Banana · raw

The banana is lifters' favourite fruit: 20 g of easily available carbs and potassium per 100 g (94 kcal). It provides quick energy, handy before training for a boost, or after to help refill glycogen.

Portable, digestible and cheap, it ripens at room temperature: the riper it is, the faster its carbs are absorbed.

On its own as a training snack, sliced into a bowl of oats or skyr, or blended in a smoothie with whey and peanut butter: it is one of the simplest ways to add carbs to a bulking snack.

Its natural sweetness pleasantly sweetens a porridge or fromage blanc without added sugar — handy to make 'cutting' meals more enjoyable.

A banana is moderately caloric and perfectly compatible with cutting if it fits your calories. It is not the fruit that causes weight gain, but your daily calorie total. Its fibre (2.6 g) and potassium make it a healthy snack versus ultra-processed products.

Ripeness changes the profile: a well-ripened banana (spotty skin) has faster-absorbed carbs — handy right before or after a session. A slightly green banana contains more resistant starch, digested more slowly, with a slightly more filling effect.

In practice, the calorie difference is small: choose mainly by taste and timing. Well-ripened for energy around training, a bit firmer for a snack that keeps you full.