Chen Meng's hot search for eating bananas during the rest of the game
. Why do athletes prefer bananas?
What do ordinary people need to pay attention to when eating bananas?
A few days ago, the scene of Chen Meng eating banana during the break of the game was noticed by the audience and even became a hot search.
If you take a closer look at the reports on athletes at home and abroad, we will find that athletes from almost all countries like to eat bananas, and they often eat bananas during competitions.
Whether it's mountain bikers, tennis, table tennis and other ball players, or even runners... bananas often appear in their recipes.
Specifically, what are the nutrients in a banana?
From the perspective of minerals, bananas are rich in potassium and magnesium, which are excellent in fruits.
But from the perspective of vitamins, it is lacklustre, so why do athletes from all over the world favor bananas so much?
This is of course because it has some advantages that most other fruits cannot.
Ten advantages of bananas for athletes
1. Bananas are rich in carbohydrates and have a higher calorie value in fruits.
Compared with fat and protein, carbohydrates can quickly replenish energy for athletes, and the burden of digestion and metabolism is also small.
Anyone who knows a little about sports nutrition knows that timely supplement of carbohydrates before, during and after the game is very important to maintain a high level of physical fitness.
2. Bananas are rich in carbohydrate types, including fast-absorbed sugars such as glucose and fructose, slow-digested starches, and resistant starches.
The glycemic index of bananas is much lower than that of bread, steamed buns, and rice. It can release glucose continuously and steadily. Unlike drinking sugar water, blood sugar rises rapidly and then drops quickly.
A stable blood sugar level is very important for smooth performance during the game.
3. Bananas are solid foods and have a good feeling of fullness.
Its water content is lower than most fruits, and the release rate of water in the body is slow.
Unlike liquid beverages, it has low satiety, and the body quickly absorbs water, and then rushes to the bathroom.
4. Compared with ordinary staple food, bananas are rich in polyphenols.
Banana has strong antioxidant capacity, and its oxygen free radical absorption capacity is comparable to kiwi fruit and citrus juice.
During high-intensity exercise, the body will produce a lot of free radicals, and the inflammation will increase, and more antioxidants are needed to help the body maintain metabolic balance.
5. Bananas are known for being rich in potassium. Sufficient potassium helps reduce nerve and muscle tension.
In a stressful game, the characteristic of high potassium is of great significance to athletes.
6. Many people have heard that eating bananas can give people a good mood. To a large extent, it may be because bananas contain trace amounts of biogenic amines.
Bananas contain serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Among them, serotonin can make people feel relaxed and happy, and it is also beneficial and harmless to alleviate the relaxation of athletes during the game.
7. Bananas are soft in texture, easy to chew, and can be eaten in the shortest time.
In preparations and competitions, you can eat a banana in just one or two minutes, and you will not waste time and delay things because of eating.
8. Bananas have skins, which can ensure the freshness and hygiene of the flesh inside.
But it does not need to be peeled, it is convenient and easy to peel, it does not need to spit out nucleus, and it will not let the hands be contaminated by food. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor consumption in various occasions.
9. Bananas are widely available, no need to refrigerate, easy to carry, and convenient to store for two or three days.
Especially in some long-distance races, players will use bananas as an important food to replenish energy on the road.
10. Bananas have a pleasant taste and are relatively low in allergies among tropical fruits.
At the same time, it is also suitable for consumption with milk, yogurt and other foods, as a milkshake, sweet or cold food with higher nutritional value.
However, are ordinary people who do not exercise much suitable for eating bananas every day?
It depends on each person's specific situation and how to eat, especially for the following types of people:
Can people who lose weight eat bananas?
There are two main concerns for people who lose weight when eating bananas: One is that people who have relatively high calories and exercise little, add a banana to the three meals, and the calories are likely to be excessive.
Therefore, people who lose weight must not eat bananas arbitrarily. They must be limited.
Second, the protein content is relatively low.
If bananas are used to replace part of the cereal staple food, although the calories will not increase, it will reduce the protein intake.
For people who do not exercise, this is not conducive to maintaining tight muscles.
Therefore, it is possible to use a small amount of bananas to replace snacks, snacks, and sweets, but it is not economical to replace staple foods.
Can people with diabetes eat bananas?
The glycemic index of bananas is not very high, so you can eat them in small amounts.
If you eat a lot of bananas in addition to the three meals, the total amount of carbohydrates is likely to be too much; and if you use it to simply replace the staple food, it is easy to reduce the ratio of protein energy supply, which may not be conducive to the stability of blood sugar.
One option is to eat between meals. Cut bananas into small cubes and serve with sugar-free yogurt.
This will provide sweetness to the yogurt without taking in too much sugar.
Another option is to eat bananas in the main meal, replacing part of the staple food, leaving the carbohydrate content unchanged, but at the same time slightly increasing protein.
For example, a two-two-two banana meat contains 25 grams of carbohydrates, so it can be used to replace half or two of rice.
But you can add two bites of protein or dried tofu and other protein foods at the same time to keep the protein supply unchanged.
Can people with gastrointestinal problems eat bananas?
When immature, the tannin content in bananas is higher, and tannins have a certain irritation and damage to the gastrointestinal mucosa, and will reduce the activity of digestive enzymes such as protein, lipase and amylase.
Some people with weak gastrointestinal function or gastrointestinal diseases will feel stomach upset after eating banana, intestinal discomfort, and even throat and oral mucosa are uncomfortable.
These people are not suitable for eating large amounts of bananas (including persimmons and other astringent fruits rich in tannins), especially not suitable for eating before meals, at this time, the mucosal irritation is more obvious.
If bananas are eaten with other foods containing starch and protein, polyphenols such as tannins will interact with these ingredients in the food first, thereby reducing the irritation to the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
Is banana suitable for constipation?
Among fruits, bananas are special.
It contains both resistant starch and dietary fiber. It is helpful for people with constipation due to insufficient dietary fiber.
However, for people who are constipated not because of insufficient dietary fiber, but because of insufficient intestinal motility, eating a lot of underripe bananas may be counterproductive.
Because too much tannin affects nutrient absorption, or makes digestive tract protein condensed, it may reduce intestinal motility and aggravate constipation.
Of course, for athletes who have a lot of exercise and appetite, these are basically no worries.
Because their digestive ability is very good, the intestinal strength is very strong.
In short, bananas are neither a nutritious fruit, nor a junk fruit with high calories.
Natural food is not perfect. Just eat the right person, the right amount, and the right occasion, and let it play to its advantages.
Text/Fan Zhihong (Member of the Chinese Nutrition Society, scientific communication expert appointed by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology)