Calories in a banana

I see calories in many places for bananas, but I want to know if that's for weight with the peel on. Basically I need some advice on how many calories are in a banana and how you weigh them. Thanks!
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Replies

  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Oh this is a good question! I generally find the banana's in the database that go by measurement ... like small 6-6.75 inches for eating the fresh fruit.

    I do keep peeled bananas in the freezer and when I eat one of those I weigh the peeled banana.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited September 2016
    Use the entry matching this.

    https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2159?manu=&fgcd=

    Weigh what you eat.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,334 Member
    Calorie counts are for the bits you eat. Weigh the banana, eat it, weigh the skin. Log the difference.
  • DanK1988
    DanK1988 Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks Everyone. Pretty sure I got it now.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I don't weigh/log bananas anymore because I don't want a bunch of random entries in my diary for the same thing. But I do try to buy generally the same size from week-to-week and log them at 100 calories.
  • Gadgetcin
    Gadgetcin Posts: 1 Member
    I have a question not about the size of a banana but why does it not show any potassium intake?
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    I don't weigh/log bananas anymore because I don't want a bunch of random entries in my diary for the same thing.

    I don't understand what you mean by this.

    @Gadgetcin , potassium is listed under Minerals at the link above.
  • i usually just weigh out 100 g to keep it simple and throw out or save/freeze rest ( I buy small bananas though)
  • mlee981
    mlee981 Posts: 18 Member
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.
  • mlee981
    mlee981 Posts: 18 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.


    Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    Gadgetcin wrote: »
    I have a question not about the size of a banana but why does it not show any potassium intake?

    Most people don't enter the potassium amount into the database as they don't track it. You're better off entering it yourself and then you can enter all the info.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    nowine4me wrote: »
    I don't weigh/log bananas anymore because I don't want a bunch of random entries in my diary for the same thing. But I do try to buy generally the same size from week-to-week and log them at 100 calories.

    If you look up "USDA banana" and log the grams one day, the next time you weigh your banana, you can change the gram size on that day using the same entry. It shouldn't give you a separate entry.
  • Kelbelb75
    Kelbelb75 Posts: 90 Member
    I weigh without the skin now. When I first started tracking, I weighed skin and all!
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    mlee981 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.


    Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?

    Yes.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    DanK1988 wrote: »
    I see calories in many places for bananas, but I want to know if that's for weight with the peel on. Basically I need some advice on how many calories are in a banana and how you weigh them. Thanks!

    You weigh without the skin and use an accurate entry that is in grams.

    Entries that say "medium banana" or "small, 6.5 inches" or something similar are not good enough. What is a medium banana? Are you measuring your banana? Bananas are pretty calorie dense, so it's important to get an accurate measure.
    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    Disregard this. Bananas have calories, and those calories DO count, just as much as the calories in "junk food."
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    mlee981 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.


    Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?

    Yes and no. For energy purposes (weight loss/gain/maintenance) yes. For nutrients, both food substances have different nutrients, so no. I know when I was pre-diabetic bananas caused a much sharper blood sugar spike than a doughnut. It surprised me and made me a bit sad because I love bananas, doughnuts not so much.

    A side note: yesterday I had about 200 calories in bananas and 50 calories in cookies, so in retrospect the bananas had a larger impact on my calorie allowance than the cookies.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited September 2016
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.


    Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?

    Lol - don't go down this road. I did yesterday and lived to regret it. There are those that believe calories are all that matters and all food is healthy as such. You can eat junk food as part of a healthy diet apparently. I agree with you - but don't go down this road....its a long long road...

    Yeah, it always sucks to hear actual logic in the forums.

    Best to just plug your ears and continue to place certain foods into arbitrary categories and assign magical properties to foods like kale.

    So there are no 'superfoods' such as kale, broccoli and blueberries? Answer the girls question - is a banana healthier than a donut?....let me guess - it is about "context"...no, the banana is healthier and that is scientific fact love

    giphy.gif
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    mlee981 wrote: »
    You weight em without the peel on a scale ...

    But honestly ... It's not the bananas you need to worry about .

    It's hbe processed food , the meat, the dairy , the JUNK.

    No. What you need to worry about is the calories. Calories in < Calories out. It's that simple. The rest of the diet is all about context and dosage, there's no need to demonize any particular food or food group.


    Yeah okay man. Do you really think the body utilises the calories in a banana the same way as a donut ?

    Lol - don't go down this road. I did yesterday and lived to regret it. There are those that believe calories are all that matters and all food is healthy as such. You can eat junk food as part of a healthy diet apparently. I agree with you - but don't go down this road....its a long long road...

