Bananas in Smoothies: Yes or No? (Presentation)

[@stlouisix3]

The Impact of Bananas on Flavanol Absorption in Smoothies and Other Nutritional Considerations 🍌 The video discusses the importance of flavonoids, specifically flavanols, in cardiovascular protection and how polyphenol oxidase in bananas can affect their nutritional value. 00:58 Flavanols, a type of flavonoid, can provide cardiovascular protection. 00:58 A review suggests that an intake of 400-600 milligrams of flavonols per day would be beneficial for cardiovascular health. 01:47 The primary sources of flavonols are tea, berries, and cocoa. 02:20 Polyphenol oxidase in bananas can break down flavonols, reducing their nutritional value. 02:46 Bruised bananas and cut avocados can produce defensive compounds with antimicrobial activity. 03:19 Mixing banana with polyphenol-rich foods like berries or cocoa in a smoothie may result in less nutrition. 04:13 Research showed that adding cocoa flavanols to a banana-containing smoothie led to a decrease in nutritional value compared to a berry smoothie with no banana. 04:33 💡 Bananas in smoothies can decrease the amount of cocoa flavanols that make it into the bloodstream. 05:18 The enzyme in bananas, polyphenol oxidase, can break down cocoa flavanols in the stomach. 05:18 The levels of cocoa flavanols in the bloodstream decrease by 90% every 10 minutes. 05:51 Adding polyphenol inhibitors can block the effects of the enzyme in bananas. 06:06 The study participants had 37% less cocoa flavanols in their bloodstream when alternating sips of banana smoothie and chocolate milk. 06:57 Bananas can decrease the levels of cocoa flavanols in the bloodstream by up to 37%. 07:41 Polyphenol oxidase enzyme is deactivated in the stomach acid, but can still cause some damage. 08:23 Drinking a smoothie immediately after blending can reduce the polyphenol damage caused by bananas. 08:57 🍌 Bananas have high polyphenol oxidase activity, but white button mushrooms have even more. 10:25 White button mushrooms have more polyphenol oxidase activity than bananas. 10:25 Cooking mushrooms destroys the polyphenol oxidase activity. 12:10 Mango has significantly less polyphenol oxidase activity compared to bananas. 12:49 Apples turn brown due to polyphenol oxidase activity. 13:02 Kale has very low enzyme levels, making it a good choice for green smoothies. 13:48 🍌 Adding bananas to oatmeal or smoothies may decrease the absorption of certain nutrients, but heating or adding vitamin C and citric acid can help inhibit the enzyme responsible. 14:04 Adding bananas to oatmeal or smoothies may decrease the absorption of certain nutrients. 14:04 Heating bananas or adding vitamin C and citric acid can inhibit the enzyme responsible for nutrient absorption decrease. 16:01 Pasteurized smoothie drinks may not have the same nutrient absorption issue as fresh-made smoothies. 16:24 Adding lemon juice to fruit salad can prevent apples from turning brown. 16:57 Sulfites were previously used to inhibit the enzyme, but they are now banned due to respiratory problems. 17:33 Unsulfured dried fruits are recommended to avoid sulfite-induced respiratory problems. 17:47 Alternative methods are needed to inhibit the enzyme in banana smoothies. 17:53 🍌 Certain natural agents like onion extract and pineapple juice can prevent browning of fruits, including apples and bananas. 18:01 Onion extract and fresh/cooked onion juice can prevent browning of pears. 18:01 Pineapple juice seems to help keep apples and bananas from browning. 18:31 Lemon juice is more effective than white wine in preventing browning in pastry dough. 18:48 Bananas can be eaten anytime, but it's better to consume them separately from other healthy foods. 19:18 Having bananas in the stomach at the same time as a meal may impair nutrient absorption. 19:39 Uncooked mushrooms and avocado can also have similar effects on nutrient absorption. 19:55 The video provides important information on preventing browning of fruits and will be available on nutritionfacts.org. 20:09

[@nancyneyedly4587]

Wow! This is demonstration/master class in note taking, thank you so much! I understand information laid out much better presented this way. Brilliant!! Much gratitude!🙂😉

[@smarg5130]

Thank you for that! I was getting lost in all of his 'ums' and unpreparedness!

[@michelemarks5026]

@@smarg5130 yeah, not one of his better presentations!

[@sandrarinomato3211]

This was very helpful, thank you

[@stlouisix3]

Thank you very much@@nancyneyedly4587

[@boasjanet7265]

Ok folks. No one is telling you what you have to eat. You can eat bananas in smoothies as much as you want. However, if you spend a lot of money on berries thinking you’re getting all the phytonutrient benefits, I think it’s helpful to know how to maximize those benefits. I don’t think anyone is saying bananas aren’t healthy. It’s just that you may be getting less than optimal benefits from berries I personally appreciate this video. Dr Greger himself said it’s not polished like his normal videos. He just wanted to get this preliminary rough video out there bc so many people had questions.

[@pdblouin]

Also good to know that when I cook my oats with bananas, I can safely add blueberries after.

[@botzer8817]

Its only 37% though... You can eat flavonols in many other foods, especially when you're plant based

[@lindapruitt2656]

as a diabetic i am really relieved to hear bananas basicly remain somethinhg I shouldn't eat. I do comsume blueberry smoothies once in a while. Now I kow what fruit that oxidizes when cut means...don't mix it with cocoa or berries, good to know!!

[@hoon_sol]

@@lindapruitt2656: There's zero reason you shouldn't eat bananas as a diabetic, especially not blended. And I hope for your sake you're referring to type 1 diabetes, since type 2 diabetes is 100% curable.

[@NonameMarianne]

Are you kidding? He’s fantastic!

