Calories and nutrients in bananas

Looking for some fun? Whatever you do, Don't Click Here!

Bananas are definitely one of the quickest food items to take with you on the road. Bananas are healthy if you aren’t on a very low carb diet for health reasons, but in that situation they should be limited.

In this short article I will talk about nutrients and calories in a banana, because they are definitely among my favorite foods and a lot of people wonder if they can cause weight gain or not.

Personally, I eat some fruit every week. Sometimes by themselves, but often with grass-fed yogurt or some other healthy foods.

Bananas are actually quite rich in specific micronutrients, especially Potassium and Vitamin B6. You will also find many other nutrients in them, but in smaller amounts.

Bananas include very little fats or amino acids and the majority of calories in them come from carbs. The carbs in bananas are mostly from starches and the simple sugars glucose and fructose. Bananas also contain a few grams of fibers. They are usually categorized according to the size.

The percentage of starch compared to sugar will be different based on how fresh the bananas are. When they ripen, progressively more starches are transformed into glucose and fructose.

They happen to be fairly low on the Glycemic Index, but that depends on how mature they are. Fresh bananas are really low, while mature bananas can get into medium range. Their Glycemic Load is low but their Insulin Index is higher than many other fruits.

I asked one professional coach that I know about bananas and whether he recommends eating them around workouts. He claimed that they are great for a post-workout meal, but that he does not advice eating them before training or competition due to the fact that the insulin spike they cause can lead to a low blood sugar level during intense physical exertion.

There’s actually only one good reason why I’d tell a person to avoid bananas, which is if this individual is diabetic or extremely overweight, but in that case cutting out practically all sources of carbs besides vegetables would probably be a good idea.

An average banana does contain about 100 calories, and basically all of these calories come from carbohydrates, which is definitely not optimal for those who are on a very carb restricted diet.

However, I have witnessed many individuals lose a ton of fat while eating several bananas per day, so I definitely can not say that they literally prevent weight loss, high in carbs or not. Every individual is different, and what works for one person may not work for the next.

Myself , I believe bananas are better for my digestion compared to other fruits and therefore they are my personal favorite. Having them as a snack is fantastic and doesn’t really increase the calorie level very much.

For more detailed info, take a look at how many calories in a banana today.

Article kindly provided by UberArticles.com

Topics: Nutrition | Comments Off

Tags: bananas, calories, fitness, Food, fruit, health, lifestyle, Nutrition, Recipes

Article Citation
MLA Style Citation:
Gunnarsson, Kristjan "Calories and nutrients in bananas." Calories and nutrients in bananas. 8 Feb. 2012. uberarticles.com. 30 Apr 2012 <http://uberarticles.com/food-and-drink/nutrition/calories-and-nutrients-in-bananas/>.

APA Style Citation:
Gunnarsson, K (2012, February 8). Calories and nutrients in bananas. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://uberarticles.com/food-and-drink/nutrition/calories-and-nutrients-in-bananas/

Chicago Style Citation:
Gunnarsson, Kristjan "Calories and nutrients in bananas" uberarticles.com. http://uberarticles.com/food-and-drink/nutrition/calories-and-nutrients-in-bananas/

Recent Articles in 'Nutrition'

Quit Smoking Permanently

By Chris James

Quitting smoking is not an easy thing to do. Anyone who has tried, even if they were successful, will likely say it was extremely difficult. There are a variety of ways to try and quit smoking. If one way is unsuccessful try another. Quitting smoking as soon as possible is imperative to your health and the health of those around you. Before beginning any non-smoking program be sure to discuss it with your doctor.

The First Three Days After You Stop Smoking

By Darren Warmuth

Regardless of which option you choose that you feel will assist you to stop smoking, the first three days are the hardest. This is when the physical symptoms of nicotine leaving your body is felt the most. Common symptoms such as irritability, feeling sleepy or fatigued, and that slight headache that never seems to go away, are all common symptoms of withdrawal.

Dealing with the Other Difficult Parent

By Dr. Noel Swanson

Q. I have a stepdaughter who is four years old. Her real mother whom she visits on weekends is in and out of jail; she has 86 felonies. Each visit leaves the child distraught; she gets depressed and sinks into her shell.

Some Facts about the Magic Stop Smoking Pill

By Darren Warmuth

You may be one of millions who get trapped by catchy ads of 'magic pills' that can cure you of your smoking habit without any effort. It is all tall talk. There is no such wonder drug. So, don't wait for miracles to happen, and start making an effort to get rid of your smoking habit.

ADHD - What It Is & How To Recognize It From Your Child's Behavior

By Dr. Noel Swanson

ADD and ADHD are two abbreviated terms that refer to children affected by particular behavioural problems. ADD means Attention Deficit Disorder while ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Children are diagnosed with these conditions when they exhibit unusually difficult behaviour at home and at school. ADD/ADHD is believed to affect up to 5% of school aged children and is more prevalent in boys than in girls.

Make Money Using Article Submission Service

By Brad Selers_

Article Submission services are programs that submits articles to as many directories as possible and in the least amount of time. The system by which article submissions are made at lightning speeds is called spidering. A spider is a program whose primary function is to search for similar directories over the web and causing an article to appear in them.

How To Write A Great Article In 6 Steps

By Brad Selers_

Anyone who regularly reads newspapers, papers and goes online will have read several articles. These can be used in many different ways. Some articles are written purely for information purposes were others are used to market websites and goods. Understanding how to write a great article can be difficult even if you are a seasoned pro. So why not take a look at the 6 stages which will enable you to learn how to write a great article.

Uber Articles {Über (ger) adj. above, beyond }