Should I limit my bananas?

rhinomidget
rhinomidget Posts: 52 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
(**please keep in mind that I do NOT count calories/track what I eat - my diet is pretty much just clean food and no meat/poultry)

I've read a lot of mixed things about bananas..some say they're great, others say they're too high in sugar, and some say that the sugar is okay because it's natural fruit sugar, blah, blah, blah...

Anyway, I'd just like to know if I should limit how many bananas I eat in a day..I'm constantly running around (i'm a freshman in college who is also balancing a part-time job, so I don't have a lot of time on my hands), so whenever I need something to eat "on the go", I grab a banana. of course, I eat other things - but i usually have 3 - 4 bananas every day...and I was just wondering if that was okay? Should I cut back on my banana consumption due to the amount of sugar in them or should I be fine?

My, this is a strange question...

Thanks and have a great day
«1

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited June 2015
    I cut down on bananas due to the sugar. I chop them, freeze them, and use about 2 oz in a smoothie, instead of a whole banana. I don't know if this would be right for you, however. If I were on the go like you, I'd replace some bananas with apples and have nuts with the fruit. Just fruit alone doesn't keep me full for long.

    9e8f7ef04beb6a47015bf1efb5979a16.png
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    You arent logging so from a calorie perspective then hard to say.
    From a nutrition perspective then they are fine as long as you recognise they are packed full of simple carbs, which will give you the short term energy boost. If you like them keep going, but you can eat a variety of fruits to get the benefit of them all as kshama points out. Its not really a dealbreakers and nothing for you to worry about.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited June 2015
    Unless your diabetic or have another medical condition that requires you to closely monitor carb/sugar intake, eat as many bananas as you want (as long as it fits within your calorie goal). Bananas are more calorie-dense compared to other fruits, so it's crucial to weigh and accurately track them. If you don't want to count calories but are trying to lose weight, then it might be a good idea to switch a banana or two for less calorie-dense fruits (but calorie counting is the easiest way to make sure you're in a calorie deficit).

    Personally, I don't eat them. They're not worth the insane amount of insulin I would need for them (I could have 12oz of strawberries for the same insulin that I would need to take for 4oz of banana).
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    If you're ok having 300-500 calories/day in bananas, keep doing what you're doing.

    Nobody can answer that but you! :drinker:
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    I eat sometimes 700 calories in bananas a day. I've done this for several years now and haven't gotten diabetes. I don't think it's the amount of fruit sugars that cause diabetes.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
    The only concern would be if you have diabetes for that amount of sugar or if you had any kidney problems for the amount of potassium. Other than that, eat away!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    I eat sometimes 700 calories in bananas a day. I've done this for several years now and haven't gotten diabetes. I don't think it's the amount of fruit sugars that cause diabetes.

    Nor do I, but nobody has studied consumption levels that high. Fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes, as is fruit juice consumption.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    Nor do I, but nobody has studied consumption levels that high. Fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes, as is fruit juice consumption.
    What studies say fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes?
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    If you are trying to lose weight and the bananas are not hindering that goal, then carry on eating them!
  • lulucitron
    lulucitron Posts: 366 Member
    I eat them. I try to buy the small sized ones that don't exceed 3.5oz. I usually have one a day in my morning oatmeal or sometimes after a workout when I need to get my blood sugar up. They have good things in them but yes, they're high in sugar.
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    They are linked to heart health. Heart patients are recommended to eat two a day... however for me, eating one a day made my heart play up so I don't eat them regularly.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • rgiddings312
    rgiddings312 Posts: 1 Member
    Bananas are slightly radioactive, and if you ate ten million bananas in one sitting then you could die from radiation poisoning. If you eat 274 a day for 7 years, you'll suffer from chronic symptoms. So you should limit yourself, but the limits can be set pretty high.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    Nor do I, but nobody has studied consumption levels that high. Fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes, as is fruit juice consumption.
    What studies say fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes?

    Google it. "cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes" works.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited June 2015
    yarwell wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    Nor do I, but nobody has studied consumption levels that high. Fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes, as is fruit juice consumption.
    What studies say fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes?

    Google it. "cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes" works.

    From the first link that comes up:

    The authors of this Research paper have informed us of a coding error in their analysis programmes that generated the results for this study (BMJ 2013;347:f5001, doi:10.1136/bmj.f5001). Specifically, the total fruit intake variable included both whole fruits and fruit juices in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, but the authors incorrectly treated it as whole fruit in their initial analyses. Consequently, some of the values recorded for the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of type 2 diabetes for whole fruit intake and fruit juice intake are incorrect.
  • PneumaVision
    PneumaVision Posts: 44 Member
    Don't worry about trivialities. All those diabetic chimps cannot be wrong.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »

    -- selective quote --

    you missed the part that said
    The authors state that these erroneous values do not affect the conclusions of their study or their estimates for individual fruits
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    This is silly. Unless you need to worry about sugar or potassium for very specific health reasons-eat it if you want. You're apparently at a healthy weight and feeling good, otherwise your post would have read very differently.

