BANANAS MAKE US PHENOMENALLY HARDY
For decades, athletes and their mentors have believed that eating carbohydrates during long-term physical activity helps you train longer and at higher intensity, and recover faster. Carbohydrates nourish the muscles, reducing physiological stress and causing less inflammation. The most digestible and tolerable form of carbohydrates is sugar (whether glucose, fructose, or sucrose) provided by sports drinks.
But in 2012, researchers at Appalachian State University in Kannapolis started looking at fruit as a healthier alternative to sports drinks during exercise. Scientists have found that professional cyclists feel better during strenuous riding and immediately after if they eat half a standard banana every 30 minutes. (However, at the same time they led to bloating.)