[@summerwoodsong2216]

When we ran across this unfortunate info, we split our smoothies into morning berry smoothies and afternoon banana smoothies. We mainly use smoothies as a way to get our Daily Dozen berries and our apple cider vinegar. Splitting it into two separate recipes allowed us to have our berries without reducing their innate goodness and to still enjoy banana smoothies later. To increase bulk and smoothness in the berry smoothies we added in ground chia and some raw oats.

[@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy]

What kind of maniac puts ACV in their smoothies in any case? Sacrilegious... Why might you sprinkle it over salads instead?

[@summerwoodsong2216]

@@KrwiomoczBogurodzicy Neither of us like the taste of ACV - at all. Dr. G recommends a tablespoon of the stuff at a time. Putting it in our salads didn't work, too dominant a flavor. But we discovered when we combine ACV with pineapple the vinegar taste takes a backseat and we don't really notice it. So, all our fruit smoothies now include pineapple just to get the ACV down.

[@skippy6462]

​what a great idea. I love acv but adding to smoothies is something I'm going to try.

[@sallysalsonoak21]

Could You tell me the ingredients in both the berry smoothie and then the banana version? Plus cider vinegar….how do you incorporate that?

[@aeriegrove]

@@summerwoodsong2216 I was gonna recommend a tablespoon acv in a glass of water as a delicious drink with a meal.. but for anyone else out there, it's great

[@NutritionFactsOrg]

Due to technical difficulties, Dr. Greger's live presentation didn't work out as planned last week. Instead of trying to reschedule again, he decided to record the presentation so you could get the information as soon as possible! Edited to add: here is a link to the sources cited in this presentation - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xRXidBKb59AO0x0x8FPJfz0Je5ehdjE0kdV16t4kb9I/edit#gid=0

[@amygleich]

No worries, just grateful for the information! Love what you guys do! One thing that'd be really helpful (and I know it'd be a lot more work) but it would be HUGE to have links to all the articles sited within each video. That aside, thanks again so much for all your great work and nutrition inspiration!

[@NutritionFactsOrg]

@@amygleich Yes! Here you go - docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xRXidBKb59AO0x0x8FPJfz0Je5ehdjE0kdV16t4kb9I/edit#gid=0. We will also put this in the description. -Kate

[@fairynelly4427]

It's all good...i for one can't complain especially since this healthful info is free and helpful. Beggars can't be picky.

[@eugenetswong]

Kate, thanks for the effort that you and the team put into this video, and for the sources! @@amygleich thanks for asking for the sources!

[@PassportBroVegan]

@@NutritionFactsOrg Plantains, cooked ?? 😃👍👎

[@shaneashby5890]

I can’t believe I watching a 20-minute video about if I should or shouldn’t put a banana in my daily smoothie. Damn you KZbin, damn you 🤦‍♂️

[@krawlb4walking802]

Dr. Greger, this one truly bummed me out. 🍌 🍌 But thank you for keeping it real and for providing options of cooking and or adding citrus juices ie lemon / pineapple juice to yellow ( not brown) bananas to prevent / mitigate the negative impact.

[@russb24]

Thanks Dr Greger! I had already made the switch to frozen mangoes in my smoothie to replace the bananas' sweetness, so I guessed right! I'll skip the onion juice though.

[@zakukoivu]

Do you add spinach or kale to your smoothies? I've never combined either with mango before, I'm kind of...scared lol

[@JohnStro]

​@@zakukoivuI do and it's fine. Only one way to find out if you'll like it.

[@russb24]

@@zakukoivu Mine is kale, cocoa, blueberries, and strawberries. Also my daily tablespoon of flax.

[@Theo-1984]

Once my new freezer arrives that's the first thing I'm looking for! Thanks for the idea.. I kinda missed that info.

[@CathyBojould]

Only Dr Gregor could make a 20 minute video on this topic lol

[@marksutter609]

He, uh, talks too, ah...uhhhmmmm....too slowly sometimes 🤣

[@BiblicalLongevity]

That’s because 10 minutes of it is “umm, uhhh, umm, uhhh”. I literally tilted my head back, and rubbed my eyes in disbelief 🤣 I love his passion and service, but he needs to learn how to either edit his videos to cut that stuff out, or he needs to learn how to speak more efficiently.

[@katrinasriranpong9823]

In consideration of the fact that bananas are so widely used in smoothies to add sweetness, this is such an informative video on how to preserve the vital nutrients of berries. Thank you so much for the quick video.

[@irinafachin5446]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:03 🍌 *Introduction to Bananas in Smoothies* - Introduction to the topic of using bananas in smoothies and their potential health implications. - Discusses the dietary recommendations for bioactive food compounds and the health benefits of flavonoids. 02:20 🍵 *Flavonoids and Polyphenol Oxidase in Foods* - Explains the role of polyphenol oxidase in fruits and vegetables and its impact on flavonoids. - Discusses how polyphenol oxidase leads to browning in foods like bananas and avocados as a defense mechanism. 04:08 🧪 *Impact of Bananas on Cocoa Flavanols in Smoothies* - Details a study on the effect of bananas in smoothies on the absorption of cocoa flavanols. - Demonstrates how banana enzymes can significantly reduce the levels of beneficial polyphenols in smoothies. 06:20 🥤 *Testing the Enzyme Activity in the Stomach* - Explores whether the polyphenol oxidase enzyme in bananas continues to be active in the stomach. - Finds that the enzyme can still reduce polyphenol levels even after ingestion. 09:20 🥭 *Alternative Ingredients to Bananas in Smoothies* - Discusses alternatives to bananas in smoothies, like mangoes, that do not have high polyphenol oxidase activity. - Suggests using ingredients like kale in green smoothies due to their low enzyme levels. 14:01 🍲 *Broader Implications for Food Combinations* - Explores how combining bananas with other healthy foods might affect the absorption of phytonutrients. - Advises against mixing bananas with foods high in polyphenols to maximize nutrient absorption. Made with HARPA AI

[@ashishgup]

This legit saved me 20 mins

[@amydesireegoldstein4727]

Any studies testing frozen bananas? Does the freeze/thaw process deactivate the enzyme?

