Maintaining a correct diet is essential in every moment of life, but one of the areas in which what you eat has the most impact is certainly that of sport.
The foods that you choose and the times in which to eat them, in fact, play a key role in the ability to give the best during a workout and to obtain significant results. Knowing which ones are most appropriate to integrate into one's diet, in what way and with what timing, is therefore essential. One of the most recommended fruits for those who do sport regularly is the banana, because it is a source of numerous nutritional and beneficial properties. This is why eating it before a workout is very important.
, 1% protein, 0.5% fat and 2.6% dietary fiber. A banana of average size and weight provides about 90 calories.
Benefits
The main feature that makes it excellent for sport is the high potassium content (350mg in one hectogram), useful for fighting hypertension, counteracting the onset of fatigue and preventing muscle cramps.
This fruit is also very rich in other equally important minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. Magnesium and potassium act as electrolytes in the body, affecting how muscles contract. When the body loses electrolytes through sweat during exercise, an imbalance can occur that can cause muscle cramps and fatigue. Eating a banana is a good way to replace those electrolytes and ward off these risks.
There are also many vitamins, in particular A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, PP which, in addition to preserving the elasticity of the skin and stimulating the functioning of the immune system, promote the metabolism of proteins.
Sugar is the primary energy source and in a ripe banana it is of two types: half glucose and half fructose, an easily digestible combination ideal for supporting athletic performance and reducing stress. It is produced by carbohydrates, which are converted into sugar during the digestion process.
Finally, the presence of tryptophan in this fruit, which is converted by the body into serotonin, also gives the banana slight antidepressant properties.
and diarrhea, while eating a large meal too long before exercise can make you feel more tired when you start exercising, as digestion requires energy.
The advice is therefore to consume a balanced meal that includes bananas or other fruit at least two hours before physical activity. For the body to benefit from this, the meal should include proteins such as lean meats or fresh fish, carbohydrates and good fats.
pre workout with a banana.Bananas, in fact, have a high glycemic index and are optimal for a quick energy supply before an exercise session, as well as being indicated to remove the sense of hunger that an important caloric expenditure could cause and to help stay active for periods. longer.
Precisely for this characteristic they are particularly suitable for athletes who practice swimming competitions, weight lifting or other physical activities.
Eating them before and during training, according to the advice of your doctor who evaluates the quantity in relation to the type of training performed, guarantees a precious source of energy capable of supporting physical effort, improving performance and helping to counteract the onset. muscle cramps.
Moreover, with a high glycemic index such as bananas, they are also excellent for post-exercise recovery.
If you want to have a post-workout snack, it is even more recommended to focus on those that are very mature, and therefore sweeter, both to replenish muscle glycogen reserves and for the presence of vasoactive substances, such as thiamine, noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin.
A study, conducted by researchers from the Appalachian State University of Kannapolis and published in the scientific journal Plos One, even showed that their effects would be more effective than the consumption of sports drinks to reduce muscle stress and the inflammatory state that occurs after an "intense sporting activity.
The study considered twenty cyclists engaged in a "75 km bike ride. At the end of it it was found that those who had consumed bananas instead of sports drinks had less expression of pro-inflammatory molecules.
