Tablanas

Tablanas: Ollie's word for bananas and my code word for "super food".

If I were to ever start a list of things that are important to me bananas would be in the top ten. Of course people like family and friends would be right up there (yes, above bananas) as would my running shoes and reading but bananas are one of those things I can't live without. If I had to choose between chocolate and bananas for the rest of my life the yellow boomerangs would win.

I eat one every morning, rain or shine, sleet or snow. I have been known to hide the last banana in the house so that it will be waiting for me in the morning. But actually being down to a solitary banana is rare, I panic at the thought and am often found on my way to the store just to buy more bananas.

If you don't believe me you can check out the power status of bananas here.

And the best part is that, as an athlete, I've always got a friend in my banana:

An Athlete's Friend

• There are approximately 30 grams of carbohydrates in a Chiquita banana supplying the fuel your body needs for muscle and central nervous system activity.
• The banana's combination of carbohydrates, simple sugars, starch and dietary fiber gives you the quick boost and sustained release of energy over time to help improve your endurance and concentration during physical activity.
• The potassium in bananas helps your body maintain fluid balance in blood and tissue cells. Potassium is also an essential mineral for protein synthesis and the building of muscle because it stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contraction.