Feature Food: Banana
Feature Food: Banana
Today’s feature food is the Banana! The poor banana has been subject to criticism for some time now, I often get asked “aren’t bananas fattening” “don’t bananas contain a lot of sugar” or “aren’t bananas high in calories?”. I often have to remind myself that this is the misinformation being spread within the weight loss community. It is disappointing to say the last.
So let’s clear things up,
How many calories are in a banana?
Well, this depends on the size. A small banana can have 70 calories and an extra-large banana can have about 135 calories. Still, not enough calories to be considered a high calorie food.
A medium sized banana contains 105 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 3.1 grams of fibre and 15 grams of sugar.
So do bananas have sugar, of course. Should you avoid banana or fruit because of it? Absolutely not! The package the food you eat comes in makes a difference. Being that this is a whole banana which contains fibre and even a small amount of protein, the sugars will not absorb the same way as let’s say table sugar.
How many bananas should I eat? My answer is, as many as you want to… as long as your doctor has not told you to be on a low potassium diet that is. It is unlikely that eating bananas is going to lead to weight gain if you are replacing higher calorie snacks like muffins or pastries with banana.
Are bananas high in calories? Compared to some other fruits, yes… compared to the same volume or ice cream or chips, no. Calories are your friend! We need calories to breathe and think. Getting the calorie balance right is the key.
When is a banana ready to eat?
This is based on preference and intention. Bananas which are green are higher in starch. They can be used to reduce diarrhea but they don’t taste very good and can leave an astringent feeling in your mouth. They tend to digest slower and so if you’re looking to reduce the sugars in your diet, you would want to eat them with a little green still on the stem. If you’re looking to make a sweet drink or dessert, then you want it super spotty. This is when the banana has the highest amount of sugar and the least amount of starch as it begins to ripen.
Personally, I use a lot of bananas in my smoothie so I ripen mine to have a few spots on them and then freeze them for later use. This way, the amount of starch and sugar is consistent for my daily smoothies. I do not recommend green bananas because they can cause bloating and constipation.
Are bananas good for you? Yes, as long as you can tolerate them. Bananas are a healthy, prepackaged snack. They are easy to transport and because they do contain more calories than berries for example, they provide us with a good source of sustainable energy. Bananas also are a great source of fibre, potassium, vitamin C, B6 as well as antioxidants and phytonutrients.
So, as you can tell, I am a huge fan of bananas!
Check out my low calorie, low fat, low sugar, banana bread recipe here