Last Updated on May 21, 2023 by Michael Brockbank
For the longest time, I’ve been dealing with feeling peppy and energized in the morning only to have my energy sapped shortly after lunch. But, I began to see a pattern due to the foods I eat. And having bananas in the morning has made a massive difference.
This is one of the biggest reasons why I like using apps like MyFitnessPal. When you track every single thing you eat throughout the day, it’s easier to see what foods are affecting you in certain ways.
Thanks to keeping an eye on my intake, I discovered on days when I had bananas with breakfast, I felt more energized overall.
So, even though I have my bananas with breakfast at about 8 or 9 am, I don’t feel lethargic by around 3:00 pm.
In general, my breakfast consists of one banana and one Nature’s Bakery fig bar. Well, unless I play the Kinect or otherwise work out with weights. Then, it’s my maxpro ELITE protein powder and almond milk with a banana.
At any rate, bananas are among many foods that are said to boost energy. In my experience, this has easily been verified.
Using MyFitnessPal
I’ve been using MyFitnessPal long before I even had the app on my phone. It’s a free platform that lets you track anything you eat while giving you a breakdown of caloric and nutritional intake.
The free version is what helped me lose more than 70 pounds. This is because it gives you a green or red number of the remaining calories you can eat in a day.
And once you log in a meal from Taco Bell, it kind of throws a bit of fear in you. I used to eat enough calories in one sitting from Taco Bell than the average human should eat in the entire day!
Anyway, with MyFitnessPal, I was able to determine on days that I have bananas for breakfast, I wasn’t falling asleep shortly after lunch.
As the saying goes, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” In my case, it directly affected the rest of the afternoon as well.
On a side note, apps like this can also help you see patterns when it comes to allergies and other health-related issues. Keep an eye on what you eat while taking note of how you feel that day or the day after.
The foods you eat can have a myriad of effects on how you feel both physically and mentally.
Perhaps Not Enough Potassium?
Potassium is one of those things your body needs but not everyone gets enough of. It’s believed that you should get as much as 4,700 mg of potassium per day for proper healthy living.
And I know I never come close to that amount on any given day. This could be why I feel so sluggish and tired all the time.
Unfortunately, a medium-sized banana only has around 422 mg of potassium. This is just shy of one-tenth of what I should have. Guess I need to start including more vitamins and veggies in my daily eating habits.
At any rate, at least I know that bananas do, in fact, improve how my day unfolds. As long as the kids will leave me a few throughout the week, all should be well.
Careful Where You Buy Bananas From
Not all suppliers are equal. So far, the best bananas in my area come from King Soopers. They tend to last a bit longer before going brown and mushy.
I suppose if I ate them faster, it wouldn’t be such an issue. But personally, I rather like bananas in the morning than throughout the day.
The worst place I’ve had bananas from was Costco, which is kind of a bummer. I love shopping at Costco. But the last time I bought bananas from the closest warehouse, they all went bad within two days.
It was a mad rush to eat them before turning them into bread.
How Many Bananas Should You Eat Per Day?
Granted, bananas do have nutritional value. The potassium alone is enough to make me by a bunch whenever I go shopping. That being said, some experts say that you should limit banana intake to one or two per day.
Mostly, this is because you don’t want to fill up on something that is lacking other nutrients your body needs. For one thing, bananas aren’t known for their high-protein content.
Calcium, vitamin D, and iron are also elements you’ll want to mix in at some point throughout the day. And a banana just doesn’t have those included.
Also keep in mind that bananas are somewhat heavy in carbs and sugars, for those who are on specific diet plans. A medium banana can have up to 27 g of carbs and 14 g of sugars.
On the other hand, they also have about 1 mg of sodium, which makes them great for some heart-healthy, low-blood-pressure diet plans. Especially since the high-potassium content helps with lowering blood pressure.
Since bananas also have about 12% of your dietary fiber intake for the day (according to a 2,000 calorie diet per the USDA), they can contribute to keeping you “regular.”
Bananas Make for a Great Stomach Filler
One of the biggest reasons why I started buying bananas in the first place was to essentially boost my breakfast. What I was eating before just didn’t seem like enough.
When combined with other foods, such as fig bars, shakes, or even cereals, bananas offer a nutritious way to fill the stomach. It wasn’t until several months later that I realized they contributed to my energy levels in the afternoons.
Not only that, but they can be quite a fulfilling snack throughout the day. There’s more mass to a banana than something more sugar-laden. Not to mention it has about one-fourth of the calories as something like a Snickers bar.
And they cost less overall. So, you’re actually doing your body and your budget a favor by picking up bananas next time you go shopping for snacks.
It’s Not All That Expensive to Have Bananas
One argument I hear a lot is how expensive it is to eat healthily. I’m currently working on setting up a case study regarding the food cost of eating well, but I can say that it really hasn’t affected my budget.
For about $0.25 each, bananas you pick up at the store help fill your stomach while offering quite a few health benefits. I spend about 5 times more money on a single coffee from Dutch Bros than I do for a week’s worth of bananas.
Take the time to explore your intake and see how certain foods affect you. The results may solve a lot of your physical and mental problems.
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