Calories in a banana
Replies
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stevencloser wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).
For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.
Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?
That's a logical leap if I ever saw it.
A Harley and a Kawasaki are both motorcycles. You can't say one is better than the other because they've both got their place. But they're both very different and BECAUSE they're so different do they both have got their own place and you can't say one is superior over the other outside of preference.
Good analagy, I can work with that. You are right...now...lets say I want the fastest one (healthiest one)..which ones faster? Yes they are both bikes..which one is healthier or fastest? Donut or banana...harley or kawasaki?
I can work with that. What is faster, an offroader or a lamborghini? What if you're on a road? What if you're out in the boons? Context.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).
For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.
Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?
That's a logical leap if I ever saw it.
A Harley and a Kawasaki are both motorcycles. You can't say one is better than the other because they've both got their place. But they're both very different and BECAUSE they're so different do they both have got their own place and you can't say one is superior over the other outside of preference.
Good analagy, I can work with that. You are right...now...lets say I want the fastest one (healthiest one)..which ones faster? Yes they are both bikes..which one is healthier or fastest? Donut or banana...harley or kawasaki?
If you're looking for the faster food, banana would be preferable because it has more sugar so it metabolizes fast. In this case kale would absolutely suck and pixie sticks would be the epitome of healthy.5 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).
For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.
Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?
That would be an oversimplification, and I don't think anyone is saying that kale has the exact same nutrients as ice cream or that any two foods are nutritional copies of each other. The reason it's not preferable to set rigid "healthy" and "unhealthy" labels because the same food can fall into either category for different people in different situations. Again, context. For those trying to avoid oxalates, kale is "unhealthy", for those whose weight loss adherence hangs on ice cream, ice cream is "healthy".
Someone eating nothing but kale has an unhealthy diet, someone eating a scoop of ice cream every now and then as a part of a varied nutrient rich diet has a healthy diet. No healthy/unhealthy foods unless it's medically warranted, but there absolutely is a healthy/unhealthy diet.
I agree entirely - what is good for one person may not be good for another in medical circumstances (glad you are better btw). Foods in moderation are fine as is my beers each week. As a straight question of which is healthier out of 2 foods, surely one has more nutritional benefit than another. These guys argue that 'yeah but if you ate that constantly it would be bad' - absolutely - balance is the way.
There is no nutritional benefit of going above what your body uses, in fact, vitamins A,D,E and K are fat soluble and can accumulate and lead to toxicity if overdosed. So total diet is still what's important, a banana will only give you sugar if your body has no need for the micronutrients anymore.1 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).
For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.
Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?
That would be an oversimplification, and I don't think anyone is saying that kale has the exact same nutrients as ice cream or that any two foods are nutritional copies of each other. The reason it's not preferable to set rigid "healthy" and "unhealthy" labels because the same food can fall into either category for different people in different situations. Again, context. For those trying to avoid oxalates, kale is "unhealthy", for those whose weight loss adherence hangs on ice cream, ice cream is "healthy".
Someone eating nothing but kale has an unhealthy diet, someone eating a scoop of ice cream every now and then as a part of a varied nutrient rich diet has a healthy diet. No healthy/unhealthy foods unless it's medically warranted, but there absolutely is a healthy/unhealthy diet.
As a straight question of which is healthier out of 2 foods, surely one has more nutritional benefit than another.
This is where you're messing up. You have to look at different foods on a case-by-case basis. Foods may have different nutrients from one another, but it depends on where you're lacking in your diet which food is better in context. @amusedmonkey illustrated that excellently earlier in the thread when she mentioned that if you're low on fats and iron, a donut is better than the banana in that context. Quick fuel before a workout with little fat? Then the banana is the better choice.
Context.1 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).
For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.
Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?
That would be an oversimplification, and I don't think anyone is saying that kale has the exact same nutrients as ice cream or that any two foods are nutritional copies of each other. The reason it's not preferable to set rigid "healthy" and "unhealthy" labels because the same food can fall into either category for different people in different situations. Again, context. For those trying to avoid oxalates, kale is "unhealthy", for those whose weight loss adherence hangs on ice cream, ice cream is "healthy".