[@flattlandermontgomery1524]

I asked the same question. Freezing inhibits the enzyme without destroying it, so it will warm up/reactivate in the stomach, but be deactivated by the acid, maybe there would be a little loss, but not as much. But we don't know until....

[@kellymac7753]

On a similar note, what if you first blended the banana alone on high velocity, bringing it up on temperature through 2000 rpm mechanical action? Not technically cooking or boiling but I wager this could deactivate some of the enzyme

[@joanramler7831]

This is very interesting. Valuable information. I’ve listened to you for years. Finally donated. Sincere thanks for all you do!

[@cilvercin]

Hi Dr. Greger! I have a question. Since freezing some foods can help reduce their oxidative enzymes, then theoretically can adding FROZEN banana to smoothies reduce the amount of flavinoids destroyed?

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

Good question!!

[@malenejensen2995]

It is a very good question! I once forgot some bananas in the freezer for a long time (months) and when I came by them again they were very brown, so I don't think the oxidative enzyme is broken down - just reacting slower. Remember a lot of vegetables are blanched before freezing to destroy the oxidative enzyme, without the blanching the colours would not be as bright.

[@bdillon1011]

Great question. So I was thinking I should blanch the bananas to at least 70 degrees internal temperate then freeze for smoothies.

[@karenvasquez2455]

did you find out if this helped ? @@bdillon1011

[@anjumadan1575]

Thanks for this video! Does microwaving the banana help?

[@flattlandermontgomery1524]

❓Not putting bananas in your smoothie is like not putting lentils in your dal!!!! I have a question, if you use frozen bananas and the smoothie stays super cold, wouldn't that also keep the enzymes inhibited until they warm up in the stomach which are then deactivated by the stomach acid?????❓

[@tonydittmer]

Super appreciate all the hard work to help us hack our way to the healthiest selves. Love this work.

[@richardpill8322]

At nearly 54 and over 7 years whole food plant based I am in the best shape of my life. I train most days ,have a six pack and eat a lot of bananas along with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. I will still eat 4-5 bananas a day because they are GREAT! All the best. ❤

[@LydiaZ36]

He didn't say not to eat bananas.

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

Goals. No need not to eat bananas, he's just suggesting that to get the most bang for your buck, better to eat berries, cocoa, teas away from bananas. Happy for your good health. 👊😃

[@jgrysiak6566]

I slice them & freeze them & they taste like frozen vanilla bon bons. Sometimes I add vanilla to them before freezing & dip them in carob powder for chocolate bon bons

[@jgrysiak6566]

​@@LydiaZ36, lol

[@bitfinesse]

Video of the year! Goodbye banana, hello mango (for smoothies)

[@jgrysiak6566]

Lol, Even McDonald's has mango smoothies

[@kenjohnson6101]

I like fried bananas with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and date syrup. This video gave me the idea of adding cacao and blending the whole mess into a smoothie. I'm going to go try it right now.

[@happycook6737]

We will all be over to, ahem 🤤😋, help you evaluate it properly. I only need about 2 glasses full to um complete the testing procedures...😂

[@truesight91]

Fried fruit is no better than animal products. Nature didn't provide fried stuff the only reason humans cook food is because they were forced to eat meat and other foods.

[@finelinerin]

​@@happycook6737😂👍🏻🥰

[@IELTS888]

@@happycook6737 I'm coming too!!

[@jgrysiak6566]

Do u air fry them? Hope your not frying them in oil.

[@lmlowe9100]

Anxiously awaiting your new book...How not to Age. At almost 70, I'm looking forward to whatever natural ways there are to stave off death, disease and aging. I previously purchased your, How not to Die Cookbook, and thoroughly enjoy the recipes. Would love another cookbook from you at some point too. Keep doing what you're doing...so many of us appreciate you more than you know.

[@mymom9466]

Thank you Dr. Greger, I absolutely love learning these things from you😊 Just when you think you are eating healthy, there is always another level!

[@debstayblessed9549]

For me: boiled sweet potato (preferably purple stoke potato) with my blueberries and strawberries, a little water and some dried fruits or Manuka honey. Yum. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. 😊

[@Hanna-vq6sb]

Thank you for this! I'll try a microwaved sweet potato in my smoothie tomorrow morning! It actually sounds better than banana!❤

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

Wow, nice. A little cardamom, cinnamon and allspice and you've got a sweet potato pie smoothie. Oooh ahh!

[@TNT-km2eg]

Thanks for the laughs

[@jgrysiak6566]

Bake your sweet potatoes, then u are carmelizing the grape sugar in them & that will keep u fuller longer

[@lisajohnson8157]

Dr Greger you're breaking my heart but I love you.

[@barbarapaessler9067]

So interesting ! Thanks for your ongoing work Dr. ! I so appreciate you ..

[@epcalderhead]

I wish he'd would start with the TLDW message, then go through the science and recap it again at the end. Start: "If you've been putting bananas in your smoothies you may want to stop. Here's why..."

[@user-ajp-4891]

Right because I fell asleep midway through.

