When I was 97 KG (214 lbs), I thought my issue was that I don’t include fruits and veggies enough in my daily diet (I was wrong, I later knew that my real issue was stress eating). So, banking on that information, I have decided that I am going to eat fruit like crazy, and crazy I really was!
After brainstorming the tastiest and hastle-free fruit out there, I have discovered bananas. And from there, I have literally eaten tens of bananas on a daily basis, thinking that banana nutrition would help me stay healthy and the “unharmful banana calories” are going to fly away somehow, leaving me finally skinnier.
I can’t blame myself so early on my weight loss journey, even though I was in the fitness business for years prior to that.
In the midst of that banana craze, I stumbled upon a strict one-month diet that all my colleagues at work seemed to have followed and had positive results with. I so much wanted to explore that diet and asked a colleague to give me a printout of that magical document they have been worshipping for years.
The diet was impressive, but I was shocked to read that the nutritionist who wrote it advised an all-you-can-eat day of fruit, but “absolutely no bananas”.
Having lost 0 lbs since the beginning of my banana diet, I know he had a point out there.
Nutrition Fact #1 - 14% Of Bananas is Sugar
This is not bad, right? Isn’t is the “good sugar” grandma was prescribing for us as kids?
Sorry to tell you. Fructose, though more natural than your refined sugar in the kitchen, is still doing an extreme harm to your blood pressure and worse, slows your weight loss journey and even puts it to a screeching halt, sometimes.
Think about it this way, fructose is an easy form of energy to your body. Your body pretty much can run to it for fuel and get rid of it. Now, bananas are relatively slower, but not much.
Resulting in an ugly fact: fats have to wait.
Nutrition Fact #2 - Banana Calories Are Abundant
If you are following a calorie-based diet, having a typical meal of 500 cal, know that one banana after your meal means you are getting 20% to 25% more calories, and you have to recalculate things again.
You might want to opt out for apples or oranges instead, they typically have 50% less calories and they are far lighter.
Banana Nutrition Fact #3 - How Many Carbs in a Banana
Right about a quarter of a banana is carb. Only about 3% of the banana weight is fiber.
Depending on the fitness goals you have in mind, this might be good or bad news for you. No need to tell you, if you are on a low-carb diet and on your journey to weight loss, stay away from bananas. Far away.
If you are specifically worried about your carb intake, you might want to switch to apples (14% carb), oranges (12% carb) or watermelon (8% carbs).
Banana Nutrition Fact #4 - It Is Not All That Evil
I don’t want to sound like a banana hater, which I did so far. I can’t blame them completely for being stuck in my previous bodyweight, even though I am pissed, I still should have done some research.
Bananas are healthy in other ways, assuming a 100 grams / 3.5 oz banana, it typically has:
– 358mg of potassium (10% of daily recommended intake)
– Vitamin B-6 (20% of daily recommended intake)
– Vitamin C (14% of daily recommended intake)
– Magnesium (6% of daily recommended intake)
So, To Eat Or Not To Eat?
If you are in for weight loss and a skinnier body, you better let bananas go. I know it sounds unnatural and unpopular to go against a fruit in our culture, but truth be told, they will help make you fatter.
If you have other goals in mind like bulking, muscle easing, fighting magnesium deficiency or other reasons, feel free to go for a banana, but be diligent and do your research.