I absolutely adore bananas, and eat 3 (or sometimes more) every day. Many people avoid them because they worry that they are “fattening.” But I assure you, if the rest of your diet is balanced (not like a diet by blood type) and not too high in the slower digesting macronutrients of fat and protein, you can thrive on bananas, as I do.
I believe bananas are one of the perfect foods for humans. If you look down at your hands, you’ll see that your nimble fingers, pushing buttons on your computer to read this right now, were also designed to peel bananas and eat other fruit. We do not have claws for ripping apart other animals, we have monkey-like fingers.
I’ve used my own body for dozens of food experiments. There was a time when I was eating a whole lot more fat, and that was when I was a strict raw foodist. I tried to avoid bananas, because I was told they were made up of “fast-moving sugars” and would pile on the pounds. However, I had more sweet cravings back then, and ended up eating some form of cacao pretty often and lots of raw food desserts.
Now, I’m still an all-plant eater, but my diet it much lower in fat, and much higher in fruit like bananas. I eat a lot of raw food, but I also eat cooked food. Bananas are low in fat and high in nutrition, as I’ll get into, below. I actually weigh almost 8 pounds less now on this type of diet- filled with bananas!- then I did when I was a raw foodist and avoided them. I’ve taken many a client off a high protein, no fruit (but it’s sugar they cry out at first!) diet, and watched them grow years younger and sizes slimmer before my eyes.
Remember, your diet has to be balanced overall. For instance, you can’t just cut out gluten and eat low-nutrient gluten-free foods like corn and potato flour-based replacements and expect to improve. You have to cut out the gluten, and make better choices. And likewise, when you start eating more bananas and fruit, you want to be sure you’re not eating so much heavy and slow digesting foods- namely fat and animal protein in your overall diet. You may find, as I did, that by eating more bananas, which come in a complete nutritional package, you don’t have as many cravings for desserts and sweet things.
Banana Nutrition
Banana NutritionBananas are high in potassium (about 600 mg per medium banana), which is an important mineral and electrolyte necessary for muscular function and digestion. Potassium also helps balance the effects of sodium on your body. As other natural plant foods, bananas contain fiber (3 grams in a medium-sized one). Bananas also contain vitamins A, B, E, K and C as well as 6 mcg of folic acid, which is essential for red blood cell formation. All of this comes in a tasty package that has about 105 calories with 0 grams of fat.
High-Energy Food
Bananas fell into disfavor with many people during the rise of low-carbohydrate diets. Because of this, many perceive bananas to be sugary and starchy. While bananas do contain natural fruit sugars, they also come in a complete nutritional package with fiber and vitamins, so they don’t unbalance your blood sugar like refined sugars. A banana has a glycemic index rating of between 40 and 52, which is much lower than foods like white bread or table sugar. Meanwhile, the carbohydrates in bananas can help provide quick-acting long-term energy. (Here is a list of suggested foods for energy to get through the day.)
Bananas and Digestion
Bananas contain natural oils and enzymes that help your body easily digest them, so they won’t weigh down your digestive tract, and in fact help lubricate it. The fiber in bananas can also help keep bowel movements regular, while the electrolytes this fruit contains can help restore electrolytic balance if you are experiencing digestive issues such as diarrhea. Again, bananas are perfect, natural human food.
Natural Antacid
Bananas digest with a net alkaline pH that keeps your body in balance. Some studies have even shown that banana pulp increased mucosal thickness of the stomach lining, protecting it against acids and ulcers. Bananas also contain protease inhibitors, which protect against the stomach bacteria that can cause ulcers.
Prebiotics
PrebioticsBananas contain fructooligosaccharide, which is a prebiotic. Prebiotics are substances that feed probiotics in the intestines. The consumption of prebiotics can help increase the levels of healthy bacteria in your gut, promoting internal cleansing and providing protection against disease. A healthier bowel also improves nutrient absorption, which can have overall beneficial health and beauty effects.
Protective Health Benefits
Along with potentially preventing ulcers, the nutrients in bananas contribute to a number of health benefits:
- The potassium in bananas may help prevent the formation of kidney stones.
- The vitamins in bananas (particularly vitamins A, C, and E) can help protect your eyesight.
- The potassium in bananas can help protect against high blood pressure and stroke.
- The tryptophan in bananas can help increase levels of serotonin in the brain, giving you a mood lift.
- The vitamin B6 in bananas can help regulate blood glucose levels.
