You May Lose Weight If You Eat A Banana Every Day
Eating a banana every day just might be the weight loss trick you’ve been searching for!
Approximately half of all Americans are trying to lose weight at any given time, according to the CDC. Additionally, women are more likely to be looking for weight loss tips and tricks, as a whopping 56.4 percent of women are working to shave off pounds. Of course, everyone knows the tried and true weight loss hacks, such as exercising more, eating less, and adding more vegetables and fruits to your diet. However, adding a banana to your daily diet could prove to be a healthy way to lose weight without signing up for the latest diet fad.
Certified personal trainer Nancy Feinstein told The List, “You will lose weight because foods high in fiber make you feel full longer, which means you’ll consume a smaller number of calories.” She continued, explaining, “When you consume fewer calories it favors your weight loss.” In other words, opting for a banana instead of a snack full of processed sugars and unhealthy fats is definitely a wise move.
Are Bananas Ok For People With Diabetes To Eat
Bananas definitely can be part of a healthful diet for someone whos trying to manage their blood sugar, says Giancoli. Theyre not that high on the glycemic index because of the resistant starch and pectin that dampen that blood sugar rise.
First and foremost, if you have diabetes or youre pre-diabetic, you need to follow your healthcare providers instructions when it comes to diet, but for the most part, those living with diabetes should be eating a healthful diet that ought to include fruits like bananas if thats a fruit they like to eat, says Giancoli.
Do Smoothies Cause Overly Rapid Sugar Absorption
Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM on November 21, 2017
Drinking sugar water is bad for you, as I explored in If Fructose Is Bad, What About Fruit?. If you have people fast and then drink a glass of water with three tablespoons of sugar in it, which is about the amount in a can of soda, you get a big spike in blood sugar within the first hour. Our body freaks out and releases so much insulin that we actually overshoot. By the second hour, were relatively hypoglycemic, dropping our blood sugar below where it was when we started out fasting. In response, our body dumps fat into our bloodstream as if were starving because our blood sugars just dropped so low. The same thing happens even after drinking apple juice.
In the three hours after eating four and a half cups of apple slices, your blood sugar just goes up and comes down normally. What happens if you take in the same amount of sugar in apple juice formabout two cups? Your body overreacts, releasing too much insulin, and you end up dipping below where you started. The removal of fiber in the production of fruit juice can enhance the insulin response and result in this rebound hypoglycemia.
So, while apple smoothies may be questionable, a recipe like The Mayo Clinics basic green smoothie recipe, which is packed with berries and greens, would be expected to deliver the best of both worldsmaximum nutrient absorption without risking overly rapid sugar absorption.
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You May Develop Hyperkalemia
Everyone has heard that bananas provide a great source of potassium, but even a great nutrient in the wrong quantities can do some real damage. If you really love eating bananas, you can develop hyperkalemia, a condition that impairs the function of nerve and muscle cells, landing you in the hospital. According to the USDA, the fruit has 358 milligrams of potassium, and according to the Cleveland Clinic, anyone who pursues a high-potassium diet can fall prey to this side effect.
To keep your health safe, limit your banana consumption, or else you might face some serious potassium-related problems down the line.
Your Blood Sugar Will Spike
While those of us with diabetes can have a banana every now and then, eating too many can pose some serious health problems. According to the University of Sydney, an overripe banana’s glycemic index clocks in at 62, pushing it into a moderate GI position. According to a study published through the U.S. National Library of Medicine, anyone who wants to watch their blood sugar needs to stay away from large amounts of food and drinks that fall into moderate or high GI levels. High blood sugar in those of us who can’t properly regulate insulin levels can result in diabetic comas and even death, making this fruit a particularly deadly option to overeat.
If you love eating bananas but need to keep your blood sugar levels consistent, make sure to go easy, or at least switch to starchier, less ripe bananas that clock in with a low GI level.
To learn even more about the effects of banana consumption, check out these 11 Side Effects of Eating Bananas Every Day.
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Eating A Banana Every Day Might Not Be A Good Idea If You’re Allergic To This
Eating bananas daily can help your body recover after a workout, ensure your overall heart health, and even aid in healthy weight loss. Moreover, bananas are a healthy and flavorful food that you can eat without guilt or worry. A versatile fruit, bananas can be eaten on top of cereal, baked into banana bread, blended into a smoothie, or peeled and eaten just as they are.
As healthy as bananas may generally be, there’s a surprising group of people who should probably avoid them, says registered dietitian Jill Trotman. “If you are allergic to ragweed, you may notice similar allergic symptoms when you eat bananas,” she explained to The List. Trotman continued, “This may be due to pollen-food allergy syndrome.” Trotman added that the proteins found in bananas are similar to those found in ragweed pollen, which can trigger your immune system.
