Banana's friend or foe ?

lyndaglass1
lyndaglass1 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Please help me out a bit here people, I have no hatred of the simple yellow fruit, however I am confused as to it's merits, LOTS of advise from some saying, fill up on them they are good for you, full of potassium etc....................BUT......................my thinking is, thats a hell of a lot of calories, I have one in the morning in my green monster smoothie ( yum) and possibly a couple more through the day...................trying to cut down to 2 a day....................I know I sound like an addict lol, just wondered what your thoughts are, good or bad ?

(UK) Love Lyn x
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Replies

  • deladypilot
    deladypilot Posts: 618 Member
    Bananas are great for you. They are higher in calories and most people count 1 medium banana as 2 fruit servings. I love them though. I tend to eat 1/2 at one meal and the other 1/2 later in the day. If you love them then keep them in your diet
  • lyndaglass1
    lyndaglass1 Posts: 20
    Half is a good idea, thanks Hunni x
  • expatInsurance
    expatInsurance Posts: 1
    Indeed banana is extremely delicious but also full of calories, you either have it in a limited manner or indulge in some sporting activity to have your fill in the break.
  • lenjaw
    lenjaw Posts: 13 Member
    I was thinking about this the other day, I was genuinely quite surprised when I saw how many calories were in them! I'd tend to stick to eating them only before exercising, but that's just me =) other than that I think they're a perfectly healthy snack which really do fill you up and probably stop you eating rubbish afterwards.

    Jen

    PS a green monster smoothie sounds amazing!
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    I eat a medium banana every day. 1/3 gets sliced over a peanut butter and honey thin in the morning, 1/3 goes into my protein shake and 1/3 goes in half a mountain bread wrap with more PB.
    It's filling, tasty and hasn't hurt my eating at all
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    i'd say one a day, if you are trying to get your 5, vegetables are superior!!

    although you sound like you are doing well with the smoothie.

    :D
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
    Am I missing something? MFP says a medium banana is 105 calories. That doesn't seem like a lot of calories to me. I eat 2-3 a day and find them to be a great filling snack. Maybe I'm doing it wrong! LOL
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Am I missing something? MFP says a medium banana is 105 calories. That doesn't seem like a lot of calories to me. I eat 2-3 a day and find them to be a great filling snack. Maybe I'm doing it wrong! LOL

    No, I think everyone else is doing it wrong.
  • kyunda
    kyunda Posts: 340 Member
    I eat a medium banana every day. 1/3 gets sliced over a peanut butter and honey thin in the morning, 1/3 goes into my protein shake and 1/3 goes in half a mountain bread wrap with more PB.
    It's filling, tasty and hasn't hurt my eating at all



    that sounds like a good way to split it up!
  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
    High calorie? How is 110-120 considered high calories? Thats a perfect sized snack.
  • firemanfive0
    firemanfive0 Posts: 228 Member
    bananas are good!!! I mean which is better??? snickers candy bar or a banana??? yes they are "sugar" and calorie dense to some degree but it is the better choice than a lot of 'crud' out there. There is always gonna be these kind of choices when you switch to a better eating.
  • mistakenidentity
    mistakenidentity Posts: 28 Member
    Love bananas...in moderation!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I love bananas. They are *very* low calorie when compared to cake.
  • caseyg9888
    caseyg9888 Posts: 36
    Unnecessary apostrophe's, friend or foe?
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Compared to other fruits they're higER calorie. And for weight watchers type people who dont count fruit and veg, 100 calories here and there soon mounts up. As well, the carb and sugar counts is higher than many other fruits. Doesn't make bananas a bad choice, but this information is useful.
  • mistakenidentity
    mistakenidentity Posts: 28 Member
    Am I missing something? MFP says a medium banana is 105 calories. That doesn't seem like a lot of calories to me. I eat 2-3 a day and find them to be a great filling snack. Maybe I'm doing it wrong! LOL


    I don't think anyone who's lost 105 lbs is doing anything wrong...silly girl! BTW...love your progress pictures! So encouraging!
  • _CiaoParis
    _CiaoParis Posts: 166
    bestfriend :smile:
  • Adina81
    Adina81 Posts: 252 Member
    ^^ OMG, Cutest puppy ever CiaoParis.