    Seriously, the sugar really doesn't matter.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    and yet learned committees come up with 90 grams/day as a limit for total sugar intake, for the general population. Hmm.
  • TheDevastator
    TheDevastator Posts: 1,626 Member
    Mr_Knight wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    Nor do I, but nobody has studied consumption levels that high. Fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes, as is fruit juice consumption.
    What studies say fruit sugars in cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes?

    Google it. "cantaloupe and strawberries are weakly associated with increased risk of diabetes" works.

    From the first link that comes up:

    The authors of this Research paper have informed us of a coding error in their analysis programmes that generated the results for this study (BMJ 2013;347:f5001, doi:10.1136/bmj.f5001). Specifically, the total fruit intake variable included both whole fruits and fruit juices in the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, but the authors incorrectly treated it as whole fruit in their initial analyses. Consequently, some of the values recorded for the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of type 2 diabetes for whole fruit intake and fruit juice intake are incorrect.

    Whoops they made a big error. So just avoid fruit juices and eat whole fruit.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    TheDevastator wrote: »
    Whoops they made a big error. So just avoid fruit juices and eat whole fruit.

    No, you fell for his deceptive selective quoting. Their conclusion re individual fruits was not affected.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    yarwell wrote: »
    and yet learned committees come up with 90 grams/day as a limit for total sugar intake, for the general population. Hmm.

    Typically ADDED sugar. In fact, the new dietary guidelines are going to have this separated on the nutrition facts of products (in the U.S.)

    Also-these recommendations are general and for a specific purpose. I.e. For many people, if they cut down on ADDED sugar, they will reduce overall calories, and probably add more nutrient-dense foods, like fruit, to their diet and improve overall health.

    Broad guidelines that are meant to fit as many people as possible in a population as simply as possible.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    slaite1 wrote: »
    yarwell wrote: »
    and yet learned committees come up with 90 grams/day as a limit for total sugar intake, for the general population. Hmm.

    Typically ADDED sugar.

    No, total. 90g in EU, Aus. 100g proposed for Canada. Total sugars, from all sources.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    OP, it's impossible for us to say whether or not the bananas can fit into your diet because you aren't tracking your total calories/current intake. It may be perfectly fine, it may be too much. We can't possibly know without an idea of what you're actually eating.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    I picked an international organization as I only really know about US guidelines, although I doubt Canada and the EU are so drastically different

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/

    My selective quoting:

    "The WHO guideline does not refer to the sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables, and sugars naturally present in milk, because there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these sugars."
  • FitForL1fe
    FitForL1fe Posts: 1,872 Member
    lilylenz wrote: »
    (**please keep in mind that I do NOT count calories/track what I eat - my diet is pretty much just clean food and no meat/poultry)

    I've read a lot of mixed things about bananas..some say they're great, others say they're too high in sugar, and some say that the sugar is okay because it's natural fruit sugar, blah, blah, blah...

    Anyway, I'd just like to know if I should limit how many bananas I eat in a day..I'm constantly running around (i'm a freshman in college who is also balancing a part-time job, so I don't have a lot of time on my hands), so whenever I need something to eat "on the go", I grab a banana. of course, I eat other things - but i usually have 3 - 4 bananas every day...and I was just wondering if that was okay? Should I cut back on my banana consumption due to the amount of sugar in them or should I be fine?

    My, this is a strange question...

    Thanks and have a great day

    haha this is a weird question but I like bananas so here we are

    on average (varying by weight of course), they're only about 100 calories each

    the sugar content doesn't matter at all unless you are prediabetic or diabetic


    tl;dr: enjoy!!
  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
    Just couldn't resist. I LOOOVE Onision.

    Onision+banana.jpg
  • Chezzie84
    Chezzie84 Posts: 873 Member
    As a minion I can honestly tell you that there is nothing wrong with bananas.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    edited June 2015
    slaite1 wrote: »
    I picked an international organization as I only really know about US guidelines, although I doubt Canada and the EU are so drastically different

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/sugar-guideline/en/

    My selective quoting:

    "The WHO guideline does not refer to the sugars in fresh fruits and vegetables, and sugars naturally present in milk, because there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these sugars."

    you're still wrong. The WHO talks of "Free Sugars" and the limit is consequently lower. EU and Aus have RDI numbers on TOTAL sugars. Canada is also proposing Total sugars.

    7ix10xe13hpy.png
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    Just pointing out that their are organizations that do differentiate, including U.S. guidelines. So I would say I am not wrong, particularly as WHO specifically says there is no reported evidence of adverse effects of consuming these (fruit, milk, etc) sugars.

    Anyway, sugar has been argued to death, and I do not want to derail further. So long as OP is aware that not everyone thinks sugar is evil.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories