2. Bananas
Bananas are definitely instant energy boosters, being loaded with fiber, both soluble and insoluble. One study even found that bananas were just as good at refueling athletes as sports drinks. As a plus, consuming them offered extra nutritional benefits such as extra vitamins and minerals (potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and B6) and fiber.
Yes, they are higher in calories than most fruits, but bananas provide excellent benefits as a fiber-filling snack. “Rich in fiber, slightly green bananas contain a source of resistant starch which is slower digested, promoting fullness,” says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE, author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. You should know that this type of starch isn’t digested by the body, so it fills you up without turning into fat.
In a study from Skidmore College, women who ate foods with resistant starch and protein burned more fat and felt fuller than those who ate regular starch and protein. If you want a sweeter taste, go for a browner banana, Piga-Plunkett says. “It has been rumored that bananas have some form of fat contributing to satiety, but when reviewed, it is less than one percent,” she says.
