You should avoid mixing bananas with these fruits and foods
Bananas in your smoothie slash nutrient absorption like a charging bull. Here’s why you might want to hit your rewind button before your next blendy concoction.
While years of devotion to my berry-veggie smoothies, my taste buds recently screamed for a change-up. So I aimed for a healthy, chocolatey, milkshakey blend. As a part-time chocolate addict, if one can be a part-time addict, the next logical recipe would include cacao powder plus the stuffins.
On my hunt, lots of internet cocktails found their way to me. Most emerged with bananas for their creamy, sweet texture, especially with fruit blends. Now, guns are loaded. Wrong.
Vetting ingredient combinations is important, but often folks omit this part, right? My thought is that food intelligence ranks almost as high as that of medicine or vitamin interactions. I dug deeper into my planned chocolate dream tonic. That’s when I landed on some big mischief from an interloper, the banana.
It turns out, my planned cacao/banana blend is self-sabotaging. Such that 84% of the nourishment I expect is killed off. Not only that, common berry/banana blends score the same fright. However, one simple adjustment will bring surprising victory.
So, details first.
Studies show why you should avoid mixing bananas with berries
Here’s why to forget the bananas on this go-around. Scientific studies are scolding us about a little lone banana when we’re fruiting up.
First, here’s what we’re doing RIGHT in the berry power parade.
Berries in smoothies specifically reward us with vital flavanols. These are known antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that support brain and heart health. Leading the flavanol fruit team are:
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Cranberries
No smoothie leaves my kitchen without the first two.
What are Flavanols, and what are they good for?
In general, the natural health benefits of flavanols range from brain health (learning, function, reasoning, movement) to positive cardiovascular health (improved blood flow, lowered blood pressure, reduced inflammation), alongside gut health (immunity).
Flavanols (under the flavonoid umbrella) are compounds derived from plant-based foods that contain polyphenols, which are powerful antioxidants. High-scoring flavanol foods are:
- Vegetables: kale, spinach, and broccoli
- Fruits: blueberries, blackberries, apples, and more
- Others: cacao, black and green teas
Where do bananas come in?
Most of us embrace bananas. They are indeed a superfood providing electrolytes (potassium), fiber, and are a great workout snack (before and after). But, it turns out that for berry, cacao, and the other ingredients above, a single banana reduces the health benefits (nutrient absorption of flavanols) by 84%.
That’s a colossal waste of the critical nutrients we aim to soak up in the first place.
Add to that our time, energy, and grocery money—poof!
Here’s how and why bananas block flavanol absorption from berries
Bananas, on their own, are superfoods. This insight pertains to blending with specific foods.
Bananas contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO). This is the same enzyme that causes (certain) fruits and vegetables to turn brown. PPO releases when banana is mixed with berries or cacao, as well as the foods mentioned above. This action quickly breaks down beneficial flavanols and reduces nutrient absorption (by 84%).
So, it’s best to avoid the berry-banana mix or cacao-banana combo. Save the bananas for a separate treat. But there’s more.
What other flavanol-rich foods are negatively affected by banana blends?
Other flavanol-rich foods advised not to blend with bananas are:
- Cocoa/cacao
- Grapes
- Pears
- Teas
Bananas aren’t bad food
Remember, we’re referring to ‘smoothies’ here. Bananas on their own offer potassium, magnesium, vitamins B and C, and fiber. A large banana has about 120 calories and 420-490 milligrams of potassium. They are delicious for dessert or on top of oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, and fruit salads.
Back to my chocolate smoothie wonder. To adjust, I used plain Greek yogurt (for creaminess and taste), soaked oatmeal (for fiber), soy milk, and cacao powder. Problem solved and a scrumptious shake!
To achieve that milkshakey smoothness in my berry smoothies, I also add a tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt. Plus a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey for sweetness balances the blend perfectly.
Other creamy additions that do not break down flavanols in a berry smoothie are:
- Tofu
- Avocado
- Mangos
What foods are healthy blended with bananas?
Some healthy nutrient pairings for banana smoothies are:
- Greek yogurt
- Nut butters
- Kiwi
A little fix for what was broken
Avoid the combat of one superfood spoiling another. Even the most delicious, healthy mixes need worthiness. My example of switching out the banana for the yogurt was an easy fix to engineer the best health benefits. Why destroy our efforts?
It pays to investigate a little to gain big. Any more suggestions? Give me a holler.
Article by:
Gwenn Jones, CPT CYT — Content writer in Wellness-Lifestyle-Fitness. Gwenn is a 25-year ACE-certified personal fitness trainer, yoga studio owner, instructor, and fitness consultant. Some of her features include Fit&Well, AskMen.com, Forbes, and EatThisNotThat!. She’s grateful to be a native Californian where happily home-based in the Sierra Nevada foothills.
“Frontal Lobe.” 12/08/2022, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24501-frontal-lobe
NIH National Library of Medicine, “Natural flavonols: actions, mechanisms, and potential therapeutic utility for various diseases.” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10183303/
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Stacey Leasca, “Bananas Could Be Wrecking Your Smoothie’s Superpowers, Study Suggests.” May 15, 2025, https://www.foodandwine.com/bananas-in-smoothies-decreased-nutrient-absorption-11734982