The Perfect Food for Humans
Bananas come in a natural “package”, which helps them retain freshness yet is extremely easy to peel. Like our banana-loving relatives the chimpanzees, we have the perfect length and shape of fingers just made for peeling bananas. Bananas also offer a source of natural nutrition in a whole, completely unprocessed food.
Buying and Storing Bananas
Buying and Storing BananasYou can get organic bananas all year at your local natural foods store. It’s perfectly okay to buy green bananas – they will ripen on the counter. But try to get them as ripe as possible so you don’t have to wait so long to eat them. Select bananas that are firm and un-bruised.
Store bananas at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them, or they will stop ripening. They are the best when they have some brown spots on them. That’s like Christmas for me, when I devour them. Riper bananas are sweeter, and they also have higher levels of antioxidants than unripe bananas.
Stop Avoiding Bananas
If you’re one of the people who got the misinformation bananas were “fattening”, don’t worry. The good news is bananas are great for you. They will support health and beauty, give you energy, and they taste great. If you haven’t had a banana in a while, get peeling. Your body will thank you.
Hi Kim,
I have read your book and have found it very useful. I have been taking probiotics because I have a yeast infection that won’t go away. My tongue also gets a white coat. I am also experiencing acne especially in my forehead. I know you are a big fan of Sally B’s products I ordered her products to give them a try. Is there anything else I can do to get rid of this acne. I also have been consuming hemp protein powder and maca. I eat lots of greens but I do eat meat. Is there anything else I can do for acne? Thank You in advance Kim!
Alexa,
I am not Kimberly sorry :( but I am an adorer and follower of her. I have adopted her entire way of eating and could not resist responding to this post. I wonder if you have done all that is stated in her book? Go the entire way! You will be shocked. I too have had all the things you stated you suffer from. But my body is now very alkaline and I no longer have the white coating. You HAVE TO read her book! It’s on Amazon and your skin will look amazing if you do what kimberly says! READ THE BOOK!!!!!
HI Alexa,
I’ve written several blogs on acne. Check them out!
Also, start practicing self-approval and self- love, starting with telling yourself something positive every time you see yourself in a mirror.
Energetically, acne can be linked to being harsh and not approving of oneself.
Remember you are special and unique and there is no one like you in the world! Love, Kimberly
Thank goodness you’re one of the few that has seen through the lies spread about fruit (in particularly bananas). I am not sure where this crazy myth started about bananas but it’s such a shame that this most healthy and wholesome of foods is often shunned by those who need it the most.
Good for you for blogging this.
I am a nutritionist in the UK who specializes in fruit nutrition.
Best wishes, Star xoxo
Oh great!
It’s interesting to me that some people that are scared of eating whole, nutrient-dense fruit like bananas eat items like tons of factory-farmed meat and diet soda.
Everyone is on their own path and timing of discovery though!
Bananas are my favorite fruits,even my dogs love them
I’m so glad you posted on this topic!! I LOVE bananas, but have been eating fewer of them recently after reading from Dr. Weil that we should avoid them. I’ve been wondering why my sugar-cravings have been so out-of-control at night lately and it didn’t occur to me that the cravings increased around the same time I began cutting back on bananas. Once again, thank you for the enlightening info!!
Great. Remember to listen to your own body and see how YOU do with certain foods.
You’ll get a lot of info out there. Some people may not be fully healthy themselves, and advocate consuming a lot of supplements instead of focusing predominantly on a whole food-based diet.
But if you listen and follow nature, and your own body, you will thrive. x
What about candida and bananas?
in Blossoming Beauty, all fruit is best avoided.
This is an awesome news!!!!!!!! Thanks!
You should look into Durander and FreeLee on youtube. They swear on a fruitarian lifestyle and eat up to 30 bananas a day. GoThey preach that bananas are the best thing in the world for you to eat.
Great tip referring folks to Durianrider and Freelea (please note spelling corrections here : ) They are fine folks with their hearts in the right place. Be warned though, their presentations are ripe with humor and sarcasm. I love it, but many folks don’t get it and take it the wrong way.
“Carb-up” and check them out !
I’m glad you brought them up. Freelee and Durianrider are thriving on a fruit based diet and I’ve already started seeing great changes just eating raw 50% of the time.
Interesting!
I think greens have important minerals and should be included in some amount on a diet, but in the summer especially I do end up eating a very high fruit diet.
I’m so happy to know that it’s great to eat bananas plentifully! I too find that I crave raw cacao desserts and have avoided bananas thinking that they were somehow not as healthy; I’m going to have a bananas instead. Food combination wise, is it ok to have bananas and avocados together as a dessert if you need to lose weight?
