New Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Add a Banana to Your Smoothies (scitechdaily.com)

submitted 1 year ago by d3Xt3r@beehaw.org to c/food@beehaw.org

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Researchers have found that the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in certain fruits like bananas can reduce the absorption of heart-healthy flavanols, especially when combined with flavanol-rich ingredients like berries. The study suggests choosing ingredients with low PPO activity, such as pineapple or oranges, when making smoothies to optimize flavanol absorption.

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[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 128 points 1 year ago

i'm gonna go out on a limb and wager that this is an utterly insignificant effect compared to how healthy it is to eat fruits.

Like obviously people have been healthy while consuming banana smoothies, you're probably going to suffer more from stressing out about minute stuff like this than any possible negative health effects consuming it could bring..

[-] millie@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

Yeah. I feel like somebody read enough to come up with a clickbait article but not enough to learn anything.

Sort of like when sci-fi writers have a very surface understanding of something, but it's forgivable because they're sort of close and it's good for the story. Except here it's just an article nobody really needed.

[-] toastus@feddit.de 104 points 1 year ago

But has this research also factored in that I probably won't drink the smoothie unless there is a banana in there?

[-] SenorBolsa@beehaw.org 16 points 1 year ago

Reject science return to monke.

[-] investorsexchange@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago

What if I don’t care about flavanols, but I like the texture a banana produces? What else can make a smoothie smooth like that?

[-] cassetti@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago

Few ideas -

Avocados (great texture, not very sweet so other flavors would still stand out)
Greek yogurt (easy choice for any smoothie with or without bananas haha)
Mangoes (some varieties are fiberless and blend smooth with a nice consistency)
cooked sweet potatoes (let cool down to room temp before blending!)
coconut cream (a small amount can add a creamy texture)
peanutbutter (or other nut butters) can add thickness to a smoothie.

[-] Floey@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

Sweet potato with strawberry is actually an amazing smoothie combination.

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[-] iHUNTcriminals@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Peanut butter... Banana.... Strawberry.... Dark chocolate...... Mm

[-] ouigol@beehaw.org 52 points 1 year ago

The thing they are missing is that I don’t drink smoothies because they’re healthy, I drink them because they taste good

[-] worfamerryman@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago

It’s what I have to remind people when they are trying to change their diet to get in shape and lose weight.

I tell them, your not eating for enjoyment, your eating to fuel your body.

I was very fit, but I was eating like canned tuna and Greek yogurt, not mixed but one after another. That’s not a delicious lunch, but it was just the nutrition that was needed.

[-] Opafi@feddit.de 38 points 1 year ago

your not eating for enjoyment, your eating to fuel your body

Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like uh, your opinion, man.

[-] lemmyng@beehaw.org 32 points 1 year ago

your not eating for enjoyment, your eating to fuel your body.

This is the number one cause why diets get abandoned and people gain weight again. Adding a little enjoyment to the diet goes a long way towards long term compliance.

[-] LinkOpensChest_wav@midwest.social 5 points 1 year ago

I feel fortunate because to me what that person described actually does sound enjoyable and satisfying. I will straight up eat handfuls of raw spinach because I enjoy it. You'd be surprised by how many people feel compelled to share their disgust, though, which is one reason I prefer to eat alone.

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[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 20 points 1 year ago

This feels like a really bad mindset to me, it's absolutely possible to eat healthily and still enjoy food and i see little reason to not do so.

[-] worfamerryman@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Your right, it just depends on your goals. I always have myself a cheat day.

Dinner would be decently big. Like quinoa and a bunch of chicken breast.

[-] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

That's dry af. I think some people are just ok eating something that has literally no flavor. A lot of "healthy" recipes need: salt, pepper, garlic, onion, oregano, paprika, chili powder, oil, mustard, honey, etc.

Like literally sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken, garlic and oregano if you're feeling crazy. Stop eating plain chicken!

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 1 year ago

i think many people have this idea that healthy food somehow has to be boring and flavourless, and that if you make it in any way enjoyable it for some reason automatically becomes unhealthy.

Which is insane and a terrible idea to spread, at this point i think healthy food tastes better.

[-] AnalogyAddict@beehaw.org 13 points 1 year ago

For some of us, the joy of good food is the only reliable joy we have.

[-] worfamerryman@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Oh, yeah. I totally eat for comfort and enjoyment now. But if your trying to lose weight and have a flat stomach it’s hard work and most people need to sacrifice comfort food.

Once you get there, you can eat a bit better. It’s just getting there that’s tough.

[-] Hank@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago

Careful with tuna. It's an important part of my diet as well but I try to mix it up because of heavy metals.

[-] MadMenace@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yes, you really shouldn't eat tuna more than like 2-3 times a week because of the mercury content.

[-] TheBurlapBandit@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

My scrawny ass, turning my banana smoothies into 1,000 calorie shakes to get gains:

[-] worfamerryman@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I have a super tall friend who can’t gain weight. No matter what he tries, he is super lanky.

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[-] YarrMatey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 year ago

It isn't too hard to lose weight if that is your main goal, it just takes time. You don't have to give up food that tastes good or that you love. Just eat under your TDEE and you'll lose weight. Every meal can be a cheat meal. A food scale and counting calories are the only things you need. I've lost 30 pounds so far without doing any exercise and have lost 6 inches off my waist. There was a whole sub dedicated to it called r/CICO. I only need to lose 20 more pounds until my goal weight. I don't eat food I don't enjoy, that would be like torture to me.

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

Hell you don't even need to count calories, simply eating things that are higher in fibre and generally lower calorie will help bias you toward weight loss.

For example the weight watchers have made fruit a freebee, because it's basically impossible to get fat from eating fruit.

