Are bananas and peanut butter a bad thing?
MeganMeCrazy247
Posts: 16 Member
So I found this awesome recipe online that helps replace ice cream cravings. Basically you freeze a bunch of chopped bananas then blend it with some vanilla extract and a choice of your flavor, in this case I use my Peanut Butter Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, and it tastes delicious. The thing I'm worried about is if its too much. Basically when it comes down to the ingredients and macro nutrients, I'm eating about 2-3 bananas and 3-4 tbsp of peanut butter along with a tsp of vanilla. Now I feel like that is a lot of bananas. I might even be eating more. I usually eat this when I'm about to exercise a lot or for a post workout smoothie type thing. Anyone have any suggestions or comments, concerns? I don't want to get backed up with bananas to be honest haha, I just feel like with the amount of banana and chocolate peanut butter I'm basically eating the equivalent of chocolate ice cream. What do you think???
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Replies
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If it fits in your calories and you enjoy it...its fine.12
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It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.19
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A banana is like 100 calories for a medium one. A tablespoon of peanut butter is the same. You might want to watch the portions on that.5
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Weigh the bananas you toss in the mix, weigh the peanut butter and the flavoring. Use the recipe tool to figure out how many calories are in the pot, and set your portion size appropriately for your calorie budget. It sounds delicious.2
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arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk0 -
I will say that the recipe sounds good, but dang why so much? I am a big eater and my smoothie is only a yogurt, one banana, pbfit, whey protein. It comes to around 350-400 calories depending on the yogurt and the weight of the fruit. It fills me up quite nicely and makes a great post workout meal. Whenever I buy bananas i take a couple and chunk them up and freeze. That way you don't have to use ice in your smoothie and thinning out the taste.1
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You could try using chocolate soy milk instead of chocolate peanut butter3
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
Put it in the recipe builder to know for sure. A single banana is 12 g of sugar and a serving (2 Tbsp) of that PB is 7 g of sugar. A 1/2 cup serving of Turkey Hill chocolate peanut butter ice cream is 14 g of sugar...
You've fallen in one of the classic traps, assuming that the frozen banana "nice"cream is automatically better. It's higher in cals and sugar. If you want the nutrients of a banana, just eat a banana, and then have real ice cream.15 -
I mean I know I should probably not chop up as many bananas as I usually do any ways. I'll chop up about 5-6 then store that so that I don't have to worry about too ripe of a banana. But I do have to confess that I can't really tell how many bananas I'm dumping in when I make the "ice cream." Then I just scoop a big *kitten* serving of peanut butter. I'm usually guestimating the entire time...maybe I shouldn't eat it anymore or just plan it better...0
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »I'm usually guestimating the entire time...maybe I shouldn't eat it anymore or just plan it better...
weigh weigh weigh. Its the only way.
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
The amount of sugar (unless you have medical conditions which require monitoring) is less important for weight loss than total calories. However, as WinoGelato did the math for you, looks like your concoction doesn't come out ahead in either category. Personally, I like bananas and peanut butter, but I just take the banana and put peanut butter on it. If I want ice cream, I eat a serving of that. Achieving your goals requires awareness of calories consumed, number of calories burned (throughout the day, not just during activity), and paying attention to nutrition and hunger cues. These ridiculous substitutes for everything to make it "healthier" just muddy the water.4 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
The amount of sugar (unless you have medical conditions which require monitoring) is less important for weight loss than total calories. However, as WinoGelato did the math for you, looks like your concoction doesn't come out ahead in either category. Personally, I like bananas and peanut butter, but I just take the banana and put peanut butter on it. If I want ice cream, I eat a serving of that. Achieving your goals requires awareness of calories consumed, number of calories burned (throughout the day, not just during activity), and paying attention to nutrition and hunger cues. These ridiculous substitutes for everything to make it "healthier" just muddy the water.
Well I mean I burned over 2,000 calories today and before my bananas and pb I only ate 875 cals for the whole day...so for my total I ate about 1,800 cals today with over 800 cals still available...0 -
MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
The amount of sugar (unless you have medical conditions which require monitoring) is less important for weight loss than total calories. However, as WinoGelato did the math for you, looks like your concoction doesn't come out ahead in either category. Personally, I like bananas and peanut butter, but I just take the banana and put peanut butter on it. If I want ice cream, I eat a serving of that. Achieving your goals requires awareness of calories consumed, number of calories burned (throughout the day, not just during activity), and paying attention to nutrition and hunger cues. These ridiculous substitutes for everything to make it "healthier" just muddy the water.