P.S. I cannot wait to visit Glow-Bio when I’m in Lalawood : )
Yay!
Try just the bananas on their own for dessert and not the avo. :)
Thanks so much for the tips! I’d love to know how you space out eating 3 bananas in 1 day, if we’re only supposed to eat fruit on an empty stomach. I’m sure there’s always one in your Glowing Green Smoothie…when else do you usually eat them? Thanks!
Hi Julia, check out my comment above on this!
I often eat one after my GGS. Also, b/c bananas are not a high water-containing fruit and digest slower, if I eat salad and quinoa I don’t always wait a full 3 hours to eat them again. I am strict about the fruit rule with all high water-containing fruits though. x
Hi Kim,
I made your truffles and gave them away for Christimas gifts in a pretty tin. I think I made about 3 batches and pretty sure I ate more than I gave out. They are seriously addicting! My dad (who is a meat and potatoes kind of guy) really liked them! Thank you for helping me find a healthy chocolate treat!
Fantastic!
Namaste Kim,
It’s really interesting to read about your food journey. I’m curious to know — have you always been a vegan, or was there a time when you were a vegetarian or meat-eater? I’m currently trying to make the switch to reducing animal products in my diet, and was wondering if you ever had to deal with the same transition.
Thanks!
Hi Sam,
I have eaten meat at times in my life. I was not raised a vegetarian, but I did not ever like eating a great deal of meat. In my mother’s culture, there was more of an emphasis on seafood. I first became a vegetarian at age 13, after dissecting a rat in biology class. It was shortly before Thanksgiving, and the smell of it and the cutting of the flesh seemed so gross to me. At the Tgiving table, as I looked down on the turkey that year, it occurred to me how eating the flesh of an animal was not so far from eating human flesh, and it made me nauseous. It was on that day I declared myself a vegetarian to my family.
In college, I ate some chicken, and yes dairy!
During my around the world trip, when I was in certain cultures I would eat the local foods. For instance, in Mongolia, I ate the only thing the villagers whose gers we stayed at had to prepare (with the utmost gratefulness!): mutton-based noodle soup.
The hardest thing for me to transition off of was cheese. I used to love cheese- especially Mozzarella and believe it or not…blue cheese! Yep, moldy mold mold.
The key is to keep adding in things that make you feel good- GGS, salads, great veg options. If you start having more veg meals, you’ll naturally start reducing the animal products.
Be patient with yourself, and remember you can still keep some servings in a week if you like- you don’t have to put pressure on yourself to be all or nothing. xx
I loved your book and am living GGS’s and probiotics. I am a family practice physician living in Salinas, CA. I would love to learn more about nutrition to teach my patients. Western medicine does a poor job of educating re nutrition and micronutrients. Also I want to know which kind of vita mix blender to get?
Thanks!
How many servings of fruit per day do you recommend and does it include green smoothies? Thanks! Could you also mention your thoughts about rejuvelac? I’ve heard so many good things about it…
I don’t recommend general serving sizes, as everyone’s body is different….for instance I wouldn’t recommend any for a Blossoming Beauty, but a True Beauty, who follows a very pure, alkaline diet can handle a good deal of fruit.
I have found with my client that you can’t just add a bunch of fruit and not shift other things at the same time. As you add the fruit, you have to cut out consuming lots of oils and cut way back on heavy fat/protein combos for your body to handle the fruit optimally.
Some people love rejuvelac. I have had both quinoa and cabbage-based forms. I personally am not a fan; I feel better eating a lot of raw kraut (P & E Salad). But give it a go and see how your body handles it!
Hi Kim,
I love bananas too! I read the Beauty Detox Solution in November of 2011 and I’m reading it again now to refresh my mind on the food pairings. It says that proteins and starches do not mix. I have a question on beans and rice (and tortillas) – I absolutely love beans, rice, tortillas and enchilada sauce – is this an improper food combining? Since beans are protein and rice/toritllas are a starch?
Thanks!
Piper
Just read page 96 of the solution… So sad that beans are not a beauty food… Excited though to cut them out of my diet and see changes for the good!
They are okay sometimes, see below. :)
There are far worse things you could be eating!
Good for you Piper!
Beans contain both protein and starch. It is okay to combine sometimes- but do have a salad first and take digestive enzymes first to promote effective digestion and minimize bloating. x
Hi Kimberley,
I love your blog. I also have your book and going to start your program. I have a question regarding the beauty phases that you have mentioned in your book. Can I start from any phase?
