You really can’t beat a smoothie when it comes to an easy way to get your five-a-day in (or you’re just after a really low effort snack).

However, it turns out that we’re all making a mistake when it comes to what we’re putting in them – and it’s affecting our smoothies’ health benefits.

Yup, despite bananas being a brilliant bulking fruit for our smoothies, adding them to your drink can actually affect how well your body absorbs heart-healthy flavanols.

Let us explain. Flavanols are a group of bioactive compounds that are good for your heart and cognitive health. They’re naturally found in apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries and grapes – all of which we commonly throw into our smoothies.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis found that the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) which is found in certain fruits like bananas can reduce the absorption of heart-healthy flavanols,........

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