[@keep-cool]

You may wish to check out his blogs! The videos eventually get turned into blogs, and if you scroll to the bottom of the blog there’s a list of key takeaways

[@john4385]

Great suggestion..!...👍

[@HappilyVeganSince]

Thank you so much. I've seen a video by another KZbinr on this, or perhaps more than one, but this video is much better, explaining well as always and not stopping at pointing out the issue but going further to examine options for dealing with that antioxidant absorbtion blocking effect, and suggesting the best of these options. It's indeed good to get this information as soon as possible. 👏🙏

[@skippy6462]

I saw a video by Simon Plant Proof Podcast/KZbin about the banana study. Definitely Dr. Greger's video explanation is much better. Not polished but who really cares when the details are sound.

[@HappilyVeganSince]

@@skippy6462 👍

[@botzer8817]

@@skippy6462 MicTheVegan video about this topic is great too

[@rogergreene1329]

Phew... I always add bananas to my oatmeal, but I always add it before I add the oats to the boiling water. With the extra cooking time the bananas have time to brake down and mixed with the oats so every bite has this great banana flavor with a bit of sweetness to boot. And I guess all the berries I add later go unharmed.

[@happycook6737]

I sure hope the berries go unharmed because I cook mine similar to your method

[@jgrysiak6566]

Eat the sliced banana on the oatmeal because it gives u more bulk to keep u fuller longer

[@hendrikgrundling5323]

Unfortunately this has wider applications:- Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is also contained in other foods such as mushrooms, avocadoes, beetroot etc. Thus whatever meal includes these vegetables will have its polyphenols reduced. Fortunately PPO is inactivated by microwaving or boiling, so mushrooms and beetroot can be fixed by cooking it first. I don't know what to do about avocado though, it is such a nice addition to a meal.

[@skippy6462]

Thank you Dr Greger and the team. Very much appreciated. Knowledge is key. We're all free to do what we want but I prefer to know because I'm trying to make the most of the nutrition for myself and my family.

[@donnareeves8936]

Frozen okra makes smoothies creamy without bananas.

[@PlantbasedSilvi]

Smoothie with mango and blueberries instead of banana or blueberries and Yukon sweetness? I wonder how it looks with that? I always froth up my oatmeal/soy milk and mix it into the blueberry smoothie, so delicious and creamy.

[@wendywright5872]

Would dehydrating bananas to be added to oatmeal eliminate the conflict with berries?

[@susanmcgillivray3182]

Dr Greger what about microwaving the banana before adding to the smoothie? Many cultures fry bananas for dessert.

[@meonyoutubenow]

In our household we eat so much healthy food that even with a 90 % drop we would still get more than three times of what we need of all relevant nutrients. Only thing we are deficient of here are lifestyle diseases.

[@tejumanjrekar8030]

I’ve been making smoothies for over 2 years now. Never added bananas, apples, pears etc. to my smoothies, just because they turn brown after cutting. It’s good to learn the science behind it now!! Thanks Dr. Greger!!😊

[@ericwayne3425]

why dont you put them in fresh

[@jgrysiak6566]

Dr Esselstyn says to chew all food for bulk & satiety. Don't drink your calories, u negate the chewing & mixing your food with saliva. Th😊ats where digestion starts. An occasional smoothie is great on a hot day but not everyday.

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

Thank you 🥦❤ So I'm wondering now what about that antimicrobial function of the browning going on there with the oxidation in the banana and the apple and does that help us thrive? Does it only antimicrobe against bad microbes? or is it universally hard on all microbial wellbeing? And is the brown in a ripe banana doing the same thing or is that a whole different world of brown? Are we supposed to stay away from all browned bits of banana or just keep them away from the berries and cocoa? Also cheers to Derek at Simnett Nutrition who has been suggesting for some time now to blend up banana in water and use that to cook oatmeal -- cooked banana, being neutered, will not then have a deleterious effect on the berry goodness

[@adambierman]

Exactly my question! Forget, for a minute, about flavan-3-ols. If one is producing antimicrobial chemicals in one's gut with a banana / chocolate smoothie, might this benefit one's overall health by modifying the composition of one's microbiome in a *good* way? I'd heard something about PPO inhibiting the spread of cancer. And there was that bit of news about slightly green bananas reducing cancer risk. Maybe it's not all about the resistant starch in the banana?

[@adambierman]

Here's a link to an article on PPO as a possible cancer fighting chemical: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35268616/#:~:text=In%20vivo%20experiments%20showed%20PPO%20inhibitory%20effect,PPO%20could%20play%20an%20effective%20role%20in

[@karenvasquez2455]

Dr. Greger made it sound like no matter what the banana will effect the berry goodness. I want what you said to be true so that is why I am reaching out. I will look for Derek's video as well. But I am trying to understand how blending with water makes it safe for berries. Will you share more info about that?

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

@@karenvasquez2455 hi Karen it was the cooking part not the blending if you're talking about the oatmeal -- since the banana enzymes are what allegedly messed with the beneficial bits and enzymes are destroyed in cooking, so the cooked banana shouldn't be interfering

[@theflippestside]

Would you be able to publish a smoothie matrix at some point to list the beneficial compounds of each common ingredient, and interactions that may eliminate them? Lol that would be appreciated for sure. It’s impossible to remember all of the data that comes out. It’s a mountain that never stops growing

[@slipknot95maggot]

Smoothie Matrix is the title of my autobiography

[@botzer8817]

Is there another interaction to care about ?

[@michelemarks5026]

what if your smoothie is just greens, chiaseed, bananas and water? Are Bananas ruining the nutritional value of chia and greens or are they only adversely impacting the flavonols in berries and cacao if you choose to include them in your smoothies?

[@jrmint2]

greens have antioxidants...I would think its the same effect. I swapped out bananas for mango or pineapple as a base.

