged it to be eaten whole. LOL I eat a banana every day and did so while I was actively losing weight. I also work out 6 days a week and I always consume a banana prior to my workouts.

Acg67

Post-Workout Carbs
What's The Best Choice?


As many of you know, there are really only two times of the day to take in simple carbohydrates: first thing in the morning and after your workout.

First thing in the morning because you are coming off a "fast" - which is how ever long you slept the night before. So, at that time you want a simple carbohydrate source and a quick digesting protein source. Now, if you plan on doing morning cardio, skip the carbs and have a small protein shake, then when you do your cardio you will be burning mostly fat for fuel. When you're done, have your carbs and protein.

After the workout is the other time to take in simple carbs: this is critical because it starts the whole recovery/muscle growth process. Following a hard workout, your body is severely depleted of glycogen and glucose.

.
Following A Hard Workout,
Your Body Is Severely Depleted.

During the workout hard working muscles use glucose (usable energy) and glycogen (stored energy) for energy. As such, there is a point at which blood glucose levels (available energy) and glycogen levels (stored energy) get so low that intense exercise can't continue. There just isn't enough available energy for your muscles to use.

So what happens is that the hormone cortisol is secreted, this is your body's "stress" hormone and it has very catabolic effects. What cortisol does is eat up muscle tissue for protein and convert it into glucose. A process called gluconeogenesis ensues, producing glucose from these amino acids in the liver. The net result is a loss of muscle tissue.


The Implications Of Cortisol Release!
Cortisol is termed catabolic as it has the opposite effect to testosterone, insulin and growth hormone in that it breaks down tissue.

The post-workout shake prevents this. It also allows insulin to be released, this is, as most of you know, one of several anabolic hormones in the body (if you are a natural trainer especially, you want to maximize the release of all your body's anabolic hormones through all available methods).

So, whey protein is your best protein source at this time because it is absorbed quickly, what is the best carbohydrate source? Well, we want a high glycemic carbohydrate source. This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index (70 and above rates as high).

The Glycemic Index is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence insulin levels. Normally, it is best to eat lower glycemic foods so as not to initiate an insulin spike (55 and under rates as low). But post-workout, the exact opposite is true.


It is critical to get the carbs (and protein) to the muscle cells as fast as possible. As well, the elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. And again, high-glycemic carbs are best for this purpose.

Protein esp whey spikes insulin as well, something your copy pasta failed to even mention. read back the study i posted, then look at this one

Disassociation between the effects of amino acids and insulin on signaling, ubiquitin ligases, and protein turnover in human muscle

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/295/3/E595.full

"However, it was surprising that adding insulin at higher than systemic postabsorptive concentrations had no further effects on MPS or LPS. Some workers have reported increases of MPS and LPS with close arterial insulin contraction without making additional amino acids available (4, 13). We cannot account for these differences except to raise the possibility that in our studies the stimulatory effects of amino acids stimulated protein synthesis to a maximal extent and that further addition of insulin had no additional effect"

And here's a copy pasta for you

The postexercise "anabolic window" is a highly misused & abused concept. Preworkout nutrition all but cancels the urgency, unless you're an endurance athlete with multiple glycogen-depleting events in a single day. Getting down to brass tacks, a relatively recent study (Power et al. 2009) showed that a 45g dose of whey protein isolate takes appx 50 minutes to cause blood AA levels to peak. Resulting insulin levels, which peaked at 40 minutes after ingestion, remained at elevations known to max out the inhibition of muscle protein breakdown (15-30 mU/L) for 120 minutes after ingestion. This dose takes 3 hours for insulin & AA levels to return to baseline from the point of ingestion. The inclusion of carbs to this dose would cause AA & insulin levels to peak higher & stay elevated above baseline even longer.