Well I mean I burned over 2,000 calories today and before my bananas and pb I only ate 875 cals for the whole day...so for my total I ate about 1,800 cals today with over 800 cals still available...
Are you logging all your foods accurately using a food scale?
When you say you burned over 2000 cals today, do you mean total burn or that is your exercise burn? If the latter, what sort of exercise are you doing and how do you measure your burns?
Are you saying that over half of your total calorie consumption was from your banana PB concoction? Where are you getting protein from? Why are you eating so little food other than this?2 -
WinoGelato wrote: »MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
The amount of sugar (unless you have medical conditions which require monitoring) is less important for weight loss than total calories. However, as WinoGelato did the math for you, looks like your concoction doesn't come out ahead in either category. Personally, I like bananas and peanut butter, but I just take the banana and put peanut butter on it. If I want ice cream, I eat a serving of that. Achieving your goals requires awareness of calories consumed, number of calories burned (throughout the day, not just during activity), and paying attention to nutrition and hunger cues. These ridiculous substitutes for everything to make it "healthier" just muddy the water.
Well I mean I burned over 2,000 calories today and before my bananas and pb I only ate 875 cals for the whole day...so for my total I ate about 1,800 cals today with over 800 cals still available...
Are you logging all your foods accurately using a food scale?
When you say you burned over 2000 cals today, do you mean total burn or that is your exercise burn? If the latter, what sort of exercise are you doing and how do you measure your burns?
Are you saying that over half of your total calorie consumption was from your banana PB concoction? Where are you getting protein from? Why are you eating so little food other than this?
These questions, plus, you just said that you don't measure your bananas and you guesstimate your peanut butter. You really don't know how much you're eating.
ETA: Sorry, I should have been clearer when I was talking about the substitutions to make everything healthier. I just mean that there are so many unsubstantiated eating rules that are being spread across the internet, and are really unnecessary.1 -
Bananas and peanut butter are life.4
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »So I found this awesome recipe online that helps replace ice cream cravings. Basically you freeze a bunch of chopped bananas then blend it with some vanilla extract and a choice of your flavor, in this case I use my Peanut Butter Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, and it tastes delicious. The thing I'm worried about is if its too much. Basically when it comes down to the ingredients and macro nutrients, I'm eating about 2-3 bananas and 3-4 tbsp of peanut butter along with a tsp of vanilla. Now I feel like that is a lot of bananas. I might even be eating more. I usually eat this when I'm about to exercise a lot or for a post workout smoothie type thing. Anyone have any suggestions or comments, concerns? I don't want to get backed up with bananas to be honest haha, I just feel like with the amount of banana and chocolate peanut butter I'm basically eating the equivalent of chocolate ice cream. What do you think???
a banana with peanut butter on is my favorite post run refuel. its quite a lot of calories (i like a generous amount of peanut butter) but much better nutritionally than a chocolate bar.
that being said, eat whatever fits your calories and macros.0 -
Yes bad. Bad! (But only because I'm in the minority on here and don't like peanut butter.
) 1 -
If you want something lower calorie I make the same thing into a milkshake, 1 frozen banana, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, milk (I use soy) and any other flavourings and protein powder (optional!) blended together. Not as many calories but still good! It has the consistency of an ice cream milkshake too. If I'm running out of kcals for the day I skip the PB, half the banana and add some ice.1
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
If it has less sugar but more overall calories then it is not necessarily "better". Not worse either. Depends on what the rest of your diet looks like...1 -
Those are only bad if you're on a potassium-restrictive diet. Both bananas and peanut butter are high in potassium.1
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I'm not sure what your goals are, but if your goal is to lose weight, then bananas and peanut butter over creamy ice cream is fairly arbitrary. If you are looking to eat less processed foods, then maybe the banana is the way to go. That being said, your sugar intake may assist you in how you feel and your energy levels, but it is irrelevant if your goal is to lose weight.
I sometimes put 1 banana with pb2 powder (low cal) and a tiny tad of vanilla and cinnamon into a food processor but that comes out to like 150 cal treat. Portions are everything.
Also, having half of your calories come from bananas and peanut butter might make it hard to fit in other things that will help make you feel good and full (like protein, for example...)