[@AdrianaNS]

I have the same question. My smoothie consists of banana, mango and kale + Amla powder. Am I not getting all the kale nutrition? He only mentions it affecting berries and cocoa. I do not want to assume.

[@allysonbriner1883]

I have a question: would bananas/polyphenyl oxidase block the nutrients in greens at all? I love a banana to sweeten up my green smoothies (usually banana + kale + almond butter + cinnamon + soy milk).

[@Ronsharo]

What is the bottom line? Can I keep using bananas in smoothies ?

[@Praisethesunson]

Yes. But you will still die.

[@velvetbear8262]

bananas when in combo with other foods can block absorption of healthy nutrients. I love bananas in smoothies too but best to replace them with mango.

[@krawlb4walking802]

@@Praisethesunson 😂 Currently that’s a given.

[@skippy6462]

​@@Praisethesunsontell us something we don't know 😊

[@flyshacker]

@@PraisethesunsonOh no!

[@darren.barany]

I wonder if you could microwave the banana for a minute or so then freeze it. So, when you're making a smoothie, just throw in the frozen banana and you can still get the creamy texture and flavor and preserve all the benefits of the phytonutrients.

[@beritelkjr2559]

Let's keep enjoying bananas. They taste enchanting and cream a smoothie and taste great in banana ice cream. There is quite a large amount of banana in the smoothie that has been examined. You can reduce the amount and vary with mango, nuts and seeds to cream a smoothie. All in all, I think it's important to vary your smoothies. If you eat plant-based, your other diet is also full of plant substances. So my recommendation as a dietitian is: Keep enjoying bananas, also in smoothies - with variety in mind!

[@tropicaoptica]

Adding nuts and seeds to smoothies is just asking for candida or blood sugar issues as well as poor digestion. I save fats for dinner and keep them away from sweet or sub acid fruits. The only fruit I ever have with nuts is acid fruit like oranges or pineapple on a salad.

[@mizz308]

@@tropicaopticahuh???

[@olgakaydanov]

I agree. All this nitpicking is just too much and is getting into orthorexic territory. A decade from now we could find out that all those polyphenols we tried so hard to get into our bodies were useless after all, and we’d given up our delicious bananas for nothing. I’m going to continue enjoying my berry banana smoothies & chocolate nice cream & live my life in peace.

[@SuperLarrythompson]

I typically cannot tolerate bananas. But, if I boil them I can. I've tried both green and ripe bananas. Boiling helped with digestion on both but the green bananas taste pretty crappy. The ripe boiled nanners are amazing. Not sure how it effects nutrient absorption but they don't bother my IBS and they add great flavors to my daily oats.

[@servinghealthy]

What would happen if you cooked the bananas in a microwave, and subsequently froze them prior to making your smoothie? I think this is worth a try!

[@syrearth]

I was thinking the same!

[@ms-avocado]

@@syrearth Me too! I’m just going to go ahead and do it.

[@TNT-km2eg]

Voices from basement

[@PasthoonKootcher]

What if you heat up the banana to temperature that kills the enzyme (as suggested in the video), can you then simply freeze it for later use in smoothies?

[@PasthoonKootcher]

For some reason KZbin won't let me post the link but if you google "Control of Enzymatic Browning in Green Bananas for Freezing", you can see a research paper that suggests "Complete enzyme inactivation and absolute control of the browning reaction was achieved by heating the raw fruit in water at 200° F (93° C) for 30 min ."

[@ArtHampton]

Wow. Really appreciate all that you do. A physician who alleviates suffering by prevention. Imagine that!

[@thesleepinggirl]

A good reminder to eat a more varied diet and not rely on whatever same smoothie or singular fruit/veg/etc or powdered supplement every day. I've been mostly using bananas in baking lately so I guess that's actually a little better.

[@imOgellinOoutz]

What about the impact of dates that is dried dates not fresh dates in smoothie? You mentioned when Brown apples have an impact and so do pears. And fresh dates have the texture of apples. When dates are dried, they get brown which reminds me of the apricots you showed in the video.

[@remkobolt2176]

Same problem as bananas I guess: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7066417/.

[@nullbtb]

You can add vitamin C to your foods and it should also block the enzyme(that’s why lemon works well). If you want a natural source you can look into acerola cherry powder and add it to your oatmeal or smoothies.

[@zachcarmichael699]

Source?

[@sabrinamauduit7635]

So I’m thinking that if I microwave a banana with lemon juice squeezed on it THEN freeze it it might be ok to use in a smoothie with the other good stuff?

[@TinaRitzik]

? What about freezing the banana Not sure if I missed that part Thank you Dr Greger and your team for all you do 🙏🌻💕

[@yogawithjengentleyoga3614]

What if the banana isn’t overripe and stays frozen? For frozen smoothies?

[@AnHourOfWolves]

Haha, glad to finally see this video, thanks for posting it ❤🔥 Sorry it took so long to sort out.

[@zenjazzplayer]

As several other people have asked, what about adding lemons or lemon juice to smoothies with bananas and apples? Would that inhibit the PPO? I always add bottled organic lemon juice to my smoothies. I make them from 30 different fruits and vegetables (not all 30 every time), some fresh and some frozen.

[@galyagerstman2625]

I’ve been using ripe bananas to sweeten my oats (with berries) instead of sugar but now I’ll try to replace them with mango or pineapple. Shame. Thanks so much for the info!!

[@kahrawahler8229]

Maybe you could just cook the banana in the oatmeal and it would taste ok.

[@galyagerstman2625]

@@kahrawahler8229 I usually make overnight oats so it’s cold. 😬

[@brandi1221]

Blended soaked dates would be good to sweeten too!