– I wanna include bananas in my diet too. When should I eat them throughout the day if I am on your green smoothie phase? Please reply soon. Thanks
Hi Sheeru,
You can start any phase! If you have lots of bloating/digestive issues and/or are concerned Candida might be an issue, you can try Blossoming Beauty. If not, see if Radiant is a good fit.
Include them in the GGS, then you can have them as a snack mid-morning or mid-afternoon, as a rule of thumb. Don’t combine them with fatty things like nuts though. x
Is potassium toxicity a concern? I used to eat a banana every day but my doctor said to stop doing so as my potassium level was too high.
I’m not sure what the rest of your diet is/was, including what kinds of supplements or protein powders/bars, beverages, etc. you were consuming.
If you stick to natural, whole foods in a complete nutritional package “toxic” overdoses are rarely -if ever- a concern, the way they can be with consuming supplements and other synthetic products.
If I had to choose only 1 kid of food and eat that for the rest of my life it will be bananas I love them too much
Me too :)
Hi Kimberly,
About 6 months ago I started to get really bad stomach aches. For a little while I couldn’t make a link with anything I was doing or eating, so I stated to take note of what I had eaten before the stomach aches appeared and it turned out to be bananas that were causing them. Since then I have stopped eating bananas and have been stomach ache free, but it is such a shame as I have always loved bananas (for all of the reasons you cite!). Why would I suddenly develop a food intolerance like this? Do you think it is to do with sugars?
I recently purchased your Beauty Detox book and while I have been incorporating many of your principles into my diet I hope to properly start the detox real soon!
Thanks, V x
Before banishing bananas from your diet, you may want to try them again on an empty stomach and be sure to eat them fully ripened, meaning they should have brown spots. The “peeling handle” should pull down easily with no snapping. Hope this works for you.
Hi Victoria,
Check out the discussion in Beauty Detox. If digestion is weaker, Candida is present, or other reasons stemming from a root cause of overall acidosis, people can have issues with fruit until these issues are resolved.
Follow the suggestions- taking probiotics, digestive enzymes, etc. You can try Blossoming Beauty for a few months and then try bananas again in the future to see if you’re experience with them has improved! x
Thanks Kimberly :)
Hi Kim,
Thank you so much for this article and all you do to help people live their best healthy life. You suggest that we only eat fruit on an empty stomach. I usually only eat it several hours after my GGS. Can you eat bananas during the day, even if you do not have an empty stomach?
Thank you,
Jenna
Hi Jenna,
Thank you so much, and for reaching out. We are all connected and have to help one another on our paths!
My fruit rule is much more relaxed with bananas, because they are not a high water-containing fruit (you can make smoothies with them but not pure banana juice in a juicer), and digest more slowly.
I would avoid them after heavy fat/protein meals, but I do admit I’ll take a nip of one as a dessert an hour or so after even a quinoa meal!
xx
I love bananas and am particularly crazy for them when I chop them (nice and ripe) and freeze them. They make my GGS nice and cool with a great ‘treat’ consistency and do so with any smoothie, I find. When I’m craving ice cream I blend them straight from the freezer with a few frozen raspberries and a small spoonful of coconut yoghurt. A delicious creamy, instant dessert. I hardly ever crave ice cream now.
Yes! Check out my “Banana Fro Yo” blog. It is exactly as you state, with blended frozen banana.
What a delicious way to satisfy a sweet craving!
I’m totally the opposite. I like unripe bananas, those in which you can still notice green colors on top and bottom. I love them so much, bananas are my favorite fruit in the world. I eat them all year round.
I love your website, it has amazing tips and information about eating the right way, eating healthy. I must confess that I struggle everyday with bad habits, but I’m working on it :)
Best wishes,
Catalina
Hi Catalina,
Interesting! Well whatever floats your banana boat.
None of us are perfect; we must all strive to put forth efforts to overcome past habits and tendencies. If you keep trying, you will make great progress.
This will be a great year for you! xx
Thanks Kimberly. I am blessed with bananas growing in my yard along with mango, avocado,& kumquat. South Florida is a great place to grow fruit having access year round.
Wow that is truly a blessing Randy.
It is my dream to grow bananas one day! I love being in places like Puerto Rico, where I pick them off the trees.
