Bananas are packed with nutrients and are great additions to a balanced diet. The yellow fruit is also a great source of fibre. Eating bananas daily may not directly impact your weight but the properties of the fruit help to reduce bloating, are a good replacement for processed sugars and help control appetite.
Does Eating Bananas Help With Weight Loss?
Bananas have some properties that may help with weight control as they help with appetite control. The fruit is an excellent source of fibre which adds to our daily recommended intake of 25g for adults. A medium banana contains around 3 grams of fibre. Studies have shown that high fibre intake help in keeping the body weight low and the nutrient helps to stabilise blood sugar levels.
One of the attributes of fibre is that it makes you feel full for longer thus reducing the amount of calories we need throughout the day. The fibre from bananas is good as the body takes a long time to digest thus allowing the body to regulate food intake better.
Another study shows that increasing our daily intake of fibre over a period of 4 months can help to lose about 2 kilograms in weight but this is considering one is overweight. The thing is to be steady with an increase of 14 grams daily along with also decreasing carbohydrate intake.
The study was done following 100 overweight but otherwise healthy adults. The goal was to know the effects of dietary fibre on their appetite. Amazingly, the increase of dietary fibre in their daily calorie intake reduced the feelings of hunger and also showed a decrease in the calories they consumed.
The Properties of Fibre
Fibre is almost like magic for the body. It helps lower cholesterol levels and also reduces the risk of heart disease.
Green bananas are not the ones that taste the best but at this stage, they contain resistant starch which does not break down easily in the small intestine. The starch which is a carbohydrate passes down to the large intestine which means it wasn’t broken down into sugar. It is fermented in the large intestine which stimulates good bacteria.
These bacteria help with constipation and in the long run, may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. Look for foods that are high in resistant starch such as beans, peas and lentils as they help with weight loss. Resistant starch acts the same way as dietary fibre.
Other Benefits of Bananas and Fibre
Bananas are good to eat at all stages of ripeness. The amount of fibre may differ but the fruit keeps high fibre. Most people think that bananas are only good for their high potassium content but bananas contain plenty of other nutrients that our body needs. A medium banana contains 422 mg of potassium with equals to 12% of the recommended daily intake for adults. Bananas also contain 32mg of magnesium, which accounts for 8% of the recommended daily intake.
Bananas as a Source of Energy
If you need a quick source of energy or looking for an energy boost to exercise, look no further, bananas are a great source of energy. Eating a ripe banana before working out is the same as getting an energy drink right before your start working out.
Eating bananas rather than getting energy drinks is better as a study showed that it increases the level of dopamine in the body compared to energy drinks. Dopamine is a chemical that keeps up feeling motivated and rewarded, both feelings are needed when working out. So, it’s a good thing to keep a banana with you at all times.
