Do Bananas Cancel the Benefits of Blueberries?

Hey MoodFoodie,

It’s been a great week – I was honored to join Food Tank, and the Tufts Food is Medicine Institute to speak on Capitol Hill about improving our efforts in Nutrition Research, a topic I feel very passionately about especially in mental health.

On a fun note, I did not have a cute pink outfit like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, only a blue pocketbook but I loved being part of this conversation and trying to make positive changes.

At the panel I mentioned the new research on bananas and blueberries which has now gone viral on social media with click-bate fear mongering headings such as “I’ve been making my smoothie wrong!” or “STOP putting bananas in your smoothie.” This brings me to the exact reason why I write this newsletter each week. To offer some perspective that is both science backed, balanced and does not throw people into a frenzy around what to eat.

Bananas and blueberries are each delicious fruit on their own. Bananas do not remove or inhibit the health benefits of blueberries but a specific enzyme in bananas impacts the absorption of a very important type of compound called flavanols. If you’ve been adding both these fruit to a smoothie for the benefits of each as your primary goal, then just eat them or add them to your smoothie on different days. If you are not concerned and are just adding these for flavor and texture, it does not matter as there is no negative or harmful effect.

Now from a nutritional psychiatry perspective I’d prefer that you do care about flavanols as these are easy ways to optimize both gut health and brain health. So, you can use other foods like probiotic rich plain yogurt, plain kefir for the added fermentation benefit, or even some avocado for the healthy fats and fiber. Pineapples have a great tang, and mango always feels so decadent and tropical.

The research was originally from 2023 but a follow up study seems to be what created the media buzz.

Food synergy is fascinating and this study with bananas is not saying they are “bad”. How we combine the foods we eat can definitively impact the absorption of certain bio active compounds. My point of view is to always include healthy whole foods and fruit for their intrinsic benefits-unless you are allergic or have a food intolerance. The amount of fruit added to a smoothie matters as the pulverized version of blueberries does have a different impact on your blood sugar compared to when you eat a 1/4 cup as a snack.

For Mental Clarity Kitchen members, I’ve created a table of food synergy interactions that you can screenshot and keep with you on-the -go!

Warmly,
Dr. Uma

Have you read my latest book, Calm Your Mind with Food? Calm Your Mind with Food is a revolutionary full-body approach to relieving anxiety and includes anti-anxiety recipes and meal plan guidelines.

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I am also excited to share my new companion workbook, The Mood Food Workbook, that was designed to work alongside, Calm Your Mind With Food, to help you put its recipes and principles into practice in a structured, supportive way. Click here to get my workbook today.

Medscape: I was asked to comment on the ketogenic diet here.

USA Today: Can dark chocolate lower cholesterol? I explain here.

Maria Shriver Sunday Paper: What is in my kitchen? Check it out here!

I am delighted that you are here