[@sandyjackson4861]

I cook my 1/2 banana with half tablespoon of maple syrup and a 1/4 teaspoon of miso to mix in my oatmeal for a salted caramel flavor….maybe it would work for you…adding berries.

[@galyagerstman2625]

@@sandyjackson4861 sounds delectable!

[@wellthi]

What about 2 min microwave or frozen bananas ? Taste good too

[@Renatus_Eruditus]

Very insightful analysis! But does this mean that GMO apples that are engineered to lack the enzyme and thus are better to use in smoothies? I normally avoid GMO when possible, but now I'm confused😅

[@thomaselford3401]

Thanks Dr Greger, is this the same for making ice cream with frozen bananas? I make this every night with berries and cocoa which is delicious...

[@melstark3466]

Man, this is really frustrating for me. I never eat bananas until they start to be brown spots because green bananas are very starchy. I was under the impression that the more ripe a banana is the easier it is for your body to break down the sugars. I always have bananas in the morning with my smoothy or fruit bowl. So now, I shouldn't?

[@user-bv7mk8id5t]

I say do what you think works for you. This study is new I think and could change later. Just eat your breakfast fresh and don’t let the banana get too sweet (aka spotted). I love spotted bananas and will continue to do so 🙈! Best

[@TheBontekraai]

just put the damn banana's in there. people put way too much faith in what science says. if you like bananas in your smoothies, put them in your smoothie.

[@reasonablevegan]

@@TheBontekraaithis is a joke, right?

[@TheBontekraai]

it's not. people are always scaring everyone off food. it's really annoying. carbs are bad, this is bad, that is bad. how about stop making people scared of food, and let them find out what works for them. of course everyone knows already that junkfood isn't good for you. but indulging in it every once in a while actually is. there is so much more to health as just science. it's the emotional aspect of eating too, enjoying your food is a big part of health as well. i love bananas in my smoothies, and i am not going to stop because some supposed study says so. @@reasonablevegan

[@danadelaplante6797]

Said so right. Good comment. Just be mindful.💫💫✨✨🥑🥑@@TheBontekraai

[@CandySlim501]

Would pitted Dates be a good substitute for Bananas? Thanks

[@zislisp2]

Heating bananas reduces the PPOs. Would freezing peeled bananas have a positive effect in reducing PPOs?

[@markstevens5845]

To say that bananas ruin a particular aspect of berry nutrition is not necessarily to say that bananas ruin ALL berry nutrition. I would like to know how much nutrition we get from berries even after bananas have had their effect. For one thing, it looks to me as if you can get almost all of the recommended dosage of flavanols simply by drinking one cup of green tea per day. If you drink one cup of tea on its own (without anything to destroy its flavanols), and then eat a plant-based diet the rest of the day, you would be likely to get all of your flavanols even if you drank banana-berry smoothies, especially if you were to eat some berries on their own. Put another way, it seems like there's a reasonable path forward to both eat banana-berry smoothies, AND get your flavanols (while still POSSIBLY getting some nutrition from the berries in your banana smoothies, though that part is unclear...)

[@markstevens5845]

If I understand correctly, berries are relatively low in flavanols to begin with, at least compared to green tea. It looks like a person would have to consume around 30 cups of blueberries (and even more than 30 cups of either raspberries or strawberries) to get the same dose of flavanols contained in 1 cup of green tea. Blackberries are much higher in flavanols than the other berries, but even still, you would have to eat 5 cups of blackberries to equal 1 cup of tea. At such low levels of flavanols in berries, perhaps we shouldn't really care all that much if those flavanols are destroyed by bananas? Just drink your green tea every day, and don't worry about the berries...

[@belindaknowles7440]

It’s interesting and I believe the science, but I will continue to put bananas in my smoothies because that’s how I enjoy my smoothies. Thanks for the info, though.

[@scotam1844]

me too

[@bandaloop3759]

Yup just add vitamin C and or lemon juice and boom its mostly fine. You can also add more berries to compensate

[@taniaallan5702]

Same

[@flattlandermontgomery1524]

Not adding bananas to a smoothie is like not adding lentils to Dal or not adding chick peas to hummus!!! IMO

[@paulcohen6727]

That's like saying, "It's interesting and I believe the science, but I will continue to eat chicken, pork, beef, fish, eggs and other animal products because that's how I enjoy my meals. Thanks for the info, though." I'm sure that with time, we'll be able to figure out a good solution for this problem. I'm thinking maybe adding tofu for the creaminess and mangos, pineapples or dates for the sweetness. For oatmeal, I think I can blend the bananas in the water used for cooking, boil it and then add the oats until cooked, then adding the other ingredients.

[@colby6512]

So, leafy green smoothie with avocado 🥑 and 1 full lemon 🍋 squeezed - the combination of lemon helps negate the effects of avocado blocking some nutrients? Also his is part of my morning smoothie. If not I’ll consider taking to avocado out and using walnuts as the fat source instead to absorb nutrients better.

[@tsurutom]

For green smoothies, an option that I only recently started exploring (though it may not be for everyone) is to make them savory. You can experiment with so many different spice blends, herbs and vegetables, there's a whole new world without bananas :)

[@WriteEraseRewrite]

That's called soup

[@ima7333]

Without the banana it wouldn’t be sweet. However one of my favorite orange julius flavor combo was orange strawberry banana. Orange Julius is no longer serving up juices where i live so i blend my own orange strawberries banana w/ my homemade cashew oat milk. Other smoothie i often blend that kicked my cancer out of my body along w/ my dad’s lung cancer is pineapple, mango/papaya w/ a section of fresh turmeric or 1/2 ts powdered, a shake of blackpepper, coconut water & as much kale & spinach/romaine as you can jam into that blender. It is delicious and no banana in it. I found the banana render it too thick.

