Time Magazine Says Bananas Are Worth the Calories

In TIME magazine’s recurring “Should I Eat This?” feature, the publication turned to five health experts to answer the question, “Are bananas worth the calories?” The answer was a resounding “yes!” While bananas contain a high-sugar content, Albert Einstein College of Medicine research professor Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller praised the 12 percent of daily potassium that a medium-sized fruit provides. David Nieman, professor and director of Appalachian State University of Human Performance, conducted a study pitting bananas against Gatorade as post-workout refueling agents and found that bananas are just as effective at relieving oxidative stress and are less costly. To curb the sugar insulin spike, registered dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick suggested halving the banana and consuming it with peanut or almond butter. The fact that you can blend frozen bananas into vegan ice cream or eat a new variety of bananas that naturally just tastes like ice cream is all the convincing we need that bananas are amazing.