I love bananas and have my whole life. I read a lot in the media etc of how bad they are for dieters. I know that they are high glycemic index and all but that is one food item we have every morning in our break room at work that I can enjoy if I don't bring breakfast to work. Have to be there by 0630. I have noticed a slight decline with weight loss when I eat one but it is pretty early in the am and I don't have one later. I do feel like I am cheating when I do eat one though.
I don't think they are "bad." If you eat them and gain weight, it's probably water weight because of the higher sugar content in bananas. However, in terms of choices, a banana is much better than other snacks people often indulge in. I say that if you enjoy them, keep eating them!
Hi thanks Lin-- already felling better about eating them. One reason I really like them is they are so filling. I think when lunch comes around I don't eat as much because of that.
I think bananas are good and I like them because they can be a filling snack. They are one of the fruits I regularly eat. There's nothing wrong with eating them but remember moderation is important.
I'd say I eat bananas 4 days out of 7 as I like to blend one into my cinnamon graham flavored protein powder...it's like banana cream pie LOL I've been losing weight steadily since February so I guess I don't think bananas are bad at all as long as you're not eating them in bulk - which is true for ANY food.
I love bananas and have my whole life. I read a lot in the media etc of how bad they are for dieters. I know that they are high glycemic index and all but that is one food item we have every morning in our break room at work that I can enjoy if I don't bring breakfast to work. Have to be there by 0630. I have noticed a slight decline with weight loss when I eat one but it is pretty early in the am and I don't have one later. I do feel like I am cheating when I do eat one though.
What have you read specifically about bananas that dissuaded you? It's very concerning that you feel guilt and like you're cheating when you eat a banana. Guilt tends to perpetuate feelings of distress that can lead to over eating. Take it from me, for an ounce of guilt I eat an ounce of chocolate. That can really add up lol.
People who have good intentions and want to lose a little weight instinctively try to eat "better," meaning more fruits and veg and less junk food. But the diet industry is a billion dollar industry that makes money by keeping you on a hamster wheel of conflicting nutrition information. One day a food is good, the next day it's bad. Coffee is good for you then all of a sudden you have to switch to tea. Every best selling author and their mother is trying to convince you that their WOE is the best way. And the new eating disorder du jour is orthorexia, a type of eating that has the victim obsessed with eating "the right foods." All this conflicting information causes the consumer to remain indefinitely uncertain about their decisions, spending more and more time and money on dieting and failing.
I used to listen to all the experts too, and I read all the magazine articles and I was swayed by the other dieters who don't touch this or that food. It was with all my good intentions that I relinquished food control over to those who supposedly knew better all the whole ignoring my own needs and my body's needs. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and you did a good job justifying eating that banana at breakfast. But you shouldn't have to. It's a waste of time to villainizing any food. Unless you have a serious banana addiction causing you to eat them weekly by the bushels then don't pay any mind to the scare mongerers, the carrot decapitators, the banana banishers, the potato prohibitors, the wheat warriors etc.
You're eating some fruit in moderation. Lose the guilt and enjoy it.
Last edited by Palestrina; 08-17-2014 at 08:35 AM.
Hi thanks Lin-- already felling better about eating them. One reason I really like them is they are so filling. I think when lunch comes around I don't eat as much because of that.
For me it is the opposite eating banans makes me much more hungry then I was before eating one. I have to go back to only eating them with full fat greek yogurt. If it is filling for you then it is likely good for your diet.
Maki, I get what you mean. I blend them into protein shakes for a similar reason...not so much staying power without some protein/fat to balance out the carbs.
What have you read specifically about bananas that dissuaded you? It's very concerning that you feel guilt and like you're cheating when you eat a banana. Guilt tends to perpetuate feelings of distress that can lead to over eating. Take it from me, for an ounce of guilt I eat an ounce of chocolate. That can really add up lol.
People who have good intentions and want to lose a little weight instinctively try to eat "better," meaning more fruits and veg and less junk food. But the diet industry is a billion dollar industry that makes money by keeping you on a hamster wheel of conflicting nutrition information. One day a food is good, the next day it's bad. Coffee is good for you then all of a sudden you have to switch to tea. Every best selling author and their mother is trying to convince you that their WOE is the best way. And the new eating disorder du jour is orthorexia, a type of eating that has the victim obsessed with eating "the right foods." All this conflicting information causes the consumer to remain indefinitely uncertain about their decisions, spending more and more time and money on dieting and failing.
