Are bananas good to eat after a workout? (+3 banana facts)
In this brief guide, we are going to answer “are bananas good to eat after a workout?” and discuss how bananas are a healthy post- workout snack, how they can help after an intense workout session, and can you eat bananas prior to working out.
Are bananas good to eat after a workout?
Yes, bananas are good to eat after a workout. If you want to get faster muscle recovery, or to get relief from muscle inflammation, soreness and leg cramps, eat bananas!
How are bananas a healthy post- workout snack?
Your energy level deplenish after an intense workout and all you need is a perfect snack to fill it up and give your aching muscles a relief.
A medium sized banana gives you 105 calories and it is enriched with many nutrients such as carbs, fibers, sugars, potassium, magnesium, Vit C, antioxidants and Vit B complex. These nutrients and minerals make bananas a perfect post- workout as well as a pre- workout snack.
How can bananas help me after an intense workout session?
Your muscle cells store blood sugar as glycogen that is highly consumed during an intense workout to cope up with the continuous energy demand. It causes muscle fatigue and also glycogen shortage. Insulin helps you recover this glycogen shortage by converting more blood sugar into glycogen.
- Carbs in bananas provide you instant energy plus they ease up the absorption of proteins. It overall shortens the recovery time of your muscles. Both carbs and proteins together can stimulate the insulin release in your blood and speed up your recovery time.
- Domaine and antioxidants in bananas can soothe your aching muscles, especially after a cycling session, by reducing inflammation and inducing a fast recovery.
- Potassium and magnesium in bananas help in maintaining body electrolyte balance which is very important to mitigate the pain triggered by post- workout leg cramps or even period cramps.
Can I eat bananas before working out?
Yes, you can eat bananas before working out also. If you are a runner or a cyclist, you can get more benefits from eating bananas prior to workout as compared to others.
Bananas are also a healthy and natural substitute to energy drinks as well because these drinks are loaded with added sugars and caffeine which can cause jitters or anxiety sometimes.
If you eat a banana pre- workout session, it gives you a sustainable and extended release of energy and delays the usage of muscle glycogen energy stores. It is beneficial for longer duration workout sessions like cycling or biking.
Bananas act as a stimulator to initiate your workout session, boost your metabolism and improve your proficiency.
Can bananas be eaten during workout?
If you are going to have a longer workout session, say for 2-3 hours, then yes, you can eat bananas during this period.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered the question “are bananas good to eat after a workout?” and discussed how bananas are a healthy post- workout snack, how they can help you after an intense workout session, and can you eat bananas before starting your workout session.
References
- https://greatist.com/fitness/banana-after-workout#benefits
- https://www.ndtv.com/food/why-banana-is-a-good-pre-and-post-workout-snack-1933051
- https://origympersonaltrainercourses.co.uk/blog/banana-workout
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/banana-before-workout#carbs
