Are bananas bad for you?
The short answer? NO! Some people are somewhat suspicious of bananas. I’ve heard friends who have been advised by other friends or their PTs to avoid them due various beliefs concerning nutrients like their potassium and sugar content. With some conflicting messages in the media, I thought I’d post some facts about these yellow wonders.
Bananas are a good source of:
- Fibre
- Potassium
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin C
- Various antioxidants and phytonutrients
A medium banana contains approximately…
- 89 calories
- 75% water
- 1.1g protein
- 22.8g Carbs
- 12.2g sugar (Naturally occurring)
- 2.6g fibre
- 0.3g fat
Bananas are a rich source of carbohydrates, which occur mainly as starch in unripe bananas and sugars in ripe bananas. The carb composition of bananas changes drastically during ripening.
Bananas have a relatively low glycemic index (GI) of 42–58, depending on their ripeness. The GI is a measure of how quickly the carbs in food enter your bloodstream and raise blood sugar. Bananas’ high content of resistant starch and fibre explains their low GI. This makes them an ideal snack or breakfast ingredient to help keep you going throughout the day! Try slicing some banana to top yoghurt porridge, or pancakes!
What about the sugar?
Fructose, a natural sugar found in many fruits, is consumed in significant amounts in Western diets. Fructose from whole fruit doesn’t add to your intake of free (or added) sugar, but in fruit juice or a smoothie it does. So try to consume bananas in their natural form.
Trying to reduce your intake of added sugars? The best thing you can do is to get label savvy when food shopping, so that you are aware of all the hidden free (added) sugars in the foods that you buy. Aim to cut down where you can. You can control the amount of sugar you consume more easily if you cook food yourself. See the traffic light system below to help you choose the healthier options.
So to conclude, bananas are a great snack, breakfast component or smoothie base. People may avoid them in an attempt to reduce their sugar intake. Yes, if you eat NOTHING but bananas- you’ll probably be deficient in quite a few nutrients. But, like nutritionists and other health professionals often say- it’s all about balance and moderation!
SOURCES
Cheng & Lin 2010
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, 2020
Diabetes UK, 2020
Healthline, 2020
Lahav, 1995
Rizkalla, 2010
Loutritionist 