Tony Glasscoe writes…… My question relates to bananas as they are often identified as a "super" food especially before doing exercise etc. Do they really offer any benefit and if so how far in advance do they need to be eaten? (noticed that two hours is the general rule ?)

 

I think it was Gordon Strachan who first brought bananas to the fore with his 6 a day eating habit.  Wherever you look bananas are classed as a “super food” and nearly always appear in the best top ten food charts. 

Nutritionally bananas have a huge amount to offer.  Compared to other fruits they are high in carbohydrate and have a relatively high GI count which means they raise your blood sugar levels quickly so providing a quick energy boost.  They are also a great source of a) potassium which helps lower blood pressure and b) the vitamin B6 which provides healthy skin and hair (but doesn’t unfortunately prevent hair loss….!).

The other great thing about bananas is they taste really sweet so you generally don’t get any kick back from children turning their noses up.  A good way to introduce children to porridge is by slicing up some banana which is a superb energy boosting combination.  Bananas are also a mild laxative so can help in that department also.

As you can tell I’m a huge fan!  In terms of when to eat if they are eaten on their own, as a snack, you can aim to eat about 1 hour before you exercise.  If you eat them with anything larger eg: breakfast, then roughly 2 hours would apply.  Bananas are also great to eat during and after exercising again due their ability to provide a quicker energy boost which helps our body to recover.  Maybe Geoff in the White Lion could contemplate laying on some banana sandwiches (with wholemeal bread) instead of sausage and chips?!

Hope this helps…

A frightening thought... I take a banana to work virtually everyday (& have done so for at least 20 years), by my calculations thats 1600lbs of bananas which probably explains why my arms are getting longer & my ears have started to stick out!!:):):)

Thanks Dave for the info regarding fluid intake,extremely informative.
There's a pretty good "food for football" link on the grassroots thread of the FA website which makes good reading.