Banana - calorie content and vitamin composition. What are the health benefits?

Bananas have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-allergenic properties. With the help of banana components (dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline and norepinephrine) they treat atherosclerosis, hypertension, increase the activity of the liver enzyme, relieve convulsions, and small doses of banana increase the quality and quantity of sperm.

The main thing is not to abuse the banana diet, so as not to get the opposite effect, and also not to provoke problems with excess weight and varicose veins.

Bananas after training - to eat or not to eat?

This fruit is an excellent source of calcium and carbohydrates for those involved in strength training. However, you can’t limit yourself to just bananas. After eating a medium fruit after completing your training, you should not forget about a portion of a protein shake to build muscle.

For people on a low-carb diet, bananas are more of a dessert than a healthy fruit. A medium-sized fruit contains over 15 grams of sugar. This is a fairly high concentration.

What are unsweetened fruits? G. Shelton's list

The founder of the theory of separate nutrition, an American, paid special attention to the division of fruits into sweet and savory. He recommended that everyone start their day with a portion of fresh fruits, and not in the form of juices. You are allowed to eat 2-3 types of them at one time.

In his theory, G. Shelton identified unsweetened fruits as a separate group. The nutritionist's list suggests that it includes sour and semi-acidic fruits. In addition, there is another group consisting of sweet fruits.

Sour fruits include oranges and pineapples, unsweetened apples, peaches, grapefruits, lemon, sorrel, and cranberries. Their sugar content is minimal, which means they are among the healthiest fruits.

The group of semi-acidic fruits includes fresh figs, sweet cherries and apples, plums, mangoes, pears, sweet peaches, apricots, and blueberries. According to G. Shelton's theory, it is recommended to combine sour and semi-acidic fruits with each other.

Sweet fruits include bananas, dates, raisins, prunes, and persimmons. The consumption of such fruits should be kept to a minimum.

Today, many nutritionists disagree with G. Shelton and believe that the group that includes unsweetened fruits should be made even smaller. It should include only fruits with the lowest possible sugar level.

Why do bananas have a lot of sugar?

The amount of high concentration of simple carbohydrates is the result of artificial ripening of the fruit. They are picked green, transported in a refrigerated environment, ripened in a special chamber, and kept for a couple of days at normal temperature.

This process causes starch and fiber to be converted to simple carbohydrates. Consequently, the percentage of sugar in fruits sold at sales points is quite high.

Quantitative sugar content in fruits: table

Depending on the quantitative sugar content in fruits, their list can be presented in the following table.

Sugar content in fruits

All the fruits presented in this table can be divided into 4 groups based on the amount of sugar they contain.

• Low sugar content - up to 3.99 g per 100 grams of fruit. The “record holder” in this group is avocado - an unsweetened fruit, which in terms of taste is sometimes classified as a vegetable.
• With a small amount of sugar - from 4 to 7.99 g per 100 grams. The winner in this group is the cherry plum. The average fruit contains up to 1 gram of sugar.
• With an average sugar content - from 8 to 11.99 per 100 grams. The most useful in this group is the peach.
• High in sugar. The consumption of these fruits should be limited to people with diabetes.

What are the benefits of bananas?

Long-term transportation and artificial ripening are factors that adversely affect the composition of the fruit. However, the fruit retains a fairly large amount of vitamins and nutrients.

A medium-sized banana contains from 15 to 17% of the daily requirement for vitamin C, about 22% for vitamin B6, 16% for manganese, 12% for potassium, 8% for magnesium. And if carbohydrates are present in a high ratio, then the amount of fatty acids and protein does not even exceed 1 gram.

How to eat fruit correctly when dieting?

If you have diabetes, you should strictly monitor the amount of carbohydrates in each serving. The small fruit weighs approximately 30 g. This suggests that it can be used as a snack. If you plan to consume additional sources of carbohydrates - bread, porridge, then the portion of banana should be reduced in accordance with the norm.

Important! The fruit, along with some saturated fats (almond butter, nuts), can lower blood sugar.

The patient is often recommended to eat the fruit along with foods containing a lot of protein. The best combination is walnut yogurt or turkey meat.

An overripe banana almost always increases blood sugar. Green fruit in small quantities does not allow glucose to go beyond the normal range due to the presence of resistant starches. But doctors still do not recommend getting carried away with green bananas. If desired, it is better to limit yourself to small fruits. Mostly they contain up to 23 g of carbohydrates. As for large fruits, they contain 35 g of carbohydrates.

The amount of banana that a diabetic is allowed to consume per day depends on: • the complexity of the disease and its type; • individual characteristics of the body; • human activity.

If the patient is sensitive to substances contained in bananas, then it is better to completely exclude them from the diet. In other cases, it is important for a diabetic to know exactly how the fruit affects his body. This will help manage insulin levels and monitor medications. Statistics show that you can eat a sweet product once a day without harm. In this case, the fruit should be small in size.

