Bananas - are they really that many calories?

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kitchentales
kitchentales Posts: 73
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello! So I think having a medium banana as a mid-morning snack is very healthy and a much better option than some muffins or granola bars. But when I searched up how many calories are in a banana, I get a variety of answers, anywhere from 25 calories to 185 calories. I think fruit and veggies should, in some cases, be "free" food, like how Weight Watchers does it (or at least, used to do it). They're healthy, most are not filled with things you shouldn't be eating, and in the end, I'd rather eat 200 calories of fruit or veggies than 100 calories of oreo snacks.

Thoughts? Opinions? Answer to how many calories are in a raw medium banana?...
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Replies

  • bethrs
    bethrs Posts: 664 Member
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    Bananas, in my opinion, are healthy food. and are going to be a better option than some muffins or other choices.

    But Bananas have calories, and sugar, so they "count" as food. One medium banana is roughly about 100 calories. Food is food, it fuels your body, so it counts. Water and air are free, but you can't sustain yourself with only air and water.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
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    Bananas are definitely not low calorie, but they are extremely good quality calories, so definitely don't skip. I usually buy really large bananas and they have about 120-150 calories per banana.

    They are PACKED with essential nutrients and the potassium is reason enough to consume.
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    Bananas, depending on size, are about 90-120 calories.

    I would get a food scale so you can measure it in grams rather than basing it on a "small" "medium" or "large" banana.
  • yanicka
    yanicka Posts: 1,004 Member
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    They are a bit high in calories....but they are worth it. Unlike those FAT FREE packaged crap (or what I call food products)
  • 5grn9
    5grn9 Posts: 36
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    I just finished logging in a banana for my snack and was thinking the same thing! I had a small banana cut up in my yogurt, I consider that a very healthy snack. I added 90 calories for my banana, guess you have to count it in but it is a "free" food now in weight watchers which I would have loved but decided to give this site a try first.
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
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    a small banana has about 90 calories in it.... and I believe a medium is 105 calories. I've never known a banana to be 185 calories?! ..

    I agree.. fruit should be "free" as it teaches a healthy option when it come to snacking. I've never read or heard about someone getting fat from eating too much fruit.

    I just started following weight watchers, so even though I add my calories to MFP for the fruit I eat, if I am over for the day and under my WW points, I don't freak out... because I am know choosing Grapes, or a Banana, or Apple, or Lemon over 100 cal packs, or chips or granola bars.. in the end, my body is going to thank me for that change.


    oh thought I would add I lost 4.4 lbs last week... and ate all the fruit I could want!
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    I just average 100 calories per banana, yes they are higher in calorie. But they are good calories!
  • fitterpam
    fitterpam Posts: 3,086 Member
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    Bananas are also relatively high on the GI scale and most diabetics are told to portion them out sparingly because of the higher sugar content. 1/2 a medium banana is a portion (but who only eats 1/2 a banana)? LOL

    There are some F&V that I wouldn't count, but Bananas are definitely ones to count, unfortunately.
  • hummzz
    hummzz Posts: 384 Member
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    I've eaten a banana almost every single day of my life! I feel like its earth's perfect food! I agree with the previous statements. There are good and bad calories. How can something that comes from God's green earth be bad for you unless man puts all kinds of yuck in it?
  • fantomette
    fantomette Posts: 148 Member
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    ...I don't know if it's the same for you guys, but for me, a banana is a good choice. After a banana I feel FULL. After a damn granola bar I'm still hungry!
  • ♥_Ellybean_♥
    ♥_Ellybean_♥ Posts: 1,646 Member
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    Bananas are also relatively high on the GI scale and most diabetics are told to portion them out sparingly because of the higher sugar content. 1/2 a medium banana is a portion (but who only eats 1/2 a banana)? LOL

    There are some F&V that I wouldn't count, but Bananas are definitely ones to count, unfortunately.

    Banana's are Low Glycemic foods, but are around 47-55ish in the GI Value, but the GL (Glycemic Load) is around 6-10.
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
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    I agree with the "get a food scale" idea. I love bananas and they are full of nutrtion but not a friend for those who have to watch sugar intake. I put "half" a banana in my morning smoothie to make it creamier and so that for me is about 70 grams on my food scale. But to my eyes it looks like half of an average sized banana!!!! According to the database I figure that 70 gram banana is about 65 or so caloiries....

    Impossible to know for sure...just glad we are eating natural foods...the body has got tolike those better!

    :wink:
  • goodforeyou
    goodforeyou Posts: 31 Member
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    Here is a link to a good article I read on bananas last week: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/bananas-the-ultimate-hunger-buster-2456998/
  • HerbieSue
    HerbieSue Posts: 288
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    I gave up bananas because they were a day's worth of sugar! Who knew? I think it has helped me with my belly fat. I guess the debate is still on about them.
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
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    Choosing fruit over other processed snacks is always the best option!!! That being said, when I did the new weightwatcher pointsplus program with all the fruit being "free" I ended up gaining 4-5 pounds and that was just with adding one extra fruit per day, which happened to be bananas which I love, but usually avoid since they are high in sugar. I had gotten in the habit of eating one small banana per day, so now I try to limit them to less than once per week.
  • tashjs21
    tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
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    Yep but they are so much better than the packaged foods so I never mind counting those calories in. And they keep me satisfied so much longer than those 100 calorie snack packs.
  • p_nutprincess
    p_nutprincess Posts: 25 Member
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    If you are trying to lose weight, I would completely cut bananas out. Choose a lower calorie fruit such as an apple, or another fruit that is lower on the GI scale. Really, the only "free foods" are the veggies in the leafy green category, such as spinach or kale.
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
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    I gave up bananas because they were a day's worth of sugar! Who knew? I think it has helped me with my belly fat. I guess the debate is still on about them.

    It's slow sugar though. Doesn't cause big insulin spike like a piece of bread.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
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    I gave up bananas because they were a day's worth of sugar! Who knew? I think it has helped me with my belly fat. I guess the debate is still on about them.

    It's slow sugar though. Doesn't cause big insulin spike like a piece of bread.

    ^This! ...and I've lost over 90 lbs by eating 120-150 calories worth of banana almost every single day, so don't let anyone try to tell you they'll inhibit your weight loss. Bananas contain natural sugar, which is better than (as mentioned) a piece of bread. The calories are quality. Bananas are packed with so many essential nutrients and they leave you full for a while. So long as you aren't going over your calorie allotment for the day, you cannot go wrong by eating a banana.
  • kitchentales
    kitchentales Posts: 73
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    Thanks everyone! I feel better about my bananas now.

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