How Many Calories are Present in Banana?

What Makes the Banana a Power Fruit?

The banana nutritional value consists of a high number of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, potassium and carbohydrates. Let’s have a detailed look at the same:

 

Contrary to popular belief, green bananas can have just as many calories as yellow bananas. While the main component in a ripe yellow banana is carbohydrates, for a green or unripe banana it is starch and unresistant starch. This starch is converted into carbs once the banana becomes ripe. However, if you eat a green or unripe banana, the starch and unresistant starch are converted into SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) by the bacteria in your gut. These SFCAs are then used by your body in the form of energy, meaning the calories for an unripe or ripe banana remain the same.

Did You Know Banana Can Help Shed Extra Weight?

Studies have shown that eating a single banana before working out can help you shed some extra pounds. They are a good addition to your balanced diet, as they consist of vital nutrients and are a good source of fibre, thus, keeping your stomach full without you having to worry about your weight.

Are Bananas Richer in Calories Than Other Fruits?

Having bananas is a healthy choice but how many calories does it have as compared to other fruits? Let’s have a look at the table below to understand the calories in bananas and other fruits.

Why are Bananas a Better Option for Good Health?

Banana is a superfood providing a laundry list of health benefits of Banana to people who consume it daily, irrespective of their health concerns.

Here are just a few of them:

1. Muscle Replenishment

Banana is an excellent post-workout snack, replenishing the glycogen stores that get depleted during a workout, making you feel fatigued. The key micronutrients – potassium and magnesium, present in a banana enhance the body’s recovery post a strenuous workout.

2. Antioxidant Reservoir

Bananas are abundantly loaded with Vitamin C and natural flavonoids, that contain antioxidant properties against inflammation and irritation. Quercetin, the dominant flavonoid seen in bananas, plays a key role in fighting against free radical damage, which can potentially overload the immune system in a human body. It prevents inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.

Bananas are also known to reduce the risk of developing asthmatic symptoms by 34 per cent. Consumption of bananas since childhood has been proven to lower the risk of cancers, rapid ageing, and auto-immune disorders. Ripe bananas, as anti-cancer agents also help stimulate the production of white blood cells.

3. Improves Reproductive Health

Bananas trigger the production of serotonin hormones that are linked with low depression levels, improved mood, sleep, good memory, and enhance sex drive. Potassium deficiency is known to reduce the testosterone levels in men, and bananas being a rich source of potassium helps improve the same.

4. Digestive Aid

Bananas, rich in complex carbs, are filled with nutrients that boost gut health. The insoluble fibre in ripe bananas aid in relieving constipation by digesting the food thoroughly. Less-ripe bananas are good for post diarrhoea recovery, as the potassium in them helps balance fluids and restore electrolytes.

5. Maintains Heart and Kidney Health

Potassium present in bananas helps regulate blood pressure by lessening the impact of sodium in the body. Hypertension, a major contributor to heart diseases, can be prevented by potassium in bananas that help lower the tension in the blood vessels. Similarly, high blood pressure is known to damage the kidneys by retaining excess sodium, and thus potassium in bananas helps flush out this excess sodium through the urine.

Ripening Stages of a Banana

The nutritional value of a banana slightly changes as it progresses through four distinct stages of ripening. However, it remains edible even when they are overripe. Let’s look at the characteristics of each stage -

1.Raw Bananas or Green Bananas

These bananas are still raw and are typically harder. They do not taste sweet like ripe ones. Green bananas are often used in the preparation of savoury dishes. Due to the high content of resistant starch, the nutritional value of bananas has fibre in abundance when raw. Some of the benefits that green bananas offer include relief from diarrhoea and constipation, supporting a healthy gut, and weight loss.

2. Ripe Bananas or Yellow Bananas

In this stage of ripening, the skin turns yellow and the flesh takes on a creamy, sweet flavour. Yellow bananas are a delicious treat packed with healthy vitamins and minerals like potassium, fibre, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin C. Apart from being packed with nutrition, bananas aid digestive health, reduce blood pressure, and provide an instant energy boost.

3. Very Ripe Bananas or Spotted Bananas

Spotted bananas are bananas that have reached their optimal level of ripening for eating. They have darker yellow skin usually with brown spots on them. These bananas are more nutritious than fresh ones because their levels of antioxidants increase as they ripen. They are soft, easy to digest and make a great addition to smoothies and shakes. The increased sweetness boosts the calories in these bananas.

4. Overripe Bananas or Brown Bananas

Although the overripe process makes it look a little less tempting, the nutritional value of bananas doesn’t change much. In fact, overripe bananas contain higher levels of antioxidants. They have brown withered skin and a mushy texture on the inside and have higher sugar compared to younger bananas. When mashed up, their flavour intensifies, making them perfect for adding sweetness to cakes and muffins. Their thicker consistency also binds with other ingredients better than yellow and green bananas.

Indian Banana Recipes

Indians from north to south prefer bananas as a nutritious meal choice. These two recipes allow you to indulge in delicious cuisine while also reaping the benefits of bananas’ nutritional value.

• Banana Appam

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe/yellow banana

• 1 cup wheat flour

• ½ cup rice flour

• 4 powdered cardamoms

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ tablespoon freshly chopped coconut chunks

• ¼ cup jaggery powder

• 750 ml water

Process:

1. Heat water in a pan and add jaggery to dissolve. Once dissolved, let it cool.

2. In a large bowl, mix whole wheat flour, rice flour, cardamom, salt, and baking soda.

3. Add the cooled jaggery water and whisk to create a smooth batter.

4. Mix in mashed banana and coconut pieces. If the batter is too watery, add more rice flour to thicken it.

5. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick pan on medium flame.

6. Spoon batter into the pan after brushing it with some ghee.

7. Cook for 15 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

8. Once ready, serve hot with chutney and ghee (optional).

Although there are approximately 105 calories in one banana, a 6-piece banana appam meal would have a total calorie count of 576 with each appam contributing 96 calories.

• Banana Sabzi

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups chopped bananas

• 5 cups chopped fenugreek leaves

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil

• ¾ teaspoons asafoetida

• 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds

• 1 pinch baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder

• 2 ½ teaspoon coriander-cumin powder

• 2 ½ ginger-chilli paste

• 1 ½ teaspoon sugar

• 1 ½ teaspoon red chilli powder

Process:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.

2. Then add asafoetida and chopped fenugreek leaves. Mix well for 2 minutes on medium flame.

3. Add soda and salt and mix until the leaves turn soft.

4. Add ginger-chilli paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, sugar, and coriander-cumin powder and mix well for 3 minutes.

5. Lastly add bananas and cook for 2 more minutes.

6. Once ready, serve hot with roti.

Although there are high calories in bananas as a fruit, you can enjoy this dish that has a low-calorie count of just 114 per serving.

Adverse Effects of Banana

Excessive consumption of bananas may trigger a nutrient imbalance, making you feel full all time, and miss out on other healthy foods. Also, too much fibre can cause digestive issues such as bloating and consuming more than two bananas per day may lead to unwarranted weight gain. Too many bananas as part of daily consumption shall make you feel drowsy and may also cause dental problems due to the high sugar content in them.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored the details about calories in bananas and banana nutritional value among other things. Having 1-2 bananas daily along with a balanced diet and proper fitness regime is key to maintaining a healthy BMI and BMR, which ensure that your weight and calories consumed are under check. However, one must prepare for the unexpected when it comes to health concerns, and opting for a health insurance policy provides comprehensive medical coverage to you and your family during a health emergency.

Interestingly, having a healthy lifestyle can also help you in lowering your insurance premium. So apart from trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, make sure you get health insurance from Bajaj Markets now!