A recent study published in Food and Function showed that bananas reduce the absorption of flavanols by as much as 84% when combined with flavanol-rich fruits such as berries.
Flavanols are a subclass of polyphenols and are great for your brain and heart.
Bananas have very high concentrations of the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, which reduces the bioavailability of polyphenols, such as flavanols, significantly. This enzyme, responsible for the browning that occurs when fruits are cut or bruised, is found in many fruits and vegetables but is especially abundant in bananas.
The academy of nutrition and dietetics recommends a daily intake of 400-600mg. A lack of flavanols, especially in the elderly, has been linked to poor cardiovascular function and cognitive decline.
Flavanols are abundant in foods like blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cocoa, apples, & pears. ~250 mg flavanols in 8 oz pack blackberries and ~200 mg flavanols in an 11 oz pack of blueberries.
Combining these flavanols-rich foods with foods that have low polyphenol oxidase activity such as mangoes, oranges, pineapple, or yogurt would preserve the absorption of the flavanols.
00:00A lot of us like bananas. A lot of us like berries. But what we don't like is combining them in a shake, you guys. And why is that?
00:12Bananas are rich in an enzyme that reduces the absorption of the antioxidants that you find in the berries.
00:23So if you combine them in the shake, then you could reduce the absorption of the flavanols, the antioxidants we find in berries and other foods, like cocoa would be another example.
00:37Apples, pears would be a few more. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, right? Those are all fantastic.
00:45They're a subclass of polyphenols. Polyphenols is just a fancy word for antioxidants you find in these colorful fruits and vegetables and some other foods.
00:53Right. Now, bananas are very high in what's called polyphenol oxidase.
01:02And so that doesn't sound like something that's going to be good for the polyphenols or the subclass, the flavanols we're talking about here in the berries, for example.
01:10It reduces their bioavailability, how much you can uptake and utilize in your body.
01:17And they published a study recently in food and function.
01:23And what they did was they combined just one banana with a bunch of berries and shake.
01:28Or they had just the berries or they took pure flavanols as a supplement.
01:35When the banana was combined, even just one banana, it reduced the absorption of the flavanols by 84%.
01:43That's a lot.
01:45So have them separate.
01:46That's the gist of it.
01:47But what would be good to have with the berries to not reduce the absorption of the flavanols that you could put in your post-workout shake, for example.
01:59Things that are low in polyphenol oxidase.
02:03That would be things like oranges, mangoes, pineapple would be another good one.
02:09Yogurt, great option.
02:11With no added sugar, of course, right?
02:14Those would be better to combine with the berries if you're going to have a shake.
02:17All right?
02:18So skip the banana in the shake.
02:21Interestingly, if you guys are curious, you know that brownish color you get when you cut an apple or a banana?
02:28You cut a fruit and then you leave it in the fridge.
02:31You get it the next day.
02:31You're like, why is it brown?
02:33Right?
02:33Or when it gets bruised, it gets that brownish color.
02:36That's because of the polyphenol oxidase.
02:38And you find polyphenol oxidase in a lot of different fruits and vegetables.
02:43But bananas have an especially high concentration of polyphenol oxidase.
02:49And that's why it's no good to combine them with your berries or a pear or an apple that you were going to have in your shake, for example.
02:58How many milligrams of flavanols should we get in a day in general?
03:01And why are they important?
03:04Well, antioxidants are great for your entire body.
03:07Namely, your heart and your brain.
03:12The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 400 to 600 milligrams of flavanols in a day.
03:23And what does that look like?
03:25Well, that looks like two packs, eight-ounce packs of blackberries would be 400.
03:31You know, a couple packs of blueberries, those 11-ounce packs, those, like, you know, square ones.
03:38A couple packs of that are one pack of the blueberries and one pack of the blackberries.
03:42One pack of the raspberries, one pack of the blueberry.
03:45Two packs of berries, right?
03:46One small one, one decent-sized one.
03:49Bam!
03:49You got them all.
03:50Man, that's not taking into account anything else that you ate.
03:53And I have two packs of berries every day.
03:54They have a lot of soluble fiber as well.
03:56And also, I have an avocado every day.
03:58And I have a shot of extra virgin olive oil every day.
04:00And I eat a lot of fish and seafood.
04:02And I feel great!
04:04So I recommend it to a lot of people to do that, right?
04:09They've actually found that lower levels of flavanol compounds in the elderly are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and poor cardiovascular function.
04:24So if you want to be healthy, you want to eat things that pair well together.
04:29Well, eat a lot of good stuff.
04:31Eat a lot of healthy fats and colorful fruits and vegetables and get your protein.
04:34Eat a lot of whole fruit from nature.
04:36And eat a lot of fiber.
04:37I don't need anything processed with added sugar or refined flours.
04:41But eat your berries and your banana separately.
04:45That's what we got for you guys today.
04:46Really, really neat.
04:47Had to share.
04:48Who do we got out here?
04:49Let's say what's up to everybody.
04:52You got it, Chavez!
04:54Opinia!
04:55How are you?
04:57Does that mean opinion in another language?
05:01Hanserwer!
05:03Sorwer, thank you for coming on.
05:05Dabba Janera.
05:06What's up, Sipar?
05:08Sibby, how's up, baby girl?
05:09Julian, how are you, my friend?
05:11It's your best first one of the day.
05:12Appreciate the love.
05:13As for now, that's all we got for you, folks.
05:15We'll see you tomorrow, baby.
05:17Not sure where, not sure when, but we'll see you then.
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