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evil bananas...

Can I still lose weight if I eat bananas? Or are they EVIL? Hehe I've heard too many conflicting things about them. Someone clear this up!!!!

Tue. Jun 13, 11:33am

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Yes I eat bananas - often on top of a bowl of honey nut cheerios w/skim milk. they really help me stay full. If I only eat the cereal I am starved an hours and a half later, but add a banana and I stay full for a long time. Sometimes I have 1/2 and keep the rest in the fridge. The peel may start to look gross but it stays fine. I like them with yogurt and a few chopped nuts for a creamy treat and they are a fast, filling snack if I need something in a hurry. Yes they do have a lot of carbs and fat for a fruit, but I know the size of the portion I'm eating and I plan for it just like any other food. They are also loaded with potassium which I often fall short on.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 11:53 AM

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They are higher in calories than most other fruit but I don't consider them evil. I try to get a mix of all different kinds of fruit and so I too include bananas.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 12:00 PM

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As it's been said before, a calorie is a calorie. Be aware of the number of calories in a banana (I think it's about 150), and factor it into what else you eat. Nothing is EVIL in moderation.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 12:42 PM

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I don't agree with the last post...a calorie is not a calorie. It's a nice theory but it just doesn't work that way.

FYI-A typical banana (medium) is 110 calories.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 1:36 PM

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A nirtuttionist told me that bananas can bring on anxiety. They don't serve them in psyche wards.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 2:40 PM

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interesting... i actually heard that bananas make you happy...

how strange!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 2:46 PM

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I heard that bananas make you flabby because they are so starchy...maybe that was about their high calorie count.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 2:52 PM

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OP here-- so I guess the mystery will never be solved... I'm thinking about going with the theory that there are no "evil" or "off limits" foods, because I absolutely love bananas and to give them up would just... stink, and I'd eventually go crazy if I didn't allow myself to have bananas.

Wow, this post is totally serious (I really do love bananas), but I sound like a monkey. that's amusing :)

PS- thanks for all the input!!!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 2:55 PM

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A calorie is, in fact, a calorie. If you consume more than you burn, you gain. If you consume less than you burn, you lose. Some are more filling than others, though, so yes, some make it easier to get by on less calories, and therefore, lose. Those are generally fats, proteins, and fibers. Some are less filling, such as carbs, and they make it less likely that you'll reduce your calorie intake. Some have nutrients and some do not. If you make sure to get in all of the nutrients that your body needs, odds are, you'll have little room left over in your caloric allowance for much else if you want to be losing weight. But, few of us actually get in the nutrients that we really need, and many still lose weight and are healthy. In the end, it's all about calories in and calories out, when referring to weight gain/loss.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 2:55 PM

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true- but we are talking about bananas here... If she loves bananas, she should eat them...
Her body is probably telling her she needs something that is in them, in the cravings she says she has... so if she lets herself have what she wants for bananas every day- it will actually help her more than trying to give them up and seeing them as "forbidden..." She should trust her body and start to trust her body's signal of fullness.- staying in the neither hungry nor full feeling... neutral.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 4:04 PM

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she loves bananas

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 4:16 PM

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True, bananas may have more calories and carbohydrates than some other fruits, but they also have lots of nutrients. There is nothing evil about them. If bananas make you happy but you want to cut calories, consider cutting it from other places, like other high carbohydrate foods. Just don't go bananas with the bananas!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 5:14 PM

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I'm losing wieght, and I guarantee you I'm not doing the calorie counting. I eat a lot of fat. I HEAP the caesar salad dressing on my big bowl of greens, I eat cheese, and I do not go near ANYTHING that is made to be low calorie (as a general rule, if I didn't make it, I don't eat it...) A calorie may be a calorie, but there's a whole lot of other chemical reactions that go on in your body that affect wieghtloss.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 5:32 PM

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Like the Glycemic index

Glycemic Index
What is the Glycemic Index?
The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrates based on their immediate effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels. It compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates that breakdown quickly during digestion have the highest glycemic indexes. The blood glucose response is fast and high. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have low glycemic indexes.
What is the Significance of Glycemic Index?
• Low GI means a smaller rise in blood glucose levels after meals
• Low GI diets can help people lose weight
• Low GI diets can improve the body's sensitivity to insulin
• High GI foods help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise
• Low GI can improve diabetes control
• Low GI foods keep you fuller for longer
• Low GI can prolong physical endurance
What is Glycemic Load?
• Glycemic load builds on the GI to provide a measure of total glycemic response to a food or meal
• Glycemic load = GI (%) x grams of carbohydrate per serving
• One unit of GL ~ glycemic effect of 1 gram glucose
• You can sum the GL of all the foods in a meal, for the whole day or even longer
• A typical diet has ~ 100 GL units per day (range 60 - 180)
• The GI database gives both GI & GL values
How to Switch to a Low GI Diet
• Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
• Use "grainy" breads made with whole seeds
• Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat
• Enjoy all types of fruit and vegetables (except potatoes)
• Eat plenty of salad vegetables with vinaigrette dressing

Glycemic Index Range
• Low GI = 55 or less
• Medium GI = 56 - 69
• High GI = 70 or more


Measuring the GI
To determine a food's GI rating, measured portions of the food containing 10 - 50 grams of carbohydrate are fed to 10 healthy people after an overnight fast. Finger-prick blood samples are taken at 15-30 minute intervals over the next two hours. These blood samples are used to construct a blood sugar response curve for the two hour period. The area under the curve (AUC) is calculated to reflect the total rise in blood glucose levels after eating the test food. The GI rating (%) is calculated by dividing the AUC for the test food by the AUC for the reference food (same amount of glucose) and multiplying by 100 (see Figure 1). The use of a standard food is essential for reducing the confounding influence of differences in the physical characteristics of the subjects. The average of the GI ratings from all ten subjects is published as the GI of that food.
The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Some foods on the Australian market already show their GI rating on the nutrition information panel.Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value. However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few centres around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service.
Glycemic Index Foods
Food category
Breads
White bread 70
Wholemeal bread 69
Pumpernickel 41
Dark rye 76
Sourdough 57
Heavy mixed grain 30-45

Legumes
Lentils 28
Soybeans 18
Baked beans (canned) 48

Breakfast cereals
Cornflakes 84
Rice Bubbles 82
Cheerios 83
Puffed Wheat 80
All Bran 42
Porridge 46

Snack foods
Mars Bar 65
Jelly beans 80
Chocolate bar 49

Fruits
Apple 38
Orange 44
Peach 42
Banana 55
Watermelon 72

Dairy foods
Milk, full fat 27
Milk, skim 32
Ice cream, full fat 61
Yogurt, low fat, fruit 33

Soft and sports drinks
Fanta 68
Gatorade 78



Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 9:52 PM

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so, bananas aren't BAD! that's bananas!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006, 10:16 PM

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Well - just to add another twist to bannas - we don't eat them in the summer. My kids are allergic to mosiqutos and since bananas have some oil that then is sent through your skin and mosiqutos love the smell - hence more bites. So - no bannas in the summer but we eat them like crazy in the winter. : )

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 1:21 PM

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wow... maybe that's why i'm always getting eaten alive by mosquitos. sweet blood because of the bananas!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 1:29 PM

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oooooooohnooooooooo! I just at a banana and I have to go outside for a walk later.... aaaaagh.
Yah I have heard of that with the mosquitos... MIL does the same thing with not eating them.
Avon's skin so soft original formula works on me though.... problem is, once you have a layer of sunscreen on... then the skinsosoft... you glide out of whatever or wherever you try and sit on...
oh the joys of summer.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 2:19 PM

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Just FYI, the fat content of an average, 105-calorie banana is....4 calories worth.

It's important to keep things in perspective. Bananas are a natural fruit laden with vitamins and potassium. Americans in particular aren't fat because they eat too many bananas. We're fat because we eat candy and fast food and sodas and junk food and rarely exercise and overindulge ourselves in myriad ways.

If you want an evil food, try french fries or ice-cream sundaes or that whole pancakes-syrup-butter-eggs-bacon breakfast thing.

It always amazes me to hear people talking about cutting the things they ought to be eating as if those are the things that got us where we are. Nobody should talk about cutting out bananas until they've cut every bit of sugary, fried, fat-laden and nutrition-poor food! And by then, you won't have to worry about four fat calories in a nice healthy nutritionally dense natural food!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 2:47 PM

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Exactly! I don't think most of us got fat from eating too many bananas!

Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 8:26 PM

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Perspective, I agree bananas have never been bad but some of your are giving them a bad rap based on hearsay! Bananas don't make you fat, remember calories in, calories out. Cut out the extra junk not the fruit & veggies.

Thursday, June 15, 2006, 12:17 AM

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bananas are very good for you. The challenge for me is finding ways to eat them.

Link

Saturday, September 02, 2006, 2:57 PM

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I love bananas too. Bananas help me with the sweet-cravings and I think they are the perfect breakfast food if you exercise first thing in the morning. (I eat one before my morning runs, then have cereal after the run) I try to pick the smallest (shortest) bananas to help control my portion sizes. I keep them in the fridge so they stay fresh longer. The peel may change color but the fruit is still very good. If I let them sit out I am tempted to make bread with the over-ripe bananas :0)

Saturday, September 02, 2006, 3:44 PM

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Healthy way to use those over ripe bananas -

Smoothie:

ice
skim milk (or whatever you like)
frozen banana (once they are too ripe, then I just peel, cut in half and stick in a ziplock baggie and throw in the freezer)
1 packet diet hot chocolate mix (or regular if you like or cocoa powder)

blend to the consistency that you like and you have a great smoothie! :) You can also add in some peanut butter if want some more protein or flaxseed if you need some good oils. :)

Enjoy - oh, and in my humble opinions, bananas are not evil! :)

Saturday, September 02, 2006, 6:05 PM

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I certainly don't think of bananas as evil - but it's true that they tend to ripen faster than you can eat them.

Once they're overripe they are definitely no good for my smoothies since they will lend a sickly sweet taste and impart a slimey texture and a duller color than usual. Instead, the overripe ones are perfect candidates for this tasty banana bread/cake:


Link

Saturday, September 02, 2006, 8:39 PM

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i like this quote

"i can eat ANYTHING....i just cant eat EVERYTHING"

Sunday, September 03, 2006, 1:34 AM

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8:39 - I agree that an overripe banana is not good in a smoothie...this is why I freeze them...then they are perfect and add more substance to my smoothie making it thicker.

Sunday, September 03, 2006, 12:44 PM

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Bananas are also hlepful to avoid leg cramps.

Sunday, September 03, 2006, 7:59 PM

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Bananas help me stay full. How many bananas can one consume in one day?

Link

Monday, September 04, 2006, 5:24 AM

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Read this link as well. Sounds like my mom has written the page
LOL

Link

Monday, September 04, 2006, 5:30 AM

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