If you like it, and you are reaching your goals doing it, then by all means, go crazy with the stuff. However, if your goal is weight loss and if you are having any road blocks, you may consider making that portion smaller and focusing on foods that keep you fuller longer. It all totally depends on your goals.2 -
It does sound kind of high calorie. What if you make the same recipe, but only use 1 banana, and 1 tbsp of peanut butter, add a little of your flavoring, and the vanilla extract but then blend it with ice....1
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »So I found this awesome recipe online that helps replace ice cream cravings. Basically you freeze a bunch of chopped bananas then blend it with some vanilla extract and a choice of your flavor, in this case I use my Peanut Butter Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams, and it tastes delicious. The thing I'm worried about is if its too much. Basically when it comes down to the ingredients and macro nutrients, I'm eating about 2-3 bananas and 3-4 tbsp of peanut butter along with a tsp of vanilla. Now I feel like that is a lot of bananas. I might even be eating more. I usually eat this when I'm about to exercise a lot or for a post workout smoothie type thing. Anyone have any suggestions or comments, concerns? I don't want to get backed up with bananas to be honest haha, I just feel like with the amount of banana and chocolate peanut butter I'm basically eating the equivalent of chocolate ice cream. What do you think???
Weigh the bananas and peanut butter next time and compare it to your chocolate ice cream. This definitely sounds like more calories and sugar than 1/2 C of chocolate ice cream to me but because you're not sure of quantities, neither am I. However, if you normally eat a pint of premium ice cream in a sitting (not judging - I used to do that), then yes, PB and banana might be a better option.
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Just eat ice cream. Peanut butter has a depressing number of calories.2
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You could probably eat an entire pint of ice cream and have less calories than your concoction. I was figuring in my head the calories, and it could be up to 1000 calories. I'd much rather eat 300 calories of ice cream.4
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MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »I mean I know I should probably not chop up as many bananas as I usually do any ways. I'll chop up about 5-6 then store that so that I don't have to worry about too ripe of a banana. But I do have to confess that I can't really tell how many bananas I'm dumping in when I make the "ice cream." Then I just scoop a big *kitten* serving of peanut butter. I'm usually guestimating the entire time...maybe I shouldn't eat it anymore or just plan it better...
Eyeballing peanut butter is the biggest mistake ever.11 -
For weight loss, calories are king. You should not be guesstimating high calorie items like bananas, peanut butter, or ice cream if weight management is your goal.
"Healthy" depends on your entire diet as a whole. There is nothing wrong with some ice cream if you got the nutrition you need throughout the rest of the day. I have ice cream on the nights I ate "well" throughout the day - plenty of veggies and whole grains, enough fat but not too much, protein on point. If not, I try to instead have a snack that fills in whatever I didn't get. And if I really went overboard for the day, I have a square of dark chocolate and a cup of green tea.
I personally would much rather have 200 cals of real ice cream than 200 calories of frozen banana, but everyone's tastes are different!0 -
Without reading any other replies....
YAAAAAAS. I love frozen blended bananas! I usually do one with cocoa powder or chocolate chips. One scoop of pb is usually enough if I'm doing that flavor. If it fits your calories &/or macros, you're good to go. I do it for late night snacks sometimes because it's better than the equivalent amount of ice cream. Plus, I wasn't able to eat dairy for a while, so it was a wonderful substitute.0 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »MeganMeCrazy247 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »It's probably more calories than a serving of ice cream. What is your goal with this recipe? Are you trying to find a lower calorie alternative to ice cream, or meet a macro goal? If you weigh a banana, depending on how many grams it is, it can have up to 120 calories. So 3 bananas could be 360 calories right there. 2 tablespoons of PB is 190, if you're have 4....do the math. This is not a low calorie dessert.
I realized that the calories were going to be high, but do you think it's better than eating creamy ice cream? I felt it would have at least less sugar...idk
The amount of sugar (unless you have medical conditions which require monitoring) is less important for weight loss than total calories. However, as WinoGelato did the math for you, looks like your concoction doesn't come out ahead in either category. Personally, I like bananas and peanut butter, but I just take the banana and put peanut butter on it. If I want ice cream, I eat a serving of that. Achieving your goals requires awareness of calories consumed, number of calories burned (throughout the day, not just during activity), and paying attention to nutrition and hunger cues. These ridiculous substitutes for everything to make it "healthier" just muddy the water.
Yes to all of this.
Ice cream is okay. That banana concoction has about the same, if not more calories and sugar.0 -
A bad thing? No.
A high calorie thing? Potentially, especially with the peanut butter.
Not saying it would taste bad, though..far from it. I don't know that it's "better" than regular ice cream, either, unless you're lactose intolerant or something.
Now I want some ice cream! D'oh!2
This discussion has been closed.
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