Bananas are one of the most loved fruits in the world and is very common as a snack in between meals or after training. But are bananas really as healthy as most of us have been led to believe in our childhood? Let's find out!
Let's start with having a look at how many calories bananas contains. Per 100 grams of raw fruit, bananas contain 89 calories. Bananas are divided into different categories, depending on their length. A banana shorter than 7 inches is classified as a small banana, and as such contains roughly 90 calories. A medium banana (between 7 and 8 inches long) contain 105 calories, while a large banana (over 8 inches) contains roughly 120 calories.
The calories in bananas are mainly from carbohydrates in the form of the sugars fructose and glucose. Hardly any of the energy comes from fats or protein. The kinds of carbs that bananas contains are absorbed fast by your body, and that is one of the reasons that bananas is such a popular snack after workout or hard physical training.
Bananas also contain a lot of micro nutrients, that are important for different functions of your body. Looking at the vitamins, vitamin C is the one that sticks out, as bananas contain as much as 8,7mg of this vitamin per 100 gram of banana. Out of the minerals, the contents of potassium is the highest with 358mg per 100 grams of raw fruit. There are also significant amounts of phosphorus and magnesium.
With these facts in mind, it's easy to see that there is some truth to the claim that bananas are healthy and good for you. While being reasonably low in calories, bananas still contain a lot of minerals and vitamins which your body craves. Bananas could indeed be a part of any balanced diet, as long as you're making sure to get fat and protein from other sources.
Let's start with having a look at how many calories bananas contains. Per 100 grams of raw fruit, bananas contain 89 calories. Bananas are divided into different categories, depending on their length. A banana shorter than 7 inches is classified as a small banana, and as such contains roughly 90 calories. A medium banana (between 7 and 8 inches long) contain 105 calories, while a large banana (over 8 inches) contains roughly 120 calories.
The calories in bananas are mainly from carbohydrates in the form of the sugars fructose and glucose. Hardly any of the energy comes from fats or protein. The kinds of carbs that bananas contains are absorbed fast by your body, and that is one of the reasons that bananas is such a popular snack after workout or hard physical training.
Bananas also contain a lot of micro nutrients, that are important for different functions of your body. Looking at the vitamins, vitamin C is the one that sticks out, as bananas contain as much as 8,7mg of this vitamin per 100 gram of banana. Out of the minerals, the contents of potassium is the highest with 358mg per 100 grams of raw fruit. There are also significant amounts of phosphorus and magnesium.
With these facts in mind, it's easy to see that there is some truth to the claim that bananas are healthy and good for you. While being reasonably low in calories, bananas still contain a lot of minerals and vitamins which your body craves. Bananas could indeed be a part of any balanced diet, as long as you're making sure to get fat and protein from other sources.
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