Nutritionist Laura Hilton looks at what makes nature’s bestpackaged fruit such a fabulous food choice for runners
Ask any group of runners what they regularly eat before a run or pack in their race-day bag and you can guarantee one of the most popular foods will be bananas. But why? What is it about nature’s bestpackaged snack that makes it such a great choice for runners? It turns out there is a lot going for this humble, bendy yellow fruit.
Low calorie, low fibre carbohydrate source
One of the banana’s most redeeming features as far as runners are concerned is that it off ers a decent serving of carbohydrate wiThless fibre than many other fruits. Fibre is the non-digestible part of a given food and although it’s vital for good digestive health, it does slow down the rate of absorption of a food’s nutrients. This is not ideal when a runner is soon to tackle a run as they need to absorb the energy available in the food they’re eating as quickly as possible, in order for their body to be able to use that energy. Not only does fibre slow down the rate of energy absorption but it can also be particularly problematic, as any runner who’s experienced gastric distress (otherwise known as runner’s trots) during events can attest.
This condition is exacerbated by any food matter lingering in the digestive tract. Therefore because bananas leave less fibre hanging around in the gut, compared to other carbohydrate sources, it means a good amount of energy can be absorbed without a runner having to carry non-digestible parts of that food around the course wiThthem.
To get an idea of how the banana compares to other foods oft en chosen before or during an event, wiThits 27g of carbohydrate the banana off ers more carbohydrate than a High 5 Energy Gel (23g per serving), and less than 50g of jelly sweets (around 39g per serving). WiThthose 27g carbohydrates however, it also delivers generous helpings of vital micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), which can most definitely not be said for energy gels and Jelly Babies.
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