“They are the best when they have some brown spots on them”? not very objective.
i personally loathe spotty bananas. the fruit is mealy and tastes awful. i prefer them slightly green; the fruit is firmer and with has a brighter taste.
and there is no evidence that bananas have higher antioxidants as they spoil; you cite a report that specifically refers to apples and pears because the ripening skin is in direct contact with the fruit; this is not the case with bananas due to the phloem bundles between the skin and fruit.
In general, more ripe fruit is believed to be more akaline-forming in the body, with more beneficial nutrients.
Ohhh I love bananas :)
Sometimes I also eat 2-3 bananas every day and I thought I were the only one ;)
Love your blog Kimberly.
Oh great, and thanks!
We are Banana Buddies! :)
Is it important to buy organic bananas? I have heard it doesn’t matter because of the thick peel. Set me straight please.
Bananas aren’t on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen”, so if budget is an issue you can put resources towards other produce (spinach, apples, etc.).
But I do find that organic bananas tend to taste better!
I never really liked bananas. I only ever eat one occasionally because I too think that they are good for me. I do love what you can make with a banana like banana bread. I also try to stay away from that as it has a lot of fat and sugar. I also like dried banana slices. If you don’t make your own look out for the sugar added. trust me, you just want plain food that you enhance with spices. Stay sway from processed foods like Kimberly says.
Good idea Becky. :)
I am spending the winter in south India, and there are many varieties of bananas here! So far I have eaten plantains, red bananas, and mini yellow bananas. I’ll be sure to eat more of them now. I’ve also been eating jackfruit, guava, papaya, and drinking tender coconut water straight from the freshly picked coconut! Combined with drinking lots of water, it all makes my skin feel great.
Yes fantastic. I’ve been in India now for over 3 weeks, and I’ve encountered many different varieties. The only place they did not taste that great (starchy and not sweet), were around Boydgaya. But as I went north to Varanasi and the ashram I stayed at in Dwarahat in the Himalayas, they became delicious again!
Oh, you’re in India!!! I have family there and would love to hear about your adventures and meal ideas. Please do a blog entry or facebook post about it! Have a lovely time. Thanks!
I can’t imagine not having a banana in my morning green smoothie! I have heard not so good things about bananas so thanks for clearing things up! (:
I am allergic to banannas. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute for your GGS?
You can just omit them, and add more greens or another 1/2 pear instead!
Hi Kimberly,
I was interested to hear you say that you often eat 3 or more bananas a day. I was of the impression that if I was having the GGS that I should only be consuming 1 other serve of fruit per day. Is this not the case? Also, I know that your book mentions that if you’re still feeling peckish after your morning GGS then you should wait 30 mins before having some avocado. Would it be just as suitable to have a banana (or 1/2 a banana) instead of the avocado? I’d be really interested to know your thoughts.
Thanks Kimberly.
Anja
Hi Anja,
Everyone’s body is different.
If Candida is an issue, then all fruit (not just bananas) should be avoided for a period.
On the other hand, I have found that the cleaner your body is, and lower in fat and dense proteins (like animal products and dairy), the better you can handle fruit.
Fruit is a complete nutritional package wtih fiber.
Yes. In the mornings now, I usually eat more bananas if I’m hungry after my GGS instead of an avocado. xx
Detoxing more cleanses the mind than anything. You won’t really jump start anything by eating a bunch of plants but you’ll feel better if you were overeating and eating junk that has no nutrients. You’re body has been DYRING for these things. Then you can eat more of the “detoxing” foods more and more. I look at the detox diets and say, “I eat these all the time!” Spinach, celery, kale, lemon. Simply reduce processed foods and sugars, then eliminate them, and start eating more whole foods. I’m a personal trainer for fun (work a full 14 hour a day job 14 days straight (shift work), work out 2 hours a day, eat protein with EVERY MEAL–including red meat most days, no flour, for me I HAD to reduce fruit–it was the last thing I had to do to drop body fat. I was eating 2 bananas and 1/2 grapefruit a day. I went down to 2 bananas and 3 apples a week, and am at 12% body fat. And I’m 49 years old. It just depends on your body, your goals and your activity levels. If something doesn’t work, TRY SOMETHING ELSE!
Aww, thanks Adelina.
Love to you too!