Are bananas harmful to health?

There is a category of people whose blood viscosity increases from bananas. This results in decreased blood flow to some parts of the body. This is especially dangerous for people with varicose veins. For men, this can lead to problems with erection.

According to Harvard Health Publications, eating bananas can cause bloating in some people. Those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome should exclude this fruit from their diet, as it can aggravate this disease.

Banana for diabetes and features of its use

There are certain recommendations that diabetics should strictly adhere to:

1. Don't eat the whole banana at once. The best solution would be to divide it into several servings and take them throughout the day with an interval of a couple of hours. It's useful and safe.
2. The unripe fruits of this fruit are not suitable for diabetics, as they contain a huge amount of starch, which is difficult to remove from the body with this disease.
3. Overripe bananas are also not safe. Their skin is dark brown in color and has significant sugar levels.
4. Under no circumstances should you eat this fruit on an empty stomach, or drink it with water. It would be preferable to drink a glass of water half an hour before a meal with a banana.
5. It is best to eat this fruit prepared in the form of puree.
6. It is recommended to eat bananas separately from other foods. Exceptions are foods with sourness: kiwi, orange, apple. Together they can help people suffering from diseases such as varicose veins and a predisposition to blood clots. Banana thickens the blood a little, but when combined with the above products, this does not threaten.
7. Heat treatment of this fruit will be an ideal option for a diabetic. Stew or boil - everyone decides for himself.

Are there chemicals in bananas?

Bananas grown commercially in the United States may contain pesticides that protect the fruit from various pests. The use of these chemicals is prohibited in both the European Union and Russia.

The disadvantage of the banana industry is the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which accounts for about five percent of global emissions. This amount is equivalent to how much harmful gas is released from all industrial enterprises throughout Russia. The largest volume of emissions is created by refrigerators in which unripe fruits are transported.

What are the benefits of banana carbohydrates

Considering the entire chemical composition of the fruit, the fruit is very beneficial for the body as a whole. The exotic product is considered a source of vitamin B. These components, in combination with polysaccharides, ensure the normal functioning of the central nervous system and the digestive system. Also, banana is the main source of protein.

Polysaccharides for digestion

Bananas have a low glycemic index, despite all the sweetness of the pulp. Thus, insulin production occurs systematically, without excessive release. Fiber and dietary fiber normalize the process of breakdown and digestion of food and improve intestinal motility. Nutritionists advise replacing sweets with 1-2 bananas a day. This way you can lose weight without harming your body.

In general, the polysaccharides in this fruit provide the following benefits:

• Normalize metabolism;
• Relieves constipation;
• Cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of toxins and waste;
• Satisfies hunger for a long time;
• Restore intestinal microflora.

Banana Carbohydrates and Energy

As you know, even a carbohydrate-free diet includes complex polysaccharides in the diet. Without it, a person will feel lethargic, apathetic, and depressed. Without a sufficient amount of polysaccharides, performance decreases. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to completely exclude these compounds.

Since banana combines both monosaccharides and polysaccharides, the brain receives a sufficient amount of glucose. This supports its work, improves memory and mental activity in general. The body receives energy after the complete breakdown of not only carbohydrates, but also proteins, of which there is enough in the product. The exotic fruit has some plant cells that “store” energy.

Bananas for athletes

Numerous studies conducted on professional athletes (swimming, running, cycling) have shown that eating a banana before training significantly increases endurance. It is recommended to eat 2 bananas or drink a protein shake with a banana 1 hour before training. And consuming the product half an hour after physical activity will quickly restore muscle structure and replenish lost energy.

How many calories are in 1 fresh fruit?

As we said above, when calculating how many calories are in 1 banana, the average figure is given.
But if you consider that there are more than 100 varieties of edible fruits in this group, including vegetables (platano), then the indicator of how many calories are in one banana without peel may vary. When drawing up an appropriate diet, you need to decide on the variety, taking into account the difference in weight and size of the peeled pulp. Let's consider how many calories are in one banana, based on its size:

1. In small - it differs from the variety called “mini”. To distinguish the fruit by size, a scale in cm is used - from 15 to 18 cm. How many calories are in one banana? Approximately 90 kcal.
2. How many calories are in an average banana 18 to 20 cm long? This is the most common type of imported fruit. Its energy value reaches 111 kcal.
3. In large ones - more than 20 cm long, the caloric value reaches 160 kcal.
4. A mini banana is less than 15 cm long and has an energy value of 72 kcal. This is a special variety that can be found in abundance in markets in Thailand, India, and Burma. A cluster with dense fruit growth is characteristic.

How many calories are in half a banana? Calories can be easily calculated according to the above scheme, taking into account the weight of 1 fruit.

Thus, when determining how many calories are in an average banana, one must take into account the actual length of the fruit. The largest variety is considered to be “Saba” (also called Cardaba), but it can only be found in Asian countries.