Unfortunately, while bananas are definitely tastier than ragweed, they may be just as harmful to people with this specific allergy. So, if you always feel sick after eating banana-based foods, it could be a sign you have a food allergy.
Both Green And Yellow Bananas Are Nutritious
Green and yellow bananas are both good sources of many important nutrients.
Although the exact nutrient profile of green bananas is not available, they should contain the same micronutrients as when they are ripe.
A yellow medium-size banana contains the following vitamins and minerals, and an unripe banana will likely have more fiber because of its high resistant starch content (
- Potassium: 9% of the daily value
- Vitamin B6: 25% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 11% of the DV
- Magnesium: 7% of the DV
- Copper: 10% of the DV
- Manganese: 14% of the DV
In addition, it has 105 calories. Of those, more than 90% come from carbs. Additionally, bananas are very low in fat and protein.
For more about the nutrients in bananas, read this article.
Summary
Green and yellow bananas are high in many nutrients, including potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. They consist almost entirely of carbs but contain very little protein and fat.
Green bananas are very filling, largely because of their high fiber content.
Fiber-rich foods provide bulk and can promote satiety, or fullness .
Both resistant starch and pectin the types of fiber found in green bananas have been linked to an increased feeling of fullness after meals (
14 ).
In addition, some evidence suggests that they help protect against colon cancer, but more human studies are needed .
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Keep Portions In Check
The American Diabetes Association recommends about 45% of total daily calorie intake come from carbohydrates. If you are following a fixed, consistent carbohydrate meal plan, you need to factor in fruit as a carbohydrate choice. When choosing fruit, try to stick with one fruit serving per meal or snack and limit your fruit servings to no more than about two to three per day.
Keep in mind that one fruit serving is about 15 grams of carbohydrates. How much of each fruit you can eat within that one-serving limit will depend on the type of fruit. Here is a list of what is considered one serving for common whole fruits:
- 1 small-sized apple, orange, peach, pear, or plum
- 1/2 medium banana
- 3/4 cup blueberries
- 1 cup raspberries and blackberries
There are some fruits that you should be more cautious about. For instance, it’s recommended that bananas, cherries, grapes, mango, and pineapple be eaten only in the limited quantities noted, as they can cause a fast spike in blood sugars due to their higher carbohydrate content.
If you are looking to get the most value for the biggest portion, you will want to choose fruits that are very high in fiber, such as berries. For example, you can eat 1 1/4 cup of strawberries for 15 grams carbohydrates.
Eating A Banana Every Day Can Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity
Try reaching for a banana every day if you’re worried about your insulin levels and looking for a snack to replace the sweet treats that you crave.
Registered dietitian Trista Best told The List that trading in candy for bananas will serve to improve your body’s insulin sensitivity. “Bananas are an excellent source of resistant starch, which has a positive impact on insulin resistance,” Best explained.
The benefits of bananas don’t end there, either. After all, the yummy, yellow fruit is rich in fiber, which can to help lower your blood sugar levels according to Medical News Today. Additionally, eating a banana every day as part of a high-fiber diet can decrease your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. However, if you’re already diabetic, talk to your doctor or dietitian before adding bananas to your day-to-day diet. There may be other underlying health factors that you’ll need to consider before making bananas a daily diet staple.
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Pair Bananas With A Healthy Fat Or Protein Source
Eating a banana alongside a source of unsaturated fat, such as almond or peanut butter, pistachios, sunflower seeds, or walnuts, can have a positive impact on blood sugar as well as boost the flavor.
Another healthful option for people with diabetes is to pair a banana with a protein source, such as Greek yogurt.
This will help a person feel fuller for longer and reduce the urge to snack throughout the day, helping them regulate blood sugar.
Bananas: A Popular Common Fruit
As we all know, bananas are a popular fruit, well known for their bright yellow peel and unique boomerang shape.
People from all across the world consume bananas. And as suggested above, bananas are often considered a health food because they are relatively low in calories and rich in minerals like potassium, plus theyre an easy snack to grab on the go.
Still, while they may provide various health benefits for the general population, the question still remains: are they really a healthy choice for people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes?
To find out, lets start by taking a peek at the nutrition facts.
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Different Levels And What They Mean
The ranges of safe levels of blood glucose depend on factors such as what time of day it is and when you last ate. Safe levels of blood sugar are high enough to supply your organs with the sugar they need, but low enough to prevent symptoms of hyperglycemia or complications of diabetes which follow the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases guides. Dangerous levels of blood glucose are outside of this range.