Curious, bananas are so sweet if someone is diabetic should they avoid or limit how many per day? Also i caught your what’s in my fridge video segment on daily candy and would love for you to explain everything in your fridge in detail. i have been raw for a while but would love to see how others do it sprouting, soaking nuts (how much at a time), nut butters, superfoods etc. what was on the side door? A long detailed maybe broken into parts would be greatly appreciative and helpful one raw foodie to the next. thanks-everything you do is inspirational and congrats on the glow juice bar!! saniel
i avoid bananas due to their high glycemic content.
you are absolutely correct caitlyn
You Caitlyn and Liz are completely wrong, first of all it is not glycemic “content”, it’s glycemic index (GI), it is a measure regarding how fast the sugar content in foods will be released in the body, and how fast will it increase the glucose, and consequently insulin, levels in the blood. Foods with a GI of 70 or over are considered high on the scale and may be detrimental to your health if consumed in excess. The index of bananas is considered low, according to the Harvard Medical School, ripe bananas have a GI of 51, making them a relatively stable source for blood glucose.
You can find out the glycemic index of foods in the International GI Database, https://www.glycemicindex.com
Hi Kimberly,
I am in the middle of reading your book and am excitedly engaged. As of now, I have only incorporated the GGS into my diet for breakfast, but I plan on incorporating much of the rest of your plan. Now here is my problem, and I am desperate to avoid this: ever since I have started drinking the smoothie, I have lost at least 10 lbs. Unfortunately I have no desire to lose weight, in fact I am extremely disappointed I have lost weight. I have always been very skinny, and my whole life I have had to work at keeping weight on. I know the idea behind the “ideal weight” concept, however I am desperate to put this weight back on and maintain it. I know this is not something you often hear, but do you have any tips on how to put/keep weight on? I have looked online but unfortunately the majority direct eating more dairy, meat, carbs etc. Are there healthier ways to put on weight? I would absolutely love to hear your input.
Thank you Kimberly!
Sammy
Hi Kimbery . I cant wait for you store to come to nyc. I had a beauty questions.. while eatting healthy as outlined in you book can this cure skin tags ? how are they form toxics in body also?
Thank you for your knowledge :)
Hi Kimberly!
I just discovered your blog, and I am so excited to begin the journey for clean, healthy eating! After losing close to 70 pounds, I need to force my butt into a higher gear and I can sense that you will help me do that.
At least I know I can eat bananas–yummmmy!!!
Thanks so much for the tips.
Best,
Brittany
p.s. you are beautiful!!! =]
I find this article on bananas delightful because I love them but I have always avoided them for the reason you give: TOO fattening. Well now , what about having fresh lemon juice in the morning to give me a zing?The lady who sells organic food in Saint-Flour warned me of a danger of demineralisation( loss of calcium).She grounded her point of view on the fact that an egg shell immersed in lemon juice will dissolve after a few hours. What do you think about that point of view? Thank you in advance for your answer and all the interesting articles you post regularly. M Nurit.
Since when are human beings made of eggshells? :p
In a way the opposite is true. If your body becomes too acidic, calcium and minerals will leach out of your bones in an attempt protect your body from the extreme acid condition (“acidosis”) . Even though lemon is an acid fruit, it is alkalizing in the body. It’s important to keep your body & blood alkaline with a plant based diet and foods that are alkalizing in the body. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5165/Alkaline-Acidic-Foods-Chart-The-pH-Spectrum.html
There are also so many other benefits to lemon water – https://www.thesweeterthejuice.com/7-reasons-why-you-must-drink-warm-water-and-lemon-every-morning/
Great info! Bananas are a yogi’s favorite food. They are filling and good for you! Thanks for sharing this.
hi kimberly!
I loved this article – and I sent it to my sister in Dubai. She’s a fan of yours too, but when she tried to open this article it said that it was “forbidden content not appropriate for viewing.” Just thought you should know so that your fans in the UAE can access your good advice. Thanks!
Hi Kimberly! I have been following the blood type diet for a few years. As a type A, I am advised to avoid bananas. I was wondering if you have any advice on that? I want to eat bananas because I love them!!!
Hi Kimberly! I’m so excited to reintroduce bananas into my diet, but I just can’t eliminate meat. Is it alright to eat a banana then consume chicken (hormone and antiobiotic free!) 3-4 hours later? Thanks for all your advice!
How interesting! I was always a little worried about eating too many bananas because of their sugar content, but I think I will go eat one right now thanks to your post!
Is it ok to have a banana in a vegan protein shake? The shake I like contains vegetable proteins (no soy – rice protein, pea protein, and broccoli seed extract), has 21 grams of protein and 7 grams of sugar (using evaporated cane juice), and contains a small amount of safflower oil. It helps with junk food cravings. What do you think about these types of shakes? Ideally, I like to have this pre-workout, possibly as my dinner with fresh spinach blended in. I stopped having banana in it because of your advice that fruit should be eaten alone or with raw vegetables. It’s not the same without the yummy banana flavor and that energy. Help please :)
Also, is it ok to have banana in the afternoon? I believe you also recommended only having fruit in the mornings.
