Bananas

source: le Figaro Madame

transaltion: doxa-louise

Too Sweet, too Fattening ...Five popular misconceptions about the Banana

Too caloric, too sweet, hard to digest...The banana has a bad reputation.

A nutritionist dietician helps sort out the true from the false.

It is the ideal snack-food for children, breakfast for those in a hurry, the

preferred snack for doing sports... the banana is quite attractive, but one would 

do best to eat it in moderation to not gain weight. True or false? The 

nutritionist dietician Ysabelle Levasseur examines the popular views about this fruit.

The banana is fattening

False. Ysabelle Levasseur is emphatic about it. ‘In the context of a varied and

balanced diet, the banana is no more fattening than any other fruit. One should

not consume it abusively’, she tells us.

At 90 calories per 100 grams, the banana contains more calories than an apple

(52 calories). It is rich in sugars but if you eat one per day rather than three in a row, 

you will not gain weight. You would even be remiss to foresake it because this fruit

offers many nutrients essential to the body. It is a source of vitamine B6 (which contributes to alleviating tiredness and the formation of red blood cells), of manganese

(for bone health and the fight against free radicals responsible for the aging of cells), 

of potassium (important for muscles and blood pressure), ans selenium (for the

immune system)’, the specialist tells us.

The banana is filling

True. A 150 gram banana brings approximately 110 calories essentially in the form

of carbohydrates. These natural sugars are easily assimilated by the body and

bring instant energy when one needs it. Yet one should not restrict breakfast

to a banana on the pretext that it is filling. ‘A banana brings neither proteins nor fats,

two other nutrients indispensable to the good fonctionning of the body. Moreover,

because it is of high glycemic index, it can bring on cravings’, points out Ysabelle

Levasseur. To keep blood sugar at a stable level, she recommends eating it with

a few oil-bearing fruits (almonds, hazelnuts, nuts), even a piece of cheese.

Eaten in large quantities, the banana is unhealthy

True and False. ‘A normal-sized banana contains a great deal of potassium

(540mgs of potassium), and in certain pathological conditions such as renal failiure

where a diet poor in potassium is recommended, one shouldn’t eat any’, points

out Ysabelle Levasseur. But for other than medical reasons, eating a banana a day does not present any risk.

One shouldn’t eat bananas in the evening

False. Because of its high carbohydrate content, some people believe the

banana should be avoided after dinner. ‘If one has eaten pizza, one might do

well to avoid this fruit as a dessert because the total calorie count will be

quite high. But if one dines in a balanced fashion, there is no reason to do

without’, we are told by the profesionnal.

The banana is helpful for bowel mouvement problems

True. Rich in fiber, the banana is an ally to bowel mouvement, and not only

just in case of diarrhea. ‘This fruit contains as much pectine which slows down

transit, as cellulose which promotes it, so one can use it as well in cases of

constipation’, points out Ysabelle Levasseur.