    Yeah, it always sucks to hear actual logic in the forums.

    Best to just plug your ears and continue to place certain foods into arbitrary categories and assign magical properties to foods like kale.

    So there are no 'superfoods' such as kale, broccoli and blueberries? Answer the girls question - is a banana healthier than a donut?....let me guess - it is about "context"...no, the banana is healthier and that is scientific fact love

    Cool, so because bananas are so healthy, I'm going to eat only bananas from now on. Oh crap, I'm dead.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    Neither because context is important. A healthy diet doesn't get extra healthy by eating a banana or less healthy by having a donut. If you agree a balanced diet is important you can't say X food is healthier than Y food because nothing is eaten in a vacuum but always as a part of a diet.

    Also banana: total carbs 23 grams, 2.6 grams fiber, 5.4 grams starch, 12.2 grams sugars.
    Flour on the other hand (which is a main ingredient in baked goods) 0.5 sugars, the rest are complex carbs.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    toolzz wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    Actually the question was 'how do you weigh a banana"

    ^^This.

    The whole banana/donut ordeal was a hijack of this thread. @Jakep2323 you are dominating yet another thread with your misinformation. Please stahp.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    toolzz wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    Actually the question was 'how do you weigh a banana"

    ^^This.

    The whole banana/donut ordeal was a hijack of this thread. @Jakep2323 you are dominating yet another thread with your misinformation. Please stahp.

    Cartoon posse are commenting everywhere - why can't I?

    Because you are derailing threads, arguing the same points that others are trying to make but pretending your points are more enlightened for whatever reason, and insulting people.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).

    For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.

    Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?

    That's a logical leap if I ever saw it.

    A Harley and a Kawasaki are both motorcycles. You can't say one is better than the other because they've both got their place. But they're both very different and BECAUSE they're so different do they both have got their own place and you can't say one is superior over the other outside of preference.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    edited September 2016
    dykask wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    toolzz wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    Actually the question was 'how do you weigh a banana"

    ^^This.

    The whole banana/donut ordeal was a hijack of this thread. @Jakep2323 you are dominating yet another thread with your misinformation. Please stahp.

    Cartoon posse are commenting everywhere - why can't I?

    Because you are derailing threads, arguing the same points that others are trying to make but pretending your points are more enlightened for whatever reason, and insulting people.

    Seems like your policing is what has derailed the thread. The question of how to weigh a banana was answered in the first few posts. Your post was the only one I thought was insulting.

    I think the thread took a turn for the worst with all hope of any intelligent discussion lost with this:
    Lol - don't go down this road. I did yesterday and lived to regret it. There are those that believe calories are all that matters and all food is healthy as such. You can eat junk food as part of a healthy diet apparently. I agree with you - but don't go down this road....its a long long road...

    But thanks for your input.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    Jakep2323 wrote: »
    I said that from day one - anything in moderation is fine. The question was....which is healthier out of a banana or donut? Now - you jumped to 'well if you ate bananas forever you would die and your other cartoon friend with no profile picture said I assign things to magical properties or some rubbish. Now, which is healthier...a banana or a donut?
    Also FYI - "The rest of the carbohydrates in banana are complex carbohydrate molecules, which are made up of several smaller sugar molecules bonded together to form large chains. Your body breaks down complex carbohydrates into smaller sugars in your digestive tract, then uses that sugar as a source of energy"

    The problem with this "vs" comparison is that it lacks context. For my particular case 2 years ago, a doughnut would have been healthier than a banana hands down (as explained above).

    For someone wanting a quick boost for a sport, a banana is superior without all the fat getting in the way. For someone who is having a lower than desired fat day, a doughnut is superior. For potassium, a banana is much better. For iron, a doughnut is better. For someone craving a doughnut, a doughnut is better for diet adherence, for someone craving a banana, a banana is better... and so on and so forth.

    Very good - I agree with this. I've been told you can't class food as healthy or unhealthy - food is food apparently? So foods have nutrition...Kale is just the same as ice cream apparently?

    That would be an oversimplification, and I don't think anyone is saying that kale has the exact same nutrients as ice cream or that any two foods are nutritional copies of each other. The reason it's not preferable to set rigid "healthy" and "unhealthy" labels because the same food can fall into either category for different people in different situations. Again, context. For those trying to avoid oxalates, kale is "unhealthy", for those whose weight loss adherence hangs on ice cream, ice cream is "healthy".

    Someone eating nothing but kale has an unhealthy diet, someone eating a scoop of ice cream every now and then as a part of a varied nutrient rich diet has a healthy diet. No healthy/unhealthy foods unless it's medically warranted, but there absolutely is a healthy/unhealthy diet.
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