Bananas and their bad rap.

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seamoth
seamoth Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Why have bananas got such a bad reputation when it comes to foods to stay away from when one is trying to lose weight? I am tracking my food and keeping to around the MyFitnessPal limit of 1200 per day. I love bananas. I know an average raw banana has around 120 calories. If I don't exceed my calorie limit, would it matter if I ate two or even three bananas a day? What is it about them that make some nutritionists throw their hands up in horror?
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Replies

  • chocl8girl
    chocl8girl Posts: 1,968 Member
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    They can pry my bananas out of my cold, dead hands.

    Actually, I'm pretty sure I will still be clutching them tightly even then. lol
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
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    I like bananas. Have one almost every morning with my yogurt.
  • Babygi6003
    Babygi6003 Posts: 356 Member
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    I like banans too but sometimes I avoid them since they are high in carbs but I do love them :)
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Why have bananas got such a bad reputation when it comes to foods to stay away from when one is trying to lose weight? I am tracking my food and keeping to around the MyFitnessPal limit of 1200 per day. I love bananas. I know an average raw banana has around 120 calories. If I don't exceed my calorie limit, would it matter if I ate two or even three bananas a day? What is it about them that make some nutritionists throw their hands up in horror?

    bad reputation from who? orthorexics??

    bananas are a great source for Potassium.

    why are you trying to stay at 1200 calories? did you run the numbers to determine that goal, or did you just pull that number out of thin air?

    i log my bananas as 105 calories each.

    i eat 2 or 3 bananas most days.

    i wouldn't listen to anything coming out of the mouth of a "nutritionist".

    http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/diet-diva/nutritionist-vs-dietitian
  • Yogi_Carl
    Yogi_Carl Posts: 1,906 Member
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    I love it when my work colleagues put out their bananas for free takings in the staff kitchen because they have just turned brown - best time to eat!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    I think it is there higher calorie content that people are scared of. If it fits in your calorie count then go for it.
  • langsyne
    langsyne Posts: 106 Member
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    Bananas are fairly high on the Glycemic Index, so if you have blood sugar problems or are insulin resistant, they are not always a wise choice. Otherwise, a good nutricious food.
  • Lennonluv2
    Lennonluv2 Posts: 956 Member
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    I have a banana smoothie almost every morning.....I freeze them and then add skim milk, yogurt, and wheat germ. There is no way I'm giving them up, I need the potassium!
  • hedwardsb
    hedwardsb Posts: 201 Member
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    I usually eat a banana a day.
    In still befuddled by a comment I read on here once that you might as well eat a Snickers bar as a banana because of the carbs. Please.
  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
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    The "bad" reputation comes from the starch content which is easily converted to sugar. This can be a problem
    for some people trying to lose weight. Most people though are easily able to enjoy bananas on a regular basis.
    As I recall apricots are as high or higher in potassium than bananas.
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
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    I usually eat a banana a day.
    In still befuddled by a comment I read on here once that you might as well eat a Snickers bar as a banana because of the carbs. Please.

    Actually, that is more of a comment about the Snickers than the banana. Of all the candy bars, Snickers is actually not terrible in terms of its glycemic index because of the volume of peanuts in it. A banana, if a little under-ripe, is the same. Ripe bananas are a bit better, though. (I checked this info on livestrong.com)
  • 1puffyheart
    1puffyheart Posts: 136
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    Why have bananas got such a bad reputation when it comes to foods to stay away from when one is trying to lose weight? I am tracking my food and keeping to around the MyFitnessPal limit of 1200 per day. I love bananas. I know an average raw banana has around 120 calories. If I don't exceed my calorie limit, would it matter if I ate two or even three bananas a day? What is it about them that make some nutritionists throw their hands up in horror?

    bad reputation from who? orthorexics??

    bananas are a great source for Potassium.

    why are you trying to stay at 1200 calories? did you run the numbers to determine that goal, or did you just pull that number out of thin air?

    i log my bananas as 105 calories each.

    i eat 2 or 3 bananas most days.

    i wouldn't listen to anything coming out of the mouth of a "nutritionist".

    http://www.healthline.com/health-blogs/diet-diva/nutritionist-vs-dietitian
  • Taneil27
    Taneil27 Posts: 253
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    Why have bananas got such a bad reputation when it comes to foods to stay away from when one is trying to lose weight? I am tracking my food and keeping to around the MyFitnessPal limit of 1200 per day. I love bananas. I know an average raw banana has around 120 calories. If I don't exceed my calorie limit, would it matter if I ate two or even three bananas a day? What is it about them that make some nutritionists throw their hands up in horror?

    I think it's the sugar content!
  • 1puffyheart
    1puffyheart Posts: 136
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    Why doubt the OP about the 1200 calories per day? That's what MFP set up for me, also. I eat a couple of bananas a day - high in potassium and a great snack. As long as they are tracked, I see nothing wrong with eating them. Too many ads with "avoid these foods for belly fat" on the net.
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    I'm eating a banana right now in my oatmeal, yum :D

    Don't listen to the madness, eat your bananas!!
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
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    I looked up the calories per ounce on various websites. The average was 25 calories per ounce. I started weighing my bananas, instead of estimating by length. (At 1200 calories, every 10-12 calories count.) I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had been overestimating using the by-length-estimate.

    I don't have a banana every day, but I do have one most days.
  • Brunner26_2
    Brunner26_2 Posts: 1,152
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    Because of that stupid advertisement about "5 foods never to eat"
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Why doubt the OP about the 1200 calories per day? That's what MFP set up for me, also. I eat a couple of bananas a day - high in potassium and a great snack. As long as they are tracked, I see nothing wrong with eating them. Too many ads with "avoid these foods for belly fat" on the net.

    1200 is too low for many many new users of the site. It's because it's the bare minimum, and MFP assigns it if a person puts in that they want to lose 2 lbs per week and are sedentary. Many people who get that goal are not really sedentary and/or 2 lbs per week is too ambitious for them (they don't have a ton of weight to lose). They often find they do better on a few more calories. If you're short and already small, then 1200 might be appropriate, but since so many people get it just by entering their information incorrectly the more experienced members will often try to help them figure out if it's the right goal for them.
  • chooriyah
    chooriyah Posts: 469 Member
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    Yum yum love bananas. Ignore the nonsense.
  • barbaratrollman
    barbaratrollman Posts: 317 Member
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    I think a banana, right before you work out, is perfect for boosting your energy. I would never equate a banana with a candy bar. While you may be getting more carbs from a banana, those carbs are in the form of an extremely beneficial food, which is fueling your body the way it should be. A candy bar is just empty calories, sugar, and fat.
    I get pretty sick of seeing the flashy ads blinking how bad bananas are if you are trying to lose belly fat.
    Bananas are in my green smoothies everyday and I've lost 23 pounds in 7 weeks and I feel fantastic! \o/

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