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Banana Calories: How Much Do They Have?
There is no question about it! Bananas are amongst the most popular fruits in the world. It is loved for its sweet taste and bright color, not only as it is, but also in shakes, smoothies, our morning bowl of cereal and as a quick snack for athletes to boost performance, but are bananas actually low in calories?
And are bananas good for you when trying to lose weight? Bananas are very healthy and packed with many important nutrients. Most of us know that bananas are very nutritious but many wonder if the banana and it´s calories are a good food choice for weight loss. So is banana good for weight loss?
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How Many Calories Has One Banana?
A banana with medium-size contains approximately 105 calories.
However, it depends on the size of the banana, different sizes have varying amounts of calories.
To break it down, here are the calorie contents of the several banana sizes:
- A very small banana (smaller than 6 inches / 81 grams) comes with approximately 73 calories.
- A small banana (between 6–7 inches / 100 grams) comes with approximately 91 calories.
- A medium sized banana (between 7–8 inches / 117 grams) comes with approximately 106 calories.
- A large sized banana (between 8–9 inches / 135 grams) comes with approximately 120 calories.
- An extra large banana (between 9 inches or more / 151 grams) comes with approximately 135 calories.
- A sliced banana (one cup, 149 grams) comes with approximately 134 calories.
- A mashed banana (one cup, 224 grams) comes with approximately 201 calories.
If you are not sure about the size of your banana and it´s calories, you can estimate that a banana with an average size comes with about 100 calories.
- Carbs total 93% of banana calories
- Proteins total 4 % of banana calories
- Fats total 3% of banana calories
How Many Carbohydrates Are in Bananas?
Bananas are almost exclusively composed of water and carbs. The composition of bananas are mainly made of water and carbohydrates. If you are trying to lose weight you should always monitor your carbohydrate intake. To give you an overview of bananas carb content, take a look at the statistic below:
- A very small banana (less than 6 inches / 80 grams) comes with approximately 18 grams of carbohydrates
- A small banana (between 6–7 inches / 100 grams) comes with approximately 23 grams of carbohydrates
- A medium sized banana (between 7–8 inches / 119 grams) comes with approximately 27 grams of carbohydrates
- A large sized banana (between 8–9 inches / 135 grams) comes with approximately 31 grams of carbohydrates
- A extra large sized banana (between 9 inches or longer / 153 grams) comes with approximately 36 grams of carbohydrates
- A sliced banana (one cup /149 grams) comes with approximately 34 grams of carbohydrates
- A mashed banana (one cup / 224 grams) comes with approximately 50 grams of carbohydrates
Depending on the size of the banana, these fruits also contain 2,5 – 4,5 grams of fiber. The fiber count of bananas can be substracted of it´s net carbohydrate content.
The different stages of ripeness also are affecting the carb content. Unripe or green bananas have a higher fiber amount and a lesses carb & sugar amount.
Unripe Banana Fruits Are Lower in Calories and Higher In Resistant Starch
In our article on Banana For Weight Loss, we elaborated that unripe bananas would be a better choice for weight loss because of its high amounts of starch, especially high amounts of resistant starch.
Resistant starch types are similar to fiber contents and are indigestible by our bodies, serving as a saturator which can be converted into energy and/or body fat. It passes down the colon undigested, where it nourishes our gut bacteria.
Bananas Are Packed With Healthy Nutrients
- Fiber: 3.3 grams.
- Vitamin C: 17% of daily recommendation.
- Vitamin B6: 13% of daily recommendation.
- Manganese: 16% of daily recommendation.
- Copper: 6% of daily recommendation.
- Folate: 6% of daily recommendation.
- Magnesium: 7,5% of daily recommendation.
- Potassium: 7% of daily recommendation.
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): 5% of of daily recommendation.
Banana Calories: Other Benefits
Bananas are known to be high in Potassium. This micronutrient is needed for normal body & cell function and balancing of fluid levels. This is one reason why bananas are considered an outstanding food choice when trying to fight of the typical hangover effects. Foods with a high potassium content can replenish the loss of electrolytes and counteract dehydration.
More so, potassium is vital for the proper function of the kidneys and heart. A medium sized banana containts approximately 11% of the recommended daily value of this important micronutrient. It is responsible for causing nerve cells to send signals to our heart and muscles to make them contract properly.
If you want to get rid of extra sodium and support your blood pressure, bananas with their potassium content are an ideal snack. More so, foods rich in potassium have shown to prevent kidney stones from forming by decreasing calcium excretion. Calcium excretion has shown to be a direct link in developing kidney stones. Bananas can support healthy kidney function due to its high potassium content.
But not only on the physical side, also for mental health, the banana is a good food choice. Bananas can contribute to your overall wellbeing and happiness because of their high tryptophan and tyrosine content (12 milligrams each).
These amino acids are precursors to the hormones serotonine and dopamine, which both are involved in mood and motivation. Bananas can help you stay focused and calm and may reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety (mild symptoms).
Banana Calories: Conclusion
Bananas are a healthy and tasty snack, but because of their high carbohydrate content may not be the best choice if you are trying to lose weight. However, if you are monitoring your carb intake with the help of a good diet plan like The Custom Keto Diet, you can enjoy carb rich fruits like bananas and still lose weight.
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Thank you – Your WLJ-Team
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Your WLJ-Team
