Are Bananas Good for Weight Loss?

 

Bananas contain fiber and resistant starch, which support weight loss. They’re also a nutritious, low-energy-density food, which is good for dropping pounds. And they don’t live up to their once bad reputation of being a diet-wrecking fruit to avoid. But whether they’re good for weight loss comes down to calories. You should set your daily calorie goal to ensure healthy weight loss and must include the calories from bananas as part of your total daily intake.

Bananas Have Moderate Calories

While bananas contain a moderate number of calories that can work well within a diet plan, to create a plan, you first need a daily calorie goal. If you’re unsure how many calories you consume, keep track of everything you eat and drink for a few days and tally the total calories. The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to drop just 1 to 2 pounds a week, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To determine a calorie goal that achieves weight loss at that rate, reduce your daily caloric intake by 500 to 1,000 calories. Now you can plan to work bananas into your menu.

Carbohydrates in Bananas

For many years, bananas had the reputation of being bad for weight loss because they had more carbohydrates than other fruits. It’s true that most fruits have less carbs, but a large apple has about the same number as a large banana. The carbs in bananas also range from 23 grams in a small banana to 31 grams in a large banana. And remember that some of the carbs in a banana are resistant starch, which other fruits don’t contain. Beyond the amount of carbs, the important factor is the impact they have on blood sugar.

Bananas Support Weight Loss

Energy density is a term used to describe the number of calories per gram of food, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Low-energy-density foods provide more food with fewer calories, primarily because they have extra bulk from calorie-free water and fiber. The benefit of low-energy-dense foods is that you can eat more food while keeping calories down, promoting weight loss. It also means that you don’t have to feel hungry while you’re dieting. In addition to their fiber content, bananas are 75 percent water, which makes them a fairly low-energy-dense food. As you might guess, most fresh fruits and vegetables work well in a weight-loss diet because they’re low in energy density