This amazing fruit is avaliable throughout the whole year thanks to its mass production. Besides citrus fruits, bananas are the most consumed fruit in the world. But they are not only delicious, they are extremely healthy.
Amount of nutritional and beneficial components are so high, that bananas can even compensate a small meal. These components help maintain our health and keep our body nourished. I will list only some of them and explain their benefits.
Potassium is one of the largest beneficial components in bananas. This macro mineral will help you keep your heart healthy. Cardiovascular diseases are often related to lack of potassium, so a daily dose is definitely recommended. Potassium plays a big role in kidneys protection. People with kidney stones need to consume potassium in order to break them and release them out of their body.
Bananas are also rich in fiber. This part is important for everybody who is trying to lose a few pounds. So, if you wondered are bananas are good for weight loss, they are. They will keep you full longer and you won’t be reaching for snacks so often. Resistant starch inside bananas is harder to process by our digestive system, so our body needs to use more fat to produce energy.
Due to high energy content, bananas are used by athletes. They recover electrolytes lost in training, so they can almost replace a small meal with their nutritive value. Like any other fruit, banana has a certain amount of fructose so they are great for regulating blood sugar.
These are only some of the biggest components inside bananas since they have a lot more. They contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and other beneficial components.
Bananas and weight loss-cons
Now that we know basic nutritional information for bananas, we can discuss their participation in weight loss diet. So, are bananas good for weight loss? Regular size banana has about 100 calories, which is not a lot. Compared to other snacks you consume daily they seem like a great option.
But, on other hand they are high in fruit sugars which can get transformed in our bodies into fat. You are now probably wondering are bananas fattening and do bananas cause belly fat? The answers to these questions depend on the amount of bananas you consume. Ripeness of them is also an important fact.
The riper the banana is, the more sugar and less starch it will contain. This is when all of that sugar gets transformed into fat.
Every food, no matter how healthy and low caloric it is, can make you fat. Key is moderation. For example, fruit is extremely healthy especially compared to processed foods and sweets. But, when you consume to much throughout the day the sugar inside them will get transformed into fat. So, if you ever wondered can you eat too many bananas, it is actually possible.
This is why eating 2 bananas a day will be enough. You can eat them as snacks between meals or workouts. Since they contain a lot of energy you will feel full for some time. When you are trying to lose weight too much of anything can be troubling.
Another important thing to know is that bananas contain around 100 calories but most of them come from carbs. This means that people who are on low carb diets can’t take bananas easily. Protein and fat content in bananas is low, so you won’t be building any muscles by eating bananas.
The condition of banana (ripe more or less) is another important thing to remember. The greener the banana is the more carbs it will contain. Ripeness is also important regarding the subject of constipation. Many people complain about constipation after eating bananas. Answer to the question do bananas make you feel constipated, is they can make you feel this way.
To avoid this unpleasant side effect, try eating bananas that are more ripe. They contain higher levels of sugar and only a small amount of starch. This might not be good for your diet, but your digestion won’t have any trouble processing these bananas.
These are all of the cons regarding bananas in our diet. But, don’t think bananas are one big carb threat. There are a lot of pros too, which I will list in the next paragraph.
Bananas and weight loss – pros
Now that we know what can be the downsides of eating bananas, let’s talk about the good side. Bananas are extremely healthy. There is no doubt about that. They are rich in all the important nutrients and provide us a lot of energy between meals.
This is why bananas are often used in weight loss diets. They are mixed with other high fiber foods and used as breakfast food or snacks between meals. For people who suffer from low blood sugar and everyone who has trouble with blood sugar regulation, bananas are important.
With their high sugar and fiber content, they can raise the energy level and prevent weakness and fatigue caused by this condition.
Resistant starch, as I mentioned earlier, is processed by our digestive system much slower. This is why we feel fuller for longer time and our cravings are shut down. He also prevents absorption of sugar from other foods. Or it slows down this process. The side effect of this action is lowering of body fat.
Our body needs to burn more fat to produce more energy while we still feel full. Ripeness of bananas is another important part of this action. The riper the banana is the less of this resistant starch it will have. So, when you are choosing bananas try finding greener ones or at least yellow ones.
More ripe ones contain a lot of sugar and amount of resistant starch is very low. This is why you will get a sugar bomb instead of a healthy snack. But, if you feel your blood sugar is low, go for it. This is always a better option than a block of chocolate.
There are not a lot of studies on the subject of bananas and weight loss. However, they contain all of the components needed to prevent weight gain. They are filling, they have a low to medium GI (glycemic index) and depending on the ripeness they contain medium amount of sugar.
Resistant starch component is probably the most interesting part, since not a lot of foods provide us that feeling of fullness while our body is melting those fat supplies. So, bananas are definitely worth trying out as dietary foods.
Banana weight loss diet
It doesn’t matter what your weight loss regime is, you can always include bananas as a snack. There are a lot of different methods they can be used in our meal plan, but we will give you one example you can include bananas and possibly lose those extra pounds.
Asa -Banana diet is invented in Japan. This diet requires you to eat bananas for breakfast together with mildly hot water. Bananas need to be as green as possible, since resistant starch can’t be found in larger amounts in more ripe ones. If you feel hungry after this, the rule is to wait few minutes and then decide to eat something else.
This way you will control your cravings and learn how to follow your body’s signs. Lunch and dinner are as usual. You can eat almost everything, with exception of fatty and low carb foods like in any diet. Other diets could be dangerous because they restrict certain foods completely, which can be important for our bodies health.
Snacks (and breakfast) are the only time you can eat something sweet. So, it can be a fruit or something else. As you can see, this diet seems to be extremely simple. No big changes in your meal plan and no strict meal plan recipes you must follow.
This diet is again based on resistant starch component in bananas. He seems to be the force behind banana’s power to reduce our weight and prevent further weight gain. When our body needs to work harder to produce energy and when there is enough fiber keeping us full, we won’t feel hungry in the meantime.
Energy will be produced by our fat supplies in our body and we will be spending more and eating less. This, of course varies. The result won’t be the same among different people. Our bodies are still different and some of us might be amazed by the results and others, not so much.
Conclusion
After reading all of this information you will probably conclude that there is no miracle food that will change your life and lose those pounds. Key to every success is hard work and moderation. Bananas do have their bad sides, but they have their good sides also.
If you are looking for a low to medium snack that will keep you full and energized , then they are a great option. You can use them as snacks since no single fruit or vegetable can replace a healthy meal. They contain a lot of carbs (depending on the ripeness) so be careful with that.
If you are on a low carb diet, this snack probably won’t be the best option. Resistant starch is something you need to remember. This component has proven to be effective, so try conducting the above mentioned diet for a while and see how your body reacts to it.
Whatever your goal is, healthy eating habits and exercise is a must. Moderation in everything and persistence will help accomplish your goals. So, keep on eating healthy and move around more and the results will come.