Thanks Kim!!
Hi Kimbery,
I just read your book and I really like it. I’m 5’9″ ht. and weight 120 pounds which means that I’m pretty much under weight. I have no medical issues but i’m very “picking” at the time to eat. My question is, if your book and all that information is going to work for someone like me?
Is there any healthy alternative to banana chips? I’ve really been craving some but don’t want it drenched in oil, salt, and sugar.
Hi Kim,
Great blog. Really learning a lot from reading your insights. However, I am running into some conflicting information, so I hope you can help me out.
Right now I am trying to alkalize my system by doing a juice fast. I’m getting close to the 30 day mark of drinking nothing but green juice after years and years of high protein, high dairy, low carb living. (Trying to fight off the onset of diabetes and lose some weight since I’m pushing 300 lbs.) I’ve been following Dr. Robert O Young’s PH Miracle system, which recommends staying away from high sugar fruits. He sites bananas as being highly acidic after digestion, since bananas are up to 25% sugar.
However, I do love bananas and would like to follow your advice about incorporating them into my diet once I’m off the fast, particularly using it as a thickener in my smoothies. However, I am confused. Your breakdown of the benefits of bananas makes sense, but so does the fact that their high sugar content would make them something to avoid to someone who is trying to achieve optimal health. After all, even natural sugar is sugar, which is ultimately acid forming and will create fat because of spikes in blood sugar.
So what’s the right thing to do? Can you still eat fruits with lots of sugar in them such as bananas, apples, etc. and achieve a healthy, alkaline system? Or does one need to alkalize first and only then incorporate such foods into their diet in small amounts?
Any insight you could provide would be appreciated.
I really want to lose weight with my dad and when it said banana’s I personally don’t like banana’s so I know how to go on a diet I just need help on keeping the diet. So banana’s I refuse to eat. Can youu help me on eating different foods?
Kim,
Just as in the last post I commented on, great info! I’ll continue to read here to pick up some of the info you have found. It sounds like you do your reading and test your thoughts on yourself, just as I do, and it leads to conclusions that sometimes go against conventional health and diet tips. I love it! Thanks again for the great info, I’ll be back regularly to catch up on everything I haven’t yet read!
Kimberly,
I noticed you said you have been eating more fruit and less fat such as avocados. Do you still eat an avocado a day?
Thank you for your response!
Hi Kimberly!
I really want to eat healthy and prove that I can lose weight and stay on a diet. In the beginning you said banana’s well I don’t like banana’s sorry. Do you know any other foods I could try? I love your blogs I tried some of them like ” 7 things you should not eat.” It was amazing of how it can help someone in the future! Thanks!
-Arisa
Hi, my name is Heather and I have a solution to your problem. Purchase the Yonanas machine. You use frozen bananas and add other frozen fruits. When you put them in the machine they out like soft serve ice cream but it is healthy. The other frozen fruits mask the banana taste but you get the health benefits. I hope this helps.
Hi Kimberly, what wonderful news! I adore bananas and always felt guilty when eating them. I was on the Dukan (high protein) diet and lost 11 kilo a year ago and have almost gained it all back … now I need something to loose weight effectively and keep it off – for life !!!
look forward to read more from you.
greetings from Vienna.
Jan
Hi ! I would like to ask is it good to eat bananas straight after running? Thanks :)
Kimberly,
I have acquired a strong desire for Organic Banana Chips recently. The ingredients listed are “Organic Bananas, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice.” Is this a healthy snack to have?
I am curious on your opinion about the 80-10-10 diet. That diet has a lot of banana’s in it. Mostly fruit in the day and a large salad at night? Whats your take? I would loooove it if you responded! Thanks!
Thanks for your sharing , you really did a great job and give us very good advice, I often the athlete eat bananas when they play games, such as tennis and basketball…. now I know the reasons
getsoftwarekey.com
I am suffering from stomach ulcers and have lots of abdominal pains most of the time. I read somewhere that bananas are good for ulcer. So, I gave it a try but everytime I eat banana I feel they are stuck in my stomach and I feel like my stomach is totally choked. What can be the reason of this cause? Can this be because it coats my stomach and the choking is because of the healing reaction or am I not able to tolerate bananas? Please help me, I am in so much pain.