So much for the anabolic peephole & the urgency to down AAs during your weight training workout; they are already seeping into circulation (& will continue to do so after your training bout is done). Even in the event that a preworkout meal is skipped, the anabolic effect of the postworkout meal is increased as a supercompensatory response (Deldicque et al, 2010). Moving on, another recent study (Staples et al, 2010) found that a substantial dose of carbohydrate (50g maltodextrin) added to 25g whey protein was unable to further increase postexercise net muscle protein balance compared to the protein dose without carbs. Again, this is not to say that adding carbs at this point is counterproductive, but it certainly doesn't support the idea that you must get your lightning-fast postexercise carb orgy for optimal results.

To add to this... Why has the majority of longer-term research failed to show any meaningful differences in nutrient timing relative to the resistance training bout? It's likely because the body is smarter than we give it credit for. Most people don't know that as a result of a single training bout, the receptivity of muscle to protein dosing can persist for at least 24 hours: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21289204

Here's what you're not seeming to grasp: the "windows" for taking advantage of nutrient timing are not little peepholes. They're more like bay windows of a mansion. You're ignoring just how long the anabolic effects are of a typical mixed meal. Depending on the size of a meal, it takes a good 1-2 hours for circulating substrate levels to peak, and it takes a good 3-6 hours (or more) for everythng to drop back down to baseline.

You're also ignoring the fact that the anabolic effects of a meal are maxed out at much lower levels than typical meals drive insulin & amino acids up to. Furthermore, you're also ignoring the body's ability of anabolic (& fat-oxidative) supercompensation when forced to work in the absence of fuels. So, metaphorically speaking, our physiology basically has the universe mapped out and you're thinking it needs to be taught addition & subtraction.

[/quote]

Alan Aragon

kunibob

OMG I totally did forget it. Having fun with fruits is the best part of eating them. Post edited

:flowerforyou: I shall now eat a banana to celebrate!

beduffbrickie

bananas are awesome!! Especially for a pre-workout meal to give you energy while you work out, since it is a simple carb and can give you instant energy, and also afterwards with a protein shake to restore the glycogen stores in your muscles to give your muscles the energy to perform again the next day.... since it is fast absorbing it can get into the broken down muscle quick right after you workout.. also will help facilitate the absorption of the protein into the muscle if used in conjunction with protein right after a workout :P

thats what im talking about, great reply, thats me post work out 1x banana and a protein shake, goes down a treat

katcod1522

I eat a banana with PB every day. Its my breakfast at work. Easy and simple and keeps me full for 3 hrs about. Im not limiting fruit to stay under on sugar. Thats ridiculous...UNLESS you have a health issue.

CoryIda

I eat at LEAST one banana every day - usually two. It certainly hasn't hurt me.

jennifershoo

How come no one has mentioned Freelee yet?!!!!

kateroot

I eat half a banana every day. As long as it fits in your macros, go for it!

What do you do with the other half? Throw it away?

Umm.. I eat the other half the next day

ETA: As long as you leave the peel on the bottom half, it stays good for a couple days. I can't believe this isn't common knowledge...

sarahgilmore

I would say that if you were to eat a banana a day, you just dont want your insulin to spike just because of that sugar. So eat some nuts along with it, something with fiber causing it to metabolize the sugar from the banana. That way you get the best of both worlds.

What's wrong with the fibre that's actually IN the banana?

aippolito1

GOOD. I get my customizable amounts (not macros - things like fiber, sugar, sodium, saturated fat) from a different website, and they suggest 64g of sugar for me, so a banana a day doesn't hurt me. I did it for awhile. I go back and forth. I try not to eat the same thing all the time, so for awhile I'll have a banana every day, for maybe a week, then switch to something else.

TanyaCurtis

I eat banana's everyday too And sugar from fruit is waaayyyy different then actual sugar. They shouldn't even be counting the sugar from fruit. The body uses it, and actually needs that sugar:)

beckylawrence70

I used to eat a banana everyday until I found out how many calories are in em.........100 for a med seems like alot to me, I'll choose something else......

Kimmiejo92

there is no right answer i think, as i read all differing opinions. confusing lol.

Kimmiejo92

I eat half a banana every day. As long as it fits in your macros, go for it!

What do you do with the other half? Throw it away?

yea, what do you do?

stef827

P.S. Anybody have a couple spare rulers we can lend to glenr79 and Acg67?

This made my day, Lol!