[@Gazzaroo]

Try marmite

[@botzer8817]

Just cook the banana and you're good

[@courtneydanley2837]

Thank you for this video! I don't think it would be that big of a hassle to warm up a few bananas and then freeze the resulting goo to add to smoothies later. I wonder how that would change the texture. Bananas are just so great for adding a little sweetness.

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

Wow, 🤯. How to... maybe microwave, cool, freeze? I love frozen, brown bananas. I might try this.

[@BoogieBoogsForever]

I mean I blend the frozen nanas with cocoa to make an ice cream-type dessert. So maybe it doesn't matter if they've been heated. 🤔

[@Firkant2]

Let me know, frozen blended bananas are my vice!

[@robertpatterson22]

I assume there is a mass limit for enzyme action. How much polyphenol can be deactivated by one banana? One cup of blueberries?

[@lynnbarib]

What if you freeze a barely ripe banana and use it in the smoothie? Might that have a different effect? Resistant starch?

[@arambarsamian6312]

So heat takes care of the problem to a large extent, right? How about if one makes baked oatmeal, with the bananas and everything else baking in the oven at 350*F for 20 minutes or so. Will that take care of it?

[@scienceislove2014]

I'll forever be thankful to you dr..

[@theflippestside]

What about green bananas? I always use green bananas. Is the enzyme level the same in unripe bananas? Or maybe it’s not yet developed at that stage? I’ve always used green bananas because I’ve read as a resistant starch it results in less of a blood sugar spike and other benefits I don’t remember lol

[@ebfeldscher]

This would be better as a blog with key takeaways as much shorter!

[@Blair62]

Talk about taking the fun out of life. "Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?" And now instead of taking 2 seconds to peel a banana I have to spend 15 minutes peeling a mango and cleaning up after.

[@kellymac7753]

For blending, why not use frozen? It's not as if you are going to feel the difference in your mouth ( I eat fresh for the eating pleasure mostly)

[@happycook6737]

Costco has frozen mango chunks. Goya brand in Hispanic markets also sells frozen mango pulp

[@paulcohen6727]

I'm sure smokers don't enjoy the fun of life when they get heart disease or cancer, nor do drinkers when they get cirrhosis of the liver. The best way to have fun in life is to develop a bit of self-discipline. Here's a description applied to plant-based people that I ran across recently: "Show me a population of people who read food labels, have good impulse control, have good long-term commitment skills, actively think about their nutritional intake, and don't tend to eat out, and I'll show you a population of people who are, on average, healthier than the general population."

[@jgrysiak6566]

I still drink coffee. It helps my depression & chronic fatigue. I know Dr. ESSELSTYN says it paralyzes your endothelial cells but I'll take my chances. As far as drinking , don't make it a habit, it's OK for a holiday or occasionally. Enjoy your life, nobody is here forever. Our number will eventually come up.

[@Blair62]

@@jgrysiak6566 I'm just joking around but this video is kind of a case of majoring in minor details.How granular can you tweak an already perfect whole plant food diet?

[@antonvandermerwe4824]

What role does the temperature of the smoothie play, if any? I assume the bananas used in the study was fresh/room temp? Frozen bananas don’t go brown, so I assume the enzyme only starts working at a certain temperature? So the breakdown may not start while the smoothie is still cold, but the reaction in your stomach may be delayed by a few minutes?

[@swahilijs]

Ok Dr Greger, now I’m more confused. In the big grand scheme of things, if I’m wfpb and I drink green smoothies, eat lots of salads, etc does it really matter?

[@lolawants2008]

Curious if dried - conventionally and/or freeze dried has the same effect as raw, or perhaps removes the enzyme more like cooking…

[@kimkingry206]

When I first ran across this information you released I decided that while you don’t want to put warm bananas in your smoothies, why not heat your bananas then freeze them and then add them to your smoothies. I always freeze bananas anyway for my smoothies so this is just an extra step of heating them before freezing. I am always just guessing at how much to heat them so this video provided the “70celsius for 20 min” info which helps me. Trying to decide if I need to add vit c and citric acid bc that’s not something I’ve been doing. Maybe it’s also necessary?

[@JeremyHighsmith]

Any difference when vacuum blending?

[@NoToPCBS]

Let's try microwaving the banana for x seconds then freeze to store before using. If the banana does not turn brown then it has worked

[@darlinehuss]

Was wondering about the enzyme content in sweet potatoes. Does anyone know of a food list other than fruit? Mashed sweet potatoes would help a smoothie be creamier and add sweetness like the bananas.

[@pamelascroom2401]

Stone fruits brown; how fruits are handled, steamed or not, during drying affects the PPO content, but I assume prunes shouldn't be used to sweeten a smoothie either? PPO brown dates, again processing, of course, could affect the PPO content, but dates used to sweeten probably are suspect too? I can't find an article that documents PPO content for these to fruits, but there is are plenty on PPO and processing.

[@markchandler7089]

It would be interesting to hear ideas on different varieties of bananas. The modern grocery store "industrial" banana may be very different than local speicies. That said, most of us are stuck with what big stores sell.

[@monkeymox2544]

I'm pretty sure all bananas are the same (except natural ones, which are full of seeds). I'm sure I read it's a bit of an issue, because the genetic diversity of bananas is so low that they could be easily wiped out by a single disease

[@scottkillingsworth1767]

At the end you got very close -- asymptotically close -- to my question but didn't quite answer it: If I want to keep my banana consumption, berry-filled oatmeal consumption, and berry-filled smoothie consumption all constant, but without impairing the flavanols in the oatmeal and smoothie, how much time to I need to wait between berries and bananas to avoid them "being in the stomach at the same time?" Transit time in stomach is outside my expertise, but, I'll bet, not outside yours.

