Are Bananas Bad For You When Trying To Lose Weight?
Bananas, once had a bad reputation of increasing weight being a high-calorie fruit. Vigorous weight-watchers might flinch at the sight of a bunch of bananas on their dining table.
Well, they cannot be blamed as a ‘no-carb’ diet is a strong weight-watching convention, whereas bananas are one of the richest carbohydrate containing fruits making you believe that bananas are not good for you if you want to lose weight. But the fact is that,
BANANAS ARE RICH IN FIBER AND RESISTANT STARCH SO BANANAS ARE NOT BAD FOR YOU WHEN TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT!
So, why not eat bananas to lose weight? Actually, the word ‘carbohydrates’ trigger a red alert in the mind as it is associated with sugar and high sugar level in blood increases blood pressure.
Bananas, being a major source of carbs, are often crossed out from diet charts of people who plan on losing weight. However, the truth about the nutritional value of the carbs in banana is far from this misconception. You can read the article to see if a banana is good for weight loss or not!
12 Days Banana Diet For Weight Loss
12 day banana diet is also very popular for losing weight. This is an interesting diet that is gaining momentum as a body cleanse detoxification.
Yulia, a nutritionist and a motivational coach by profession, tried this 12 days banana diet. As predicted from its name i.e. 12 day banana diet; you only eat bananas for 12 days which will help you to shed extra pounds.
She recommends adding greens to your banana diet so you could also get more nutrients and minerals to help detoxify and cleanse the body.
You can add lettuce, celery, micro greens to the smoothies. Coconut water can be used as well because of its rich nutrient properties. During the banana diet, you can not eat any other stuff apart from bananas, greens or coconut water because your body is going through deeper detoxifications.
Avoid sugar, coffee, spices and other types of food to see the amazing results.
Banana Diet Plan
You need to keep track of the daily calories. An 8-inch large size banana has 121 calories in it while a small 6-inch banana will have 90 calories in it. So, you will eat enough bananas in a day to meet your daily calories goal.
For females: If you eat 2000 calories a day, that will make around 15 to 20 bananas a day.
For males: If you eat 3000 calories a day, that means you will eat around 25 to 30 bananas in a day.
You can divide your total calories with 3 to see how many bananas will you eat for every meal (i.e. breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
For instance, 2000/3= roughly around 660 calories. This means you will eat 6-7 bananas in every meal.
Continue this for 12 days and you will see that you may have lost 3 to 4 pounds in weight.
However, if you continue to consume your regular meals alongside, then instead of losing weight you can gain more weight as the amount of calories together spikes in the banana diet. The banana diet results are amazing if it is followed thoroughly.
But it is not recommended to do banana diet every often. Your body needs healthy nutrients so it is essential to consume other types of food as well. Banana diet can be done once or twice in a year. Else you can also do it for a shorter period like for 3 days starting from Friday until Sunday. It’s healthy, safe and fun so you can definitely give it a try for sure!
How Banana Helps In Weight Loss?
Finally, the myth-busting piece of information for anyone who wants to know “Should I eat bananas if I want to lose weight?” is that the carbs in a bananacan actually act as a catalyst in weight losing process!
THE SECRET LIES IN THE RIPE YELLOW BANANAS THAT ARE RICH IN ‘RESISTANT STARCH’ AND ‘PECTIN’.
Resistant starch is not digested, rather passes unaltered through the digestive tract. Resistant starch boosts up insulin sensitivity, leads to lower sugar levels in the blood, and also cuts down appetite by endowing a feeling of fullness thus it helps you to lose extra weight rapidly.
Pectin is a type of dietary fibre that keeps a banana in shape. The more a banana ripens and the more yellow its jacket gets, pectin get broken down by enzymes. That is how an overripe banana gets all mushy. Pectin also reduces appetite and blood sugar levels so you can eat green bananas without fear of being gaining weight.
Green bananas also have lower Glycemic Index, a variable that measures the effect of food on blood sugar level. This also makes green bananas safe for diabetics (moderate amounts are recommended, however).
So, green unripe bananas can be a definite part of maintaining an ideal weight and also in the weight loss regime.
What Vitamins Do Bananas Have?
Bananas come under the umbrella of foods that contain ‘good vitamins, minerals and carbs’. This amazing fruit conceals in itself great nutritional treats. Some of the nutritional facts and benefits of bananas are,
- Fiber: Regulates speed of digestion and helps the digestive system to convert carbohydrates into simple sugars.
- Potassium: Plays a pivotal role in blood pressure control, kidney functions, and chemical balances in the nervous system.
- Magnesium: Keeps blood pressure normal, strengthens bones, ensure harmony in the rhythm of heartbeat.
- Vitamin B6: Helps generate antibodies that are an imperative part of the immune system army.
The amount of carbs in banana are a healthy bunch of nutrients. The wonders of nature never fail to mesmerize me. It is fascinating what gems of nutrition are hidden inside wrapped fruit. It is amazing how it is so sweet and yet so scrumptious, so small and yet so filling.