I used to listen to all the experts too, and I read all the magazine articles and I was swayed by the other dieters who don't touch this or that food. It was with all my good intentions that I relinquished food control over to those who supposedly knew better all the whole ignoring my own needs and my body's needs. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and you did a good job justifying eating that banana at breakfast. But you shouldn't have to. It's a waste of time to villainizing any food. Unless you have a serious banana addiction causing you to eat them weekly by the bushels then don't pay any mind to the scare mongerers, the carrot decapitators, the banana banishers, the potato prohibitors, the wheat warriors etc.
You're eating some fruit in moderation. Lose the guilt and enjoy it.
AHAHA! I love it. Really, spot on. Every time I tell someone I'm losing weight, they have foods to eat, not to eat, diets to try, exercises you NEED to do. I learned to just do what works for me (with the opinion of m doctor thrown in for health reasons).
I also LOVE bananas. I blend them with some protein powder, a smidgen of almond milk (mostly for consistency) and yogurt for breakfast a TON! Yummy! I also LOVE PB and Banana sandwiches. Trader Joe's also sells dried banana with nothing but Banana in the ingredients (How rare is that?) and I love to toss those suckers on some cereal.
If we are talking about pure weight loss - cals in cals out. You can lose weight on Twinkies and there is evidence on that. As long as it does not cause you to lose weight. If we are talking about optimal health, not sure which foods, including naturally grown ones are optimal or not but I don't want to tell you not to care about that. I do and I enjoy doing the research (I don't eat much fruit, so I cannot tell you much about bananas nor do I follow any sort of GI diet). I think that its OK to look into things but also to figure out specific goals. If good health is your concern, then there is a possibility that eating mostly well, but not perfectly is fine. It is possible that you could look and feel about the same - optimal diet or not.
Self experimentation is good - as long as a food doesn't cause you to overeat calories and in general you follow what you find to be a healthy diet for you - you should be able to achieve good health and lose weight.
However, nothing wrong with following a 100% perfect diet either and look into every food you eat. I've done that before because I was simply interested in the research. As long as you are happy doing so, follow whatever works for you whether it is defined as an "anal diet" or not by anyone else.
Last edited by pixelllate; 08-18-2014 at 10:47 AM.
Thanks to all the banana lovers on 3 FC who have commented here and the banana eating ideas also!
Wannbeskinny--- What I've read is that out of all the fruits, bananas have the most sugar density in them and higher in carbs. They are higher gylcemic index which means that it takes some people's systems longer to process the food and calories plus I am carb sensitive. They also are one of the foods that can over time cause insulin resistance in some people. I have been continuing to eat one banana about every other morning because I agree with you and others that it is a better snack than something else (ie donuts ) that are also in our break room at work. I have been working on cutting out the worst insulin resistant causing foods such as items with white flour, white sugar etc. With you on the "hamster wheel" of diet info out there now!
Let's keep the banana thread going...
It is true about bananas being higher in sugar and carbs than other fruits. For a diabetic it is recommended that if they want to eat a banana then they should only eat half. If you are worried about sugar and things like that then bananas definitely aren't the only other fruit to worry about. My husband is diabetic and has to be very careful about what fruits he eats and how much. However I doubt having a banana every second day or even every day is going to cause a person to become diabetic or anything like that. It generally takes a fair bit more than having a banana every day to end up with health problems. Every day for years my husband ate a large bag of candies, half a large block of chocolate and 1L tub of ice cream and that's what it took to end up diabetic. So I don't think anyone has to worry much about occasionally eating a banana. Seriously as long as you're eating healthy 80% of the time then you aren't likely to have problems.
I agree with violetdolphin, fruit alone cannot cause serious ailments such as diabetes. Food related illnesses are caused by added sugars and processed foods. If the banana is your only source of sugar for the day then I don't see any danger.
Sometimes people focus on a hyper extraordinary detail, yes bananas are one of the fruits that have the highest sugar content. But I would choose a real banana over any low fat articificially sweetened processed food snack any day and feel good about it. Real food is the best choice. We've been tricked by the food industry for a long long time. "Really oranges are full of sugar! Buy our artificially flavored orange colored drink instead! We've added iron!"
Why are bananas so bad?
