What happens if you eat too much banana?

Bananas is on top of the list in a runner’s diet.  It is a good source of both vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber.  For endurance athletes, bananas are good sources of energy and provides minerals and electrolytes needed by the body.  They tastes goo too, well, as long as they are ripe.

However, too much of something is bad. And eating too much banana has side effects which can sometimes be fatal.

Here is what happens if you eat too much banana.

It will slow you down. Aside from the added weight carrying more than a dozen bananas, eating too many of them you make you will feel bloated and will slow you down. Holding it on one side also moves your center of gravity and disrupts your running form.

You might have hyperkalemia. Bananas are rich in potassium. While potassium is good for the body, too much of it can cause heart disease like slower pulse and irregular heartbeat. Worst, hyperkalemia can lead to cardiac arrest. More than a dozen bananas in a short span of about a day can lead to too much potassium in the system.

You will have headaches. Bananas contain phenyethyamine and tyramine, both are amino acids that may cause the blood vessels to boost flow of blood to the brain. This can be especially problematic if you eat bananas that are overripe.

You will become sleepy. Bananas has tryptophan, an amino acid. Tryptophan functions as a biochemical precursor to serotonin, a sleepiness trigger. Likewise, bananas have magnesium, which can also relax your body.

It will make you fat. A large banana may contain 120 calories. Consuming more than 10 is already 1200 calories. This can be too much for one fruit since there are other meals in a day.

Your stool will harden. Perhaps the most horrific of the side effects is how bananas will harden your stool like a stone. While there is some scientic debate on this, I personally know runners who can’t poop for days because of eating bananas daily.

So how many bananas is considered enough?

There is no exact number as to how many bananas a normal person can consume. Some can eat six or seven in one minute without having problems. There are Guiness World Record attempts to beat that.  Recordsetter has a collection of world records related to bananas, including someone eating 30  bananas in one sitting!!!  I hope he runs after doing that.

Nutritionists suggest having 2 cups of fruit per day for a balanced diet. That is equivalent to 2 bananas in a day.

The best advice is to eat a variety of fruits. So maybe have one banana for a day and eat an apple next. And if they serve apples in races someday, make sure to take just one apple.  This not only makes sure you are eating the right amount but you are so kind in making sure there is enough for the other runners out there.

Keep on Running.