Bananas-friend or foe

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  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,632 Member
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    I eat a banana every night for the potassium, they're a pretty dense tasting food (meaning, you KNOW you've eaten something), and they're delicious so...friend.

    The peel would be a foe because of the slipping on them. :)
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,146 Member
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    Bananas make me nauseated. I don't know why but they do. I like the taste but not the side effects, and in addition they don't satisfy me and are not worthy the calories or carbs.
    I used to share (maybe 1/4) or a banana with my husband (potassium) but he used to buy the bigger ones at Costco. Not more; we now drink a low sodium V8 daily to get potassium and bananas are out of our "diet."
    If you like them and they fit your calories and macros, go for it.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    I eat a banana every night for the potassium, they're a pretty dense tasting food (meaning, you KNOW you've eaten something), and they're delicious so...friend.

    The peel would be a foe because of the slipping on them. :)

    Has anybody ever really slipped on a banana peel, or is that just Hollywood? Has Mythbusters done a banana peel episode?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    glassyo wrote: »
    I eat a banana every night for the potassium, they're a pretty dense tasting food (meaning, you KNOW you've eaten something), and they're delicious so...friend.

    The peel would be a foe because of the slipping on them. :)

    Has anybody ever really slipped on a banana peel, or is that just Hollywood? Has Mythbusters done a banana peel episode?

    Of course they have :smiley:

    http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/slip-and-fall-on-banana-peel/
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    karenafrn wrote: »
    Hi
    New to the app. Trying to learn as much as possible. Can you all tell me your thoughts on bananas? I was told they are too high on the glycemic index and therefore should be avoided or at least be limited, but so many smoothie recipes call for them. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

    I don't follow a special diet just watch calorie intake. I can eat a banana if I feel like it.
    I don't have smoothies because drinking my calories is not satisfying to me.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,001 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    karenafrn wrote: »
    I love them but thought they were high on glycemic index and therefore made a persons sugar spike. Thanks!

    Firstly, the glycemic index of a food isn't relevant unless you have a medical issue with blood sugar regulation.

    Secondly, the glycemic index of a food is only relevant if you are eating that one particular food in isolation from any/all other foods, while in a fasted state. If you consume any other food with it, or still have those foods being digested in your stomach, they alter the GI of whatever food you're eating.

    I like it when someone saves me the trouble of typing.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    I will occasionally have one. Something about the texture makes a banana a pretty filling option. If I need to eat something quick, I'll grab one because they take way less time to eat than an apple or chicken or hardboiled eggs.
  • J_Fairfax
    J_Fairfax Posts: 57 Member
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    I chop them up and put one in my oatmeal for breakfast ftw!
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    They're a friend to me--I eat them for the potassium and because they're filling to me in combination with other foods. Or, I'll eat a banana if it's too early for lunch, and it holds me a while longer.

    I love them when they're just past the green stage. Brown spots anywhere, and it's no bueno--too sweet.

    I do NOT like them in a smoothie. I use mango and/or avocado instead.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    Bananas are pure genius !!!! A natural sweetener, filler and energ source all in one ... and 1g=1cal so easy to workout in your head if you need to.

    Rather than add tsps of sugar or honey to something that adds calories but doesn’t change the volume ... I add banana, it adds sweetness AND bulks the food out so it’s more filling. Again with baking, add it to protein powders etc and it sweetens/thickens/sets anything from cookies to cake to pancakes to smoothies .... you can even make ice cream with it

    Love bananas !!!! The average 100cal sweet versatile treat
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Put a frozen banana into one of those Yonanas machines, mix it with some PB2 powder and you've got delicious peanut butter banana soft-serve.
  • otruelove
    otruelove Posts: 1 Member
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    The greener the banana the less sugar it has. You won't notice if it's in a smoothie or you get use to it after awhile. If that's your concern
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
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    I love bananas and eat one every day, sometimes two if it fits in my calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    I'm not that into bananas compared with many other fruits (and plenty of other foods are as good for potassium -- 100 g of potatoes has more than 100 g of bananas), but that's just a personal preference. There is absolutely nothing wrong and lots right about bananas if you enjoy them. GI is rather irrelevant, and the anti banana stuff boggles my mind.

    I find them reasonably filling (but I don't snack anyway, so normally don't worry about how filling any food is on its own), but if you don't find they satiate you in the way you eat them, that might be a concern. I do enjoy them as an easy pre run food that won't upset my stomach or a great post race food -- for some reason I find them tastier then than I normally do.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,051 Member
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    Unless you have a medical condition whereby sugar needs to be limited or the high potassium is a problem ( people with renal failure need to be careful) then bananas are a nutritious and perfectly good food.

    Whether you like them or find them filling or worth the calories is subjective - like any other food.

    Me personally - friend.
    I like bananas, they are cheap and easy and I eat several per week.
    Not difficult to fit into even a lowish calorie allowance.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The connection of GI with satiety has been debunked.

    You shouldn't eat only high GI foods, but that's because that would be a seriously unbalanced diet. Does it matter if most meals include some higher GI foods (hard to imagine meals that wouldn't also include lower GI foods if someone were eating in a sensible balanced way)? Of course not. The idea that banana (or potato) is high GI so should be avoided isn't really a good approach. (And I find both more filling than, say, bacon, which has a low GI, presumably, since it's fat and a little protein. Satiety is about mix of food and, also, is largely individual.)

    Rather than messing with GI, I'd say pay attention to what you eat and how you feel and modify if you are struggling to stay in your calories -- just common sense!
  • fb47
    fb47 Posts: 1,058 Member
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    karenafrn wrote: »
    Hi
    New to the app. Trying to learn as much as possible. Can you all tell me your thoughts on bananas? I was told they are too high on the glycemic index and therefore should be avoided or at least be limited, but so many smoothie recipes call for them. Thoughts? Thanks in advance.

    You shouldn't listen to that person's *kitten* advice. Unless your doctor tells you not to eat bananas, you can eat those damn bananas.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
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    Bananas are yummy. I eat one every day. I've lost over 40lbs.

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