[@nickseifert9891]

Just eat the bananas, you'll be fine. 😁

[@SpiralMind6869]

This doesn’t discuss the varying degrees of ripeness of bananas. Does this show a variance in the amount of destruction in just turned yellow with some green banana versus a brown banana?

[@wellthi]

That would be the opposite

[@delaneyondreams]

How do we measure 70*C. cooking a banana? Does anyone know how long and at what temp we need to bake or microwave them to kill the PPO?

[@randy-U.I.O.G.D.]

Question: Gastric emptying time is around 1 and 1/2 hours on average. If I will be eating fresh uncooked raw bananas and waiting for that particular gastric emptying time, will the PPO enzyme still be active? Can eat berries or drink tea after that?

[@-Kerstin]

Great info. Hope you follow up on this if you find out any better ways of disabling the polyphenol oxidase. Would like to see what this actually does to a real endpoint. Like if they split people into a mango+green tea smoothie or a banana+green tea smoothie group; would the mango+green tea group actually have lower blood pressure, less LDL etc?

[@andreatersigni6101]

Mango green tea ... How have I never tried that combination???. Thank you

[@thepricelife2374]

Journal of Plant Biotechnology for a Study titled - Effect of vacuum blending on antioxidant activities of apple juice and blueberry juice. EXCERPT - The results of time-dependent polyphenol and flavonoid contents of apple and blueberry juice according to vacuum blending are shown in Fig. 2. After 3 hours, the polyphenol and flavonoid content of both apple and blueberry juice decreased. During vacuum blending, it was confirmed that the amount of decrease was significantly less than that of general blending for 3, 6, and 12 h.

[@larkendelvie]

Thank you so much for this -- I wonder if it's worthwhile to prep banana mush (or blanch slices) to 70 degrees with a bit of lemon juice and then freeze it in portion size cubes. My biggest issue will be avocados.

[@LauraDAgnillo]

Yes I was thinking the same thing about heating it and cooling it. But I didn’t think about the added lemon.

[@pjminola8477]

Just remember that the video says 70 degrees celsius -- so 158 degrees fahrenheit.

[@DeanKingston]

I wonder if microwaving a banana to mush then throwing it in your smoothly would work? 🤔

[@DavidBowmanMD]

Wow! Enlightening information, but disappointing as I have always done bananas in my smoothies. Would like to know more about that antimicrobial effect and wondering about the benefits and drawbacks of that. Would also like to know if less ripe bananas have the same effect (or less) than bananas that already have brown on them.

[@finelinerin]

Beide Fragen stelle ich mir auch!

[@flyshacker]

Wow! Totally confusing. So either don’t have bananas in smoothies with berries and cocoa. OR cook the peeled banana (?) for how long at what temperature? OR soak the banana in pineapple juice for 3 days? Is that the conclusion, or what did I miss? Please reply to this and clarify for me!! Thank you so much! 👍

[@skippy6462]

Take home is don't put bananas in smoothies with berries. Use mango (fresh or frozen) instead.

[@broddr]

At 2:55 one of the studies showed “partial or total destruction of catalytic activity of PPO by a short period of exposure at 70 to 90°C.” Or about 160 to 195°F. Unfortunately they don’t clarify what they meant by “short period.” The next sentence states that PPO extract (likely to be more sensitive to heat than when in the banana) “was completely inactivated after 5 min at 95°C.” My takeaway is that to use bananas, pears, apples, or avocados in a smoothie, you need to cook them at near boiling for 6-10 minutes. Basically turning them into applesauce, or baby food consistency. After heating you could also add lemon juice to acidify the fruit, because higher acidity also inhibits the PPO enzyme.

[@flyshacker]

@@broddr Thanks for that!

[@jonsilks7141]

I am guessing collard greens are fairly low on the ppo activity (ku/ 100 g of edible portion) scale, correct?

[@Buscapeism]

Would frozen bananas have the same effect? I often do ice cream with frozen bananas and frozen berries

[@wmougayar]

So, how long should you wait before eating a banana after eating berries first, say in the morning with oats, for example?

[@dorothymeeks5882]

If I put lemon (a couple drops of m y doTerra Essential oil works great) in my kale, banana, pineapple, almonds butter ( only almonds)shake then does this prevent the breakdown of the polyphenols? I drink it right away.

[@MykGerard]

ugg, I add mushroom powder to my smoothie but not white. Is this across the board on mushrooms? Yunno the ones.. lion's mane, reishi, chaga, etc. cooked is okay.. I imagine the powders would be considered cooked.

[@ca11iope]

Yes, the powders are cooked. The nutrients in raw mushrooms are not bioavailable bc of the chitin; humans do not typically make the enzyme (chitinase) that is needed to break it down. So mushroom powder in your smoothis is fine.

[@JRP3]

Why not just bake your banana before adding to smoothie if heat above 70C takes care of the issue?

[@RageNg]

…. How important are these 3-ols? What’s the risk/benefit here? Because, I like bananas in my smoothies.

[@kahrawahler8229]

Use them sometimes if you really like them, but try branching out a bit. A mix of frozen red berries (strawberries, raspberries, cherries) with a little beet powder, flaxseed meal, water, and dates makes a really good smoothie. I add a little tart cherry concentrate or frozen cranberries sometimes too. Drink a couple hours before training so you get the benefit of the beet powder.

[@richardthomas9856]

I use ripe plantains in my morning breakfast cereal with berries. Plantains seem to be kind of super bananas (more fiber, deeper color). I'll no longer be eating them with berries, since I'm assuming they have lots of PPO.