The target levels can also vary if you have diabetes. For example, if you are diabetic and are monitoring your blood sugar, you might get a reading of 65 mg/dl. That is considered to be mild hypoglycemia, and you would be wise to eat 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates and retest your blood sugar in 15 minutes.
If you were not diabetic, you probably would not know that your sugar was low because you would not test and because you would not symptoms, and you would not act.
That is fine because your body is capable, under normal circumstances, of raising your blood glucose to healthy levels when needed, even if you have not eaten. It is important to keep them in control to help prevent issues like heart disease or nerve damage.
Looking for the best prediabetes diet? Learn what foods are best to help you manage your prediabetes.
Will Bananas Raise Blood Sugar
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Bananas are a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C and vitamin B-6. As they ripen, the starch they contain turns into sugars, with riper bananas containing more sugar than green bananas. While they can be high in natural sugars, bananas are safe for diabetics as long as they take the carbohydrate content into account in their meal and snack planning.
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Bananas Contain Carbs Which Raise Blood Sugar
If you have diabetes, being aware of the amount and type of carbs in your diet is important.
This is because carbs raise your blood sugar level more than other nutrients, which means they can greatly affect your blood sugar management.
When blood sugar levels rise in people without diabetes, their bodies produce insulin. This helps move sugar out of the blood and into cells, where its used or stored.
However, this process doesnt work as it should in people with diabetes. Instead, either the body doesnt produce enough insulin or the cells are resistant to the insulin that is made.
Without proper diabetes management, you may experience blood sugar spikes after eating high carb foods or have constantly high blood sugar levels, both of which are unhealthy.
Risks And Side Effects
So are bananas bad for you? As mentioned earlier, even though there are plenty of banana health benefits to consider, they may not make the best food choice for everyone.
For example, those who have trouble keeping blood sugar levels at a healthy state or who are trying to lose weight may need to keep consumption in moderation in order to maximize the potential health benefits of bananas. Compared to other fruits like berries, citrus fruits and kiwi, there is much more sugar in banana. Plus, each serving contains less fiber and a higher amount of banana calories and banana carbs. Fiber is crucial for helping slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream to keep blood sugar levels stable.
Berries are a great example of a fruit with a healthy ratio of sugar to fiber. They are relatively low in sugar for a fruit, yet are very high in fiber and beneficial antioxidants. For this reason, it may be best for those looking to manage weight or blood sugar levels to stick with consuming berries and other forms of low-sugar/high-fiber fruits like green apples, kiwis and citrus. These fruits have a lower glycemic index than bananas. Thus, they have a much less dramatic impact on blood sugar levels.
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Are You Going Bananas Over Bananas
Sometimes we can get caught up in looks, smells, and other peoples opinions about food instead of using our judgment based on facts about the food and its effect on our body, especially when it comes to potential blood sugar spikes. We may not consider our current health condition or diagnosis and how that food can nurture our bodies by providing key nutrients such as fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Lets take bananas, for example.
Many people with diabetes may not eat bananas because they have heard or read that bananas are high in sugar therefore, many PWD avoid including bananas in any of their meals or snacks because they fear that eating a banana will raise blood sugar and cause high blood sugar levels . While one medium-size banana is certainly no low-carb fruit and does contain approximately 27 grams of carbohydrates, bananas also contain potassium and fiber , which are key nutrients generally lacking in the standard American diet. Bananas have been around for thousands of years, and the keys to maximizing the fuel from bananas are understanding this fruit and learning how we can incorporate it into a healthy meal plan.
Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Bananas fit the medium-level glycemic food category, which means that they have the ability to cause a slight spike in your blood sugar levels. Since the overconsumption of foods with a high glycemic index can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases, you should regulate your intake of bananas. This is all the more true in the case of overripe bananas as they have a higher glycemic index as compared to regular bananas . Watch out for how many you eat in a day.
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But What If There Was A Way That You Could Stop These Three Factors
What if you could balance your blood sugar, lower your bad cholesterol, maintain good cholesterol, naturally control your blood pressure and get rid of the fear of a heart attack or stroke?
If you could do that, you could essentially turn your heart into a well-run machine, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Can you just imagine how much more safe youd feel if these 3 hidden dangers of heart disease were no longer standing in the way of a healthy heart?
Well, there is a way to fix these dangers, get your blood pressure under control, maintain healthy cholesterol levels and balance your blood-sugar levels.
The solution not only works on a deeper cellular level but also in your overall well-being. So the results are rapidly felt, deep and long-term.