    I eat bananas with PB2 and Nutella and am not worried about it...
  • NicoWoodruff
    NicoWoodruff Posts: 369 Member
    Bananas are fine and even nutrient rich.. in moderation. They are also a high glycemic fruit though. I don't have them every day but sometimes I'll have a half or a whole medium banana as a snack. Generally I tend to stick to low glycemic fruits like apples and berries though which are also nutrient dense without the sugars.
  • joanmarienana
    joanmarienana Posts: 69 Member
    I enjoy bananas, especially frozen, they're like ice cream to me. I love buying the little bunches of baby bananas, and freezing them for a yummy treat especially drizzled with a little dark chocolate. I like that they are a good source of potassium, but a whole big banana is too much for me at once.
  • Cyclingbonnie
    Cyclingbonnie Posts: 413 Member
    I personally feel that the banana is a miracle food. After I swim a mile, I am starving. I need something immediately and I know from the past I'll go through a drive thru unless I eat a banana. I think it is the fact that there is potassium and that it is easy to digest and it does a good many calories. But it doesn't have as many as a hamburger, french fries, and a coke would have and that is what I got at the drive thru.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    Bananas, like most fruit, are good for you. But 3 or more a day? I don't know if that's helpful. Because they do have a lot of sugar (granted, it's natural fruit sugar, but there is still such a thing as too much), and they can take the place of other nutritious foods. 1 a day would be fine if it doesn't slow you down (some people get constipated from too many bananas), but unless you're using them to replace candy and such, I would suggest more variety - other fruits and vegetables, whole grain, and lean proteins, and make sure that it all fits in your calories. Ultimately, the law of thermodynamics (calories in - calories out) will determine your weight loss.
  • Donnarose82
    Donnarose82 Posts: 71
    I eat Banana's and to be honest I don't particularly like the taste of them BUT i eat them for their nutritional value plain and simple. They are fantastic fruit and I have one every day.
    If you are worried about the calories of a banana, half them, quarter them and eat them over the day depending on how big they are.. but truly I'd rather eat a banana then most fruits.. they are just packed with goodness.
  • BettyIW
    BettyIW Posts: 103
    I eat one or two bananas daily. When grocery shopping I choose the smallest size banana I can find. So many bananas are huge and then I'll eat only half of it and share the other half with my husband who also is on MFP.

    Dr. Oz had stated sometime ago too that by eating a banana about an hour before bedtime also helps one to sleep better through the night! True? I've never had problems sleeping through the night with or without a banana. :yawn:
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
    I got a pack of "fun size" (medium2 me) yesterday, they are only 103 cals each :-/ I dont think thats much to add to my branflakes or as a snack
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    My daily large banana works well for me, I look forward to it like I used to look forward to chocolate ... Although I tend to have chocolate daily too ... Hmmm ... Anyway, it fits in well for my day and is packed with loads of good stuff in amongst those 'high' calories.

    Living in Queensland, Australia means they tend to be cheapish too, bonus.

    Pretty good bang for buck nutritionally I'd say.
  • healthy4heidi
    healthy4heidi Posts: 113 Member
    Bananas are great. Eat em. Eat what you like. 2 a day sounds fine to me.

    I really want a Yonanas machine to turn my frozen bananas into ice cream. Anyone else love banana ice cream or have any good Yonana machine recipes?
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
    Bananas are great. Eat em. Eat what you like. 2 a day sounds fine to me.

    I really want a Yonanas machine to turn my frozen bananas into ice cream. Anyone else love banana ice cream or have any good Yonana machine recipes?

    Now that sounds like a plan, banana ice cream ....
  • foxro
    foxro Posts: 793 Member
    Indeed, why is it that on just about every fitness site that annoying anti-banana add appears !! I like bananas and they are high in nutrients. I usually have a banana for pre-work out or in a protein shake.
  • Roni_M
    Roni_M Posts: 717 Member
    Thank you! I must get a new progress one up there soon, it's been a while.

    And nope... Not using them as a candy substitute. I actually don't have a sweet tooth at all (chocolate makes me gag! LOL). I follow the plan "eat things I like the taste of" and don't care for most fruit (strawberries and cantelope I like, so eat those when they're "in season"). Whole grains also disgust me. I can't do the "twigs & berries & green smoothies" diet. I eat lots of veggies and lean meats though (also some not so lean meat... Is bacon lean? LOL).

    Funny you say 3 bananas a day are "bad" for you. My vitamin blood panel & blood sugar blood work would beg to differ (run after about a year of 2-3 bananas a day). I'll keep doing what works for me... but thanks for your opinion. :drinker:

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