Smoothies are a good way to get essential fruits and vegetables into your diet.
But blending certain ingredients together can affect how your body absorbs the nutrients.
Bananas have a naturally high level of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO).
PPO can break down flavanols, making them less available to the body.
A study found that people who drank a smoothie with banana had 84% lower levels of flavanols in their bodies than those who drank a smoothie without banana.
To get the most flavanols from your smoothies, avoid adding bananas or other high-PPO fruits like beet greens.
Instead, combine flavanol-rich fruits like berries with other ingredients that have a low PPO activity, such as pineapple, oranges, mango, or yogurt.
This study is just one example of how food preparation can affect the absorption of nutrients.
More research is needed to understand the full impact of PPO on flavanol absorption.
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