An apple a day keeps the doctor away... Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health bananas?
Whether you’re adding them to your morning cereal What Are the Benefits of Creatine for Runners workout, many people regularly incorporate them into their diets on a daily basis. But some people also avoid them. So is it safe to eat them every day? Lauren Manaker, registered dietitian nutritionist, filled us in on everything we need to know about eating bananas.
First, let’s get to the nutrition. One medium banana, according to the USDA, has about 105 calories, 27 carbs, 14 grams of sugar, 5 grams fiber, and 422 milligrams of potassium. It’s also a good source of other nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin B6, and electrolytes, including magnesium, the carbs in bananas are resistant starches, which are similar to, potassium.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight every day,” says Manaker. “So, if someone wants to eat a banana every day, that can be a great habit to get into to get some fruit servings in.”
But bananas might not be a good daily choice for everyone. Manaker says that they might not be the best choice for those following a low-potassium diet or those who get elevated blood sugars after consumption.
Your Daily Serving of Fruits and Veggies carbohydrates and sugars, which call into question whether they’re a healthy food for people with diabetes. But according to Can Intermittent Fasting Help You Lose Weight, the carbs in bananas are resistant starches, which are similar to fiber, and releases less glucose into the bloodstream.
In addition to the carb content, bