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.
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…
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.
But has this research also factored in that I probably won’t drink the smoothie unless there is a banana in there?
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?
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.
The thing they are missing is that I don’t drink smoothies because they’re healthy, I drink them because they taste good
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Careful with tuna. It’s an important part of my diet as well but I try to mix it up because of heavy metals.
My scrawny ass, turning my banana smoothies into 1,000 calorie shakes to get gains:
I have a super tall friend who can’t gain weight. No matter what he tries, he is super lanky.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Submerging apple slices in water with a bit of salt prevents browning. Doesn’t change the flavour like lemon as not much salt needed.
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:
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!
This article assumes I am drinking smoothies purely for the flavanoids.
Avoid the Noid