I've never properly counted calories, i just make sure the base ingredients of my diet are generally healthy and that has worked extremely well.
No stress, easy to manage, and i've been able to get back in tune with my body's feedback so i can eat intuitively. I viscerally feel what nutrients my body needs the most (and very much doesn't need), like how people in survival situations get cravings for stuff like fish eyeballs because it has vitamins they need.

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[-] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 48 points 1 year ago

Ugh can't even come to lemmy to escape real life - spent most of Monday morning denaturing/counteracting PPO in my uni food science lab!

Polyphenol oxidase is the enzyme responsible for browning in shit like apples and potatoes when cut and exposed to air.

I haven't read the study linked in the OP yet (and I'm far too sad and intoxicated for it right now) but in other fruits/vegetables it's pretty easy to deactivate PPO through application of some combination of Vitamin C (converts quinones back to their phenol form and reacts with oxygen before it can get to the PPO) and heat (which actually denatures the PPO enzymes).

When we were denaturing PPO in potatoes in a lab setting we simply blanched the sliced potatoes in 90°C water for 5 minutes before placing it in an ice bath until cool.

[-] glomag@kbin.social 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm far too sad and intoxicated

Yep, this man/woman is definitely a scientist working at a university.

Thanks for the information and I hope your next experiment goes well.

[-] Crotaro@beehaw.org 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Right? Insert a little bit of lemon juice and the polyphenol oxidase shouldn't be a problem anymore. Also, banana wouldn't be the only problem (concerning high polyphenol oxidase activity), would it? Cut up an apple and it turns brown before you can push all pieces into a juicer. Literally, I've had a couple R&D projects at the juice company I used to work for and we had this small Angel Juicer and by the time all apple pieces were in, the juice was brown (provided I didn't spritz in lemon juice at the beginning).

[-] h_ramus@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Submerging apple slices in water with a bit of salt prevents browning. Doesn't change the flavour like lemon as not much salt needed.

[-] Crotaro@beehaw.org 2 points 1 year ago

Hey, I know I'm like two days late to reply, but you probably wouldn't need the salt even. The polyphenoloxidase reaction is what the name suggests, an oxidation. So it requires plenty of oxygen to run, which probably is inaccessible in water, I would assume.

I actually wasn't quite sure anymore if I had that right and when googling it, I managed to find an entire diploma thesis on the polyphenoloxidase reaction, so for anyone that's interested in it more deeply (sorry, it's in German aside for the abstract, which is in English, too), have fun c:

[-] h_ramus@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

My experience is from preparing sliced apples to eat later. Dip them in slightly salted water for less than a minute and they'll hold for quite some time. No need to carry water in the container. The salt must help create an insulation membrane against oxidation. This is all practical experience and I haven't seen research on it.

[-] howrar@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

So basically, just add a bit of lemon juice to your smoothie?

[-] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago

I'm not confident saying for sure without reading the actual paper - it really depends on how PPO interacts with the flavanols, but at the end of the day denaturing the PPO with heat should make it a non-issue. Keep in mind though that bananas are far from the only smoothie ingredient with PPO!

[-] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 1 year ago

Or add cooked banana instead? Heat it up before freezing that over ripe banana.

[-] storksforlegs@beehaw.org 43 points 1 year ago

This article assumes I am drinking smoothies purely for the flavanoids.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I drink 'em for the flava. Not the noids.

[-] colournoun@beehaw.org 10 points 1 year ago

Avoid the Noid

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Noid

[-] AnalogyAddict@beehaw.org 41 points 1 year ago

I mean, the #1 reason is because it makes it taste like banana.

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Handful of strawberries. Handful of blueberries. Half cup of pineapple juice. Cup of crushed ice. 1 whole banana. Blended well.

Super smooth dairy free smoothie and all you taste is the other fruit.

[-] AnalogyAddict@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

I've had many people try to sneak banana in, I can ALWAYS taste it. It's like the pleasant cousin of cilantro.

[-] ExLisper@linux.community 1 points 1 year ago

How can I add some sort of dairy flavour?

[-] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Milk

[-] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yogurt is usually what thickens a shake. A half cup or so (maybe more idk; I don't usually use it that's what the banana is for) of unflavored plain yogurt.

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[-] Floey@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

I freeze the fruit and use no ice, and add oats and nuts or seeds for bulk.

[-] TWeaK@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Ottaviani said tea is a major dietary source of flavanols and depending on how it is prepared, a different amount of flavanols would be available for absorption.

Dammit, you can't just say that and not give any detail!

[-] cnnrduncan@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

I'm not in the right headspace to read any studies on it but based on my understanding of how food works on a chemical level I'd say it's a safe bet to say that the difference in preparation is mostly down to heat and steeping time.

If you steep for longer it gives the water more time to absorb flavanols.

If you use a temperate that is too high you'll denature or destroy the flavanols, whereas if you use a temperature that's too low they may not dissolve into the water as readily necessitating a longer steeping time.

[-] TWeaK@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

Yeah I was thinking temperature. For example, you're not supposed to use boiling water for green tea, as it burns the tea. I've noticed this with many brands, however each brand tends to be a bit different - some are more tolerant to higher temperatures than others.

I imagine you can also do a multi-stage extraction, where you heat at a lower temperature and then at a higher temperature. This should avoid denaturing the lower temp compounds. It's commonly done with alcohol when extracting sugars into the wort.

[-] d3Xt3r@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's not a big mystery. Green tea has the most amount flavanols. Fresh leaves also have more compared to aged leaves. Also, powered forms of tea release them more quickly compared to loose leaf. However, you could just steep regular leaf tea for longer as well. The key thing to remember is to not use boiling water, as that may degrade the flavanols, so select a temperature just-below boiling (80-90C / 175-195F).

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