When Is the Best Time To Eat a Banana?
Yes, both the time of day and the age of the banana…
A banana is a fruit and all fruits are considered good for you except in moderation because some are packed with carbohydrates (carbs). Although a banana has approximately 25–28 grams of carbs it still has many benefits. The thought, however, has not crossed many minds of when and at what stage should a banana be eaten. So let us look at these details to understand the realm of timing and benefits.
Benefits:
Bananas are an excellent source of potassium and vitamin B6. Potassium helps to regulate heart function and control electrolyte balance in the body. That is why we see so many athletes like runners or tennis players who take bites of a banana during a changeover.
Potassium and Magnesium both help to relax the body’s muscles which are incredibly important for athletes when they are on the go.
While vitamin B6 helps to store energy from protein and carbs, it is also known to help with brain function, prevent heart disease and promote better eye health.
The main benefit of a banana is its resistant starch which is the good starch that feeds probiotics to our gut. This starch works like fiber which our body needs more of than we actually think. However, this resistant starch begins to diminish gradually, as the banana ages.
Stages of Ripeness:
There are many stages of ripeness and their benefits differ as well. The first stage of a banana is when it is almost a green color. A green banana has the most amount of resistant starch, and it is not recommended for eating on its own but can be fried, boiled, broiled, or baked.
Second, the banana begins to slowly turn a slight yellow. When it is a fully yellow color, the most amount of resistant starch and the least amount of sugar can is consumed when eating.
At this stage, without freckles, this banana contains about 80% of resistant starch. It is the most opportune time to eat a banana and quite a lot of people really like to eat it this way without any specs.
Lastly, as the banana begins to age with specs or what I call freckles, this is when it is a fully ripened banana. At this stage, the starch is now converted into sugar.
The more speckled a banana the more sugar it contains and the mushier it becomes, but it is also the easiest to digest. A fully, ripened banana has approximately 14 grams of sugar.
That equates to about a whopping three and a half teaspoons of sugar per banana!
However, this stage of the banana has chock-full of antioxidants. This is the banana that looks like it is ready to be thrown out, but it is usually the best one for cooking.
What time of day is best to eat a banana?
Let’s look at the time of day when it is best to eat a banana, and it does not matter if the banana is yellow or fully brown.
Although they are loaded with nutrients, eating them at a certain time of day has even more benefits. So when is it a good time to eat a banana?
Actually, any time of the day is perfect to eat a banana except for the evening. Why not the evening? Research from the National Library of Medicine suggests that bananas contain tryptophan which is an amino acid that helps the body to generate serotonin triggering a sleep-induced state.
So is bedtime a good time for eating a banana? Sure if you stick to the very brown and mushy kind. A banana would be difficult to digest in the early stages when not quite yellow. So if you want to eat a banana in the evening to help induce sleep, it is wise to do so at least an hour before bedtime to allow for digestion.
In conclusion, can there be a negative side to eating a banana before bedtime? Absolutely! Anything eaten later in the evening could lead to indigestion and that includes a banana, even if it’s the mushy kind that is supposed to be easily digestible.
If you’re concerned about your sugar intake then go for the yellow clear skin starchy, banana. It will have more starch and contains less sugar. But if you like the over-ripened, speckled, brown banana then go for the chock-full of antioxidants. So when is the best time to eat a banana? Anytime and any kind as long as you take into consideration an hour for digestion before sleeping.
