Bananas. YES or NO if I wish to lose weight?

[hocarroll]

Anybody got any insights here. I'm reading mix reports

[Shelley]

I didn't know that bananas have resistance starch but I do eat them almost everyday.  Beans also have resistance starch and are very healthy.  Eating beans is associated with decreased colon cancer.  While they can have a lot of calories, the calories are not absorbed because of the resistance starch.  

[PatrickR]

Cant tell you much about weight loss other than calories in vs calories out, because it works for me like clockwork.  Whatever your body does to lose or gain weight... southbeach, caveman, atkins, crystal methamphetamine, whatever...well you kinda have to work that out on your own.

Bananas are a great source of potassium, though...which is pretty much why I eat a few of them every week. 

[laf982]

Bananas are a good source of potassium. If you are concerned about sugar eat them before they turn brown.

[Rundogg]

Its important to note what type of sugar your are intaking...frutose vs glucose vs simple sugars. The insulin response by the body is a determining factor in fat production and loss. The insulin response to say fruits and nuts is low while insulin response to complex or simple carbs is much higher. If one is trying to reduce body fat or BMI, then one should be looking at their intake of what type of sugar they are consuming. Insulin tells the body what to do with its fat. While insulin is important in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, in the end the body does not like insulin. The type of sugar  ingested  and timing is important. Regular cardio and light repetitive weigh training reps is suggested vs heavy and fewer reps  that increase the mass of the muscle. Increased reps  uses the muscle group more often while  short heavy reps build mass. Large muscle does burn calories however the result is different.  For example, 3 sets of 15 using a lite weigh vs  fewer reps with a heavy weigh will turn on the fat burning machine. In combination with a change in the type and amount of sugar consumed will help in lower overall body fat and increase lean muscle. Carbs are fine as long as they are the right ones and used properly. After all, glucose is the body's main source of immediate fuel and pro atheltes use them regulary...IE pastas potatoes ect .They just know how to use them. Carbs are labelled as nasty simply because of the insulin response they initiate. The key is timing and consuming the proper carbs....hope this helps

[KJScarp]

I use them occassionally as an ingredient in a recipe but I don't eat them by themselves.  I'm not fond of the taste, and try to eat as little sugar as possible.  Speaking of which, apparently they are even too sweet for primates now:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-15/zoo-stops-giving-bananas-to-monkeys-for-27health-reasons27/520...

[abb123]

I'm of the calorie out/in mindset.  To me, no matter what makes up a food, if you are using more energy throughout the day than you are taking in, you are going to lose weight, there is simply no way around it.  Some foods promote a faster metabolism or better absorption of nutriets which might give you more energy, but bottom line is, if a diet has 2K calories and you burn 3k per day, no matter what you eat, you are going to lose 2 pounds per week.   (3500 calories in one pound)

[sbgrimes]

The American Diabetes Association says 1/2 bananna is a serving.

Its allowed.

[catephoenix]

Bananas are delicious so HELL YES!

[KJScarp]

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@sbgrimes wrote:

The American Diabetes Association says 1/2 bananna is a serving.

Its allowed.

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The ADA also recommends margarine and grains, and tells us to limit saturated fats because they're bad for you.  The ADA is making recommendations based on antiquated studies.

Thanks to the ADA, my husband is now an insulin-dependent diabetic.  By doing the exact opposite of the ADA recommendations, he was (thank god) able to reduce his diabetes medications by half. 

If you want to properly manage your diabetes, then you need to follow the recommendations of Dr. Richard Bernstein (a T1 diabetic who became a doctor because his diabetes was being mismanaged by following recommendations similar to the ADA) or Dr. Eric Westman who runs Duke University's Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, advising their diabetic patients on how to properly manage diabetes.

[Mikki]

Yes, calories in vs calories out are important, but not all banannas are equal.  The greener the bananna the less sugar impact to your system. So try to eat the greener ones when you can.

[sbgrimes]

thanks for the tip. didn't know!

[3DS]

I love the Yonanas machine

It uses frozen bananas and other fruit to make a frozen fruit dessert with no added sugar,cream, etc.

The fruit is so cold and creamy it replaces ice cream and allows me to have a healthy treat once in a while.

[Cybertekkno]

Bananas are great for you....they are loaded with fiber, vitamins and potassium, so they are a great fruit to eat before, during, or after an intense workout in order to replenish the electrolyte potassium in your muscles.   They are high in calories, but fruit and vegetable calories are the kinds of calories you want in your system.

[TheOtherKate]

Yes, Gary Taube's Book is great! Also, Eat, Sleep, Move by Tom Rath and Eat for Health by Joel Furman. Both can be downloaded as an audio book and listen while you work out.

[Cybertekkno]

I eat a banana almost everyday for my mid-morning snack at work, and I personally have lost 50 pounds.  Bananas are not going prevent you from losing weight, they are loaded with vitamins, fiber and potassium.  Potassium is an electrolyte that your muscles need to recover from workouts and to prevent leg cramps.  Bananas are a good healthy food.  The foods you should be more worried about are processed foods, not fresh produce and fruit as they are some of the best foods for your body.

[Hats26]

Yeah I eat about 2 or sometimes 3 a day! They are particularly good to have after exercise too. 

Very interesting to have read about eating the greener bananas the less sugar. I did go through a brief phase about worrying about sugar in fruit but then I decided to not get too concerned about it all and like what was said in an earlier post, to eat everything in moderation...! However.. I cannot do that with unhealthy food, to the point I had to sit far away from haribos in the staff room! I kept eyeing them up!! 

I imagine there are so many pros and cons about all sorts of fruit/vegatables that sometimes its not worth reading too much into it? The only thing I have to watch is the amount of fruit with citric acid in it but that is due to mild intollerance.. Its pretty annoying though as most fruit has citric acid.

[Maryruth]

Bananas give a good amount of vitamins for the calorie buck. If you can fit one into your overall daily caloric intake, they are a great source of vitamin K!

[vettech435]

I think everyone's responses here are pretty accurate. My body personally doesn't like carbs. I do still eat them but I mainly get them from veggies and some fruits and small amts. of whole grains. I think you do need some carbs to get through workouts and function. The sugar/carbs in fruits is not as bad for you as other carbs... there is higher fiber in fruit usually so that won't spike insulin as much. Another good point made by another poster: Bananas are less sugary if you eat them before they get too ripe. I don't eat bananas too often, I usually eat apples, raspberries, and oranges but if I do have a banana I'll eat it when it still has just a tiny tad bit of green. I do think there are worse things you can eat for sure. Bottom line, I think you can have bananas and still lose weight.

[Rubes]

I appreciate your information.  Especially important for diabetics!

[Amora14]

 personally have found that I spent way too much time determining what is good and what is bad. If I were eating steel cut oats in the morning cooked in water, of course it would be best to eat it alone. But if you need a little flavor then why not put in some berries, or a banana?

I have been able to successfully shed weight and I did it by slowly curbing my appetite, my sugar intake, Eating plenty of vegetables and lean meats.

But to answer your question. Many credible people (who are on advanced diets and follow dieticians religiously) who i have asked this question to have told me that bananas are very good for you. Especially in the evening since your body is less prone to a spike in your insulin levels. Not sure how accurate this is as i notice studies often change and sometimes contradict themselves. but please feel free to research this yourself 😃