rumrunn6

can I substitute a banana for a small box of raisins when I want a boost from a simple carb? or are the carbs from a banana slower to digest and reach my bloodstream?

gregf83 

Yes, a banana is equally good.

blue1128

I agree with gregf83. Besides a banana is very nutritious and good for the body. Most of the time when I don't feel like eating anything for breakfast I just grab a banana.

asgelle

Raisins have a glycemic index of 64 which would be considered intermediate; bananas on the other hand are 51 which is considered low. So the answer is no, bananas would not give as quick a boost as raisins. Though raisins don't give a particularly fast spike either.

rumrunn6

asgelle - thanks (thanks everyone) but I've heard "glycemic index" before but never really knew how to incorporate this knowledge into my nutrition planning. I've been using raisins for the past 4 years (bananas too) but mostly raisins just prior to intense training sessions at the gym (and pool) and also for riding. Of course in combination with meals and snacks. but i eat a small box of raisins just prior to my sessions and I've considered it a good technique to boost my blood sugar for an hour or so.

So since the banana is lower it might work but not as well. Thanks for that info.

Now, about that other thing you wrote. Raisins not providing a fast spike. That's kind of a subjective relative comment that I'd like to understand better. What did you mean? Or rather what would you consider as another nutrient that would provide a faster spike.

I don't necessarily need a fast spike so much as I want an increase (in blood sugar) that will endure about an hour of intense training.

Jim from Boston

I suggest you google the glycemic index, because IMO it is a useful concept. Personally in my everyday eating as well as on long bicycle rides I employ it, and go for low glycemic foods. I would ask though, and I don't know the answer, would not the body's homeostatic mechanisms mediated by the various hormones kick in during prolonged, high intensity workouts and essentially overide the immediately preceding food intake, e.g. by glycogen release, muscle uptake, etc.?

rumrunn6

yes Jim, it would but I'm not asking about that. my interest with this thread is only for 1 hour sessions.

I have done some research on the use of simple and complex carbs for training and that's why i settled on raisins for this very narrow use. but since bananas are also a fruit i was wondering how it compared. sometimes I will rsort to canned peaches or an apple. but bananas are so dammed convenient ... :-)

gregf83 

I can't see how eating anything short of coffee is going to make a difference for a one hour workout. The most you're going to burn is around 1200 Cals. Given that most fit people start with around 2000 Cals of Glycogen you shouldn't need anything additional to get through a short workout.

rumrunn6

it's worked out fine for my intense workouts. I'm not talking about sitting around the gym like most people doing a little of this and a little of that. I'm talking about an hour of heart pumping heavy breathing muscle straining intensity. a small box of raisins has been just the ticket cuz of the other nutrition timing I have used.