Eat a Banana to Remedy Over-Caffeination

Getting too juiced up on caffeine happens. Maybe you made a pot and nobody wanted it but you. Perhaps you got lost in a great conversation. In any case, baristas and amateur nutritionists suggest one possible remedy: eat a banana. Yes, a banana.

Culinary blog Serious Eats asked 13 baristas how they deal with over-caffeination, being that, well, they should know. Beyond the somewhat obvious answers (drink water, take a walk, have a full stomach), one answer popped up in three distinct answers: eat a banana.

A banana, just because it's a somewhat substantial and relatively healthy snack, one that often is offered at coffee shops? No, a banana because, as they say on the web, science.

The Livestrong blog cites the banana's similar effect on sleep disorders:

Eat a small snack that contains calcium and potassium, such as a glass of milk, a piece of cheese or a banana. According to the Sleep Disorders Guide, the drying effect of caffeine can throw off your balance of electrolytes, including calcium and potassium, which can lead to muscle cramps and other systemic symptoms.

The Daily Mail suggests it's the carbohydrates and blood-sugar-balancing effect of a banana that helps with caffeine-triggered headaches (while contradicting Livestrong's cheese suggestion):

But sometimes a desire for chocolate or cheese may actually be a craving for sugar - which can be a sign of an impending headache, says Dr Andy Dowson, director of headache services at King's College Hospital, London.
He suggests eating carbohydrates, such as a banana, which will stave off symptoms by keeping blood sugar levels even.

And a short Quora conversation on the banana/caffeine link hints at the power of potassium to better regulate muscular and cellular functions and electrolytes.

You have almost nothing to lose in trying it out, too, because a banana is almost always the healthiest option at the snack bar. If you've tested out the power of a banana in the face of caffeine, tell us about it in the comments.

Ask a Barista: How Do You Beat Overcaffeination? | Serious Eats

Original photo by keepon (Flickr).