Calories in Banana
Banana is a highly nutritious and healthy fruit to fulfill nutritional demands. It contains multiple nutrients to maintain the balance of an optimum diet. People wonder about how many calories are in a banana to know about the nutritional chart. This article summarizes the answers to your question related to the calories in a banana.
Banana is fully packed with complex carbohydrates that contain resistant starch. These carbohydrates provide a huge list of health benefits to affect the quality of life. In addition, bananas contain multiple vitamins and minerals to boost the health benefits. People struggling with weight loss journey are afraid to add bananas to their daily routine because of increased carbohydrates. Let’s dig into the details to investigate the calories in a serving of bananas.
What are the nutritional ingredients of bananas?
A medium-sized banana of about 118g delivers 105 calories. Here is the list of ingredients that are the source of calories.
- Calories – 105
- Carbohydrates – 27g
- Protein – 1.3g
- Fats – 0.4g
- Sugars – 14.4g
- Sodium – 1.2mg
- Potassium – 422 mg
- Magnesium – 31.9 mg
- Dietary fibers – 3.1g
- Vitamin C – 10.3 mg
Banana carbohydrates
There are almost 27 grams of carbohydrates for every medium-sized banana. These carbohydrates offer 3 grams of dietary fiber with 14 grams of natural sugars. Bananas continue to ripen with time and turn yellow to brown. Yellow bananas with brown spots contain more sugars and less dietary fiber. The glycemic index for bananas is about 48 to 54.
Banana proteins
Bananas contain about 1.3g of proteins. Bananas can be used with peanut butter or plant proteins to add the protein count.
Banana fats
Bananas contain a very little amount of fat per medium-sized banana. Pairing up bananas with two tablespoons servings of peanut butter adds 10 grams of monounsaturated fats, 2.8 grams of saturated fats, and 3.3 grams of polyunsaturated fats. This combination is quite common with bananas to get the best-desired results.
Minerals and vitamins
Bananas are well known for their potassium count. A medium-sized banana serves about 422 mg or 9% of the daily value of potassium. In addition, bananas are enriched with vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and choline to provide various health benefits.
Banana fibers
Banana contains about 3 grams of dietary fiber to improve the digestive system. Unripe bananas contain more dietary fiber as compared to overripe bananas. Overripe bananas contain less than 2 grams of dietary fiber.
How many calories are in a banana?
A banana contains about 105 calories for a medium-sized banana. This calorie count can vary from the size of the banana or the amount you consume. Here is a standard list of calories for every size of the banana.
- An Extra small banana that is about 81 grams or 6 inches contains 72 calories.
- A Small banana that is about 101 grams or 6 to 7 inches serves 90 calories.
- Medium banana ranging from 118 grams or about 7 to 8 inches delivers 105 calories.
- Large-sized banana containing 136 grams of weight or 8 to 9 inches in size offers 121 calories.
- Extra large banana is about 152 grams or more than 9 inches and delivers 135 calories.
- 1 cup Sliced banana, containing 150 grams offers 134 calories.
- 1 cup mashed banana has 225 grams and serves 200 calories.
If you are still confused about the size of the banana, an average banana provides 100 calories per serving. The major part of these calories is because of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Banana is a highly delicious fruit because of its sweetness and taste. Every fruit possesses specific health benefits to ensure its importance in daily life. Here are some of the major health benefits associated with the banana.
Manages diabetes
Diabetes is a state with disturbed blood glucose levels. Green or little unripe bananas are a rich source of resistant starches. It acts like fiber to improve digestion. Green bananas are usually mashed into puppy or flour to use for various food products. This banana flour is helpful to boost insulin sensitivity, accelerate weight loss, and decrease multiple liver and kidney problems associated with diabetes. In this way, it is highly beneficial to treat long-term chronic diseases.
Improves bowel movement
Bananas contain a great amount of probiotics. Prebiotics help in digestive functions by promoting the growth of good bacteria helping in the digestion of food. Combining bananas with live cultures like yogurt is a good way to maintain digestion, bowel movements, and gut health. Green bananas are helpful for both constipation and diarrhea like problems. Eating bananas regularly can improve the digestive system positively.
Helps in weight loss
Most people fear eating bananas because of their calorie count due to increased carbohydrate count. But, bananas contain plenty of dietary fibers to help in digestion. These are the filling fibers helping you to lose weight. For every 100 calories with 3 grams of fiber, bananas are the best food items to satisfy your appetite without overeating.
There are studies that suggest adding 14 grams of dietary fiber to a daily routine can help you lose about 4.4 pounds over 4 months. Moreover, it helps you to stay healthy and active.
Reduces blood pressure
Bananas are a good source of potassium with a good ability to reduce blood pressure. An average-sized banana fulfills 9% of the daily value for an adult. Bananas are pairing a combination of increased potassium and decreased sodium levels to maintain the efficacy of reducing blood pressure.
Eating bananas regularly fulfills the daily demands of potassium and maintains blood pressure at optimum levels. Indirectly, it helps to prevent further heart-related complications like stroke or kidney problems.
Improves wound healing
Banana contains multiple vitamins and minerals to provide wound-healing properties. In addition, bananas also contain antioxidants to maintain the skin barrier. Vitamin C is a precursor to collagen and helps to maintain skin integrity.
What can be the possible side effects of eating bananas?
Bananas are best for health in every way unless eaten in excess amounts. Banana contains dietary fiber to soothe the digestive system. Some people may suffer from constipation due to increased fiber intake in the form of bananas. If you are not comfortable with overeating, increase your regular intake with a sufficient amount of water to balance the fiber intake.
Banana guide
It is better to know when the best time to have bananas is. Buy green bananas in fresh forms. These bananas take enough time to ripen without disturbing the nutritional ingredients. You can use them according to your choice. You can find bananas throughout the year, all-time fresh.
Conclusion
Banana is a healthy snack for every adult due to its nutritional value. Banana contains an estimated amount of 100 calories with 3 grams of dietary fiber to reduce the overall effect of calories. People who want to lose weight think only about the calories. This article explains how bananas can be helpful to lose weight. In addition, you can also combine peanut butter to make it more delicious and healthy.
Bananas contain all the basic ingredients to meet the level of a balanced diet. Add bananas to your regular diet to get the maximum health benefits.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How many bananas can we have per day?
There is no such hard and fast rule to eat bananas. Ideally, you can have one to two bananas per day. Bananas satisfy your appetite level due to filling fibers. For this, you may have low cravings for other food items. Moreover, if you eat in excess, it can help you gain weight by increasing the overall calorie count.
How can we store bananas?
The Banana continues ripening and undergoes a color transition from green to yellow to brown. If you buy green bananas, you can let them at room temperature to ripen. If you want to accelerate the ripening procedures, place these bananas in a paper bag or near other ripe fruits. Do not place them in plastic bags. It will cause them to rot.