Someone eating nothing but kale has an unhealthy diet, someone eating a scoop of ice cream every now and then as a part of a varied nutrient rich diet has a healthy diet. No healthy/unhealthy foods unless it's medically warranted, but there absolutely is a healthy/unhealthy diet.
I agree entirely - what is good for one person may not be good for another in medical circumstances (glad you are better btw). Foods in moderation are fine as is my beers each week. As a straight question of which is healthier out of 2 foods, surely one has more nutritional benefit than another. These guys argue that 'yeah but if you ate that constantly it would be bad' - absolutely - balance is the way.
The question, constructed this way, is flawed. That's like asking how long is a string. It's a non question. Now if you specified parameters such as: which is healthier in terms of potassium and vitamin C, a banana would win hands down.0 -
You weight em without the peel on a scale ...
But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .
It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.
No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.
Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?
Lol - don't go down this road. I did yesterday and lived to regret it. There are those that believe calories are all that matters and all food is healthy as such. You can eat junk food as part of a healthy diet apparently. I agree with you - but don't go down this road....its a long long road...
What does this have to do with whether the calories in a banana should count toward your total (unlike dairy and meat, apparently, which do)? That was what the poster asserted: for some reason don't worry about calories from a banana, you can ignore them and still stay within your calorie goal. Also, what's wrong with meat and dairy? (And why can't you include "junk food" in an overall healthful diet?)
And why on earth are you lying and claiming people said that calories are all that matters. Please look at freesia's response for the distinction.1 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »You weight em without the peel on a scale ...
But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .
It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.
No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.
Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?
Lol - don't go down this road. I did yesterday and lived to regret it. There are those that believe calories are all that matters and all food is healthy as such. You can eat junk food as part of a healthy diet apparently. I agree with you - but don't go down this road....its a long long road...
Yeah, it always sucks to hear actual logic in the forums.
Best to just plug your ears and continue to place certain foods into arbitrary categories and assign magical properties to foods like kale.
So there are no 'superfoods' such as kale, broccoli and blueberries? Answer the girls question - is a banana healthier than a donut?....let me guess - it is about "context"...no, the banana is healthier and that is scientific fact love
I'm had some kale with breakfast, but no, there are no superfoods. Where do you get this stuff. Kale is a green and like most greens it's extremely nutritious, but so are many other foods and kale is just trendy now. Spinach is not inferior overall, and neither are collards or chard or beet/turnip greens, etc. Assuming that specific foods are the ideal ones and eating only them (which would mean ignoring bananas, I guess), is actually a terrible approach to nutrition -- get a variety where possible, but eat the ones you enjoy if you like spinach and chard but not kale. Makes it sustainable
Bigger point: the question was never "is a banana healthier than a donut" (it usually fits more easily in a healthful diet and calorie allowance, yeah, but as with most questions about specific foods, it depends." Does a banana likely have more micros you need and fewer things you are limiting? Sure, again depending (a low carber likely wouldn't consider either a great choice). The question was whether the calories are the same: in other words, was the poster correct to claim that calories from a banana (unlike junk food, dairy, or meat) don't matter? Answer: no.
Oh, and back to the question on potassium -- if you use the USDA entry it will have that information. Most others don't.0 -
stevencloser wrote: »I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"
Neither because context is important. A healthy diet doesn't get extra healthy by eating a banana or less healthy by having a donut. If you agree a balanced diet is important you can't say X food is healthier than Y food because nothing is eaten in a vacuum but always as a part of a diet.
Also banana: total carbs 23 grams, 2.6 grams fiber, 5.4 grams starch, 12.2 grams sugars.
Flour on the other hand (which is a main ingredient in baked goods) 0.5 sugars, the rest are complex carbs.
Where is a wall?? I agree. If I ate fish, fresh meat vegetables and then an ice cream..that would be an ok day really...sounds like a normal day to me. Which food in that list has the least nutritional value? Thanks for the banana breakdown - its why tennis players eat them during matches..slow break down of complex carbs
This is exactly backwards. As stevencloser posted, the banana has mostly sugar -- a simple carb. The donut is a mix of sugar and starch (complex carb) and fat.
The banana, being low in fiber and high in sugar, is processed extremely quickly by the body, which is why it's an excellent post (or during) workout food and is often handed out during or after marathons and triathlons (IME).0 -
OP, I peel the banana then weigh it.1
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Under review.2
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