Worldwide, there is no sharp distinction between “bananas” and “plantains”. Especially in the Americas and Europe, “banana” usually refers to soft, sweet, dessert bananas, particularly those of the Cavendish group, which are the main exports from banana-growing countries. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called “plantains”. In other regions, such as Southeast Asia, many more kinds of banana are grown and eaten, so the simple two-fold distinction is not useful and is not made in local languages…
Hi Kimberly, I just recently discovered your website and purchased your book and now I’m obsessed . I’m 54 yrs old and been a vegan for two yrs now. I’ve reaped many benefits but not the weight loss, as I’ve only lost about 12 lbs ( could stand to lose about 20 more). I’ve been making the green smoothie everyday, cut back on grains like wheat and learned to like quinoa, my only problem is tofu, I actually love it, I have cut back a lot but still us it to make things like tofu ricotta (which is amazing) I use brown rice noodles and yellow potatoes probably once a week (these foods have helped me stay plant based). Please tell me it’s ok to indulge at times, I’m afraid if I have to give these up completely i will stray, otherwise I’m really good, I’ve even been soaking my nuts.
I hardly leave a response, but i did some searching and wound up here %BLOGTITLE%. And I actually do have a couple of questions for you if you do not mind. Could it be simply me or does it seem like some of the remarks look like written by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional places, I’d like to follow anything fresh you have to post. Could you list of every one of all your shared sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
Very interesting post on banana, overall great blog with exception of the popups.. One popup is an irritant, two popups is just annoying enough that I wouldn’t share your site..
Fantastic posting. I’m examining regularly this specific blog site that i’m fascinated! Very helpful information and facts in particular the best sections :) My spouse and i take good care of these information considerably. I used to be trying to find the following certain facts for a very long time. Thanks as well as all the best.
O.k Mike, I am going to find a date and a place for ther run this week. I have your email and will email you more details, there are a few to chose from, one without too many hills will do : ) But be great to have you along, I am going to give it around 3 months, so plenty of time to get fit.
Actually i m having really bg schedule specially in the morning that i dont get time for proper table food……so i choose to eat banana which is tastier and healthier……but at the same time i m afraid if it cud cause any gastrointestinal problem as i take it in empty stomach all the time….
i like organic bananas – that taste is 1000x better! and i like mine slightly greenish – less sugar and look up RESISTANT STARCH. and from Ecuador – they taste best!
Awesome information! I am eating about 5 bananas while reading this! :D
Thanks Frank, they are delicious aren’t they? :)
I ate about 22 bananas today. They give me way more energy than rice and high carb grains/starches. Low fat vegan diet for the win :0)
I stopped eating bananas and plantains because of the sugar content, and I would like to get them back into my diet. I am watching my intake of sugars from all sources (definitely not refined sugars) and I eat some fruit, but I am interested in using plantains in my food preparation. Is a half of a ripe plantain OK to add to a preparation, sauteed in olive oil, along with other (non-sugared items)…..spinach, etc.? I am 76 and fall in the normal range of C1A.
I’ve heard a lot about the banana detox recently, where you eat large quantities of bananas (20+ a day) for anywhere from a few days to a month. There are also some people who have done the detox adding in a green (like spinach or celery) to get more nutrients and protein, and a little variety. What is your opinion on this?
I already eat Banana’s on a daily basis! I almost just naively eat them because I love them and they make me feel so good on a morning. I knew they were really healthy but I’m stocked to read quite HOW healthy they are! Looks like i’m on Banana’s for life now :).
am a lover of banana eater i cannot do without eating banana for a day any time i eat banana i feel the most comfortable and calm
Nice Information . Thank you
Thanks so much! Lots of love! ;)
Hi,
I eat bananas everyday but since in our culture – it is popular to boil them beforehand. This is the form i eat bananas in. It just makes the bananas more soft. Is this okay?
Hannah
Hi Hannah! I am sure boiling bananas makes them easier to digest, and I am all about finding foods that are easy on digestion and make you feel great! Sending you lots of love xx
Hi Kimberly Snyder,
You wrote Good Article About Banana.
Thanks for your Efforts (Adding Pie Charts)
You are So Engaged Blogger Replying to People Comments.
Keep Continue.
After reading this Blog, Take Some Planned Decisions
If anyone interested to buy fruits online in Chennai, you can do
Thanks so much Swarnatra. Appreciate your kind comments and for being a part of the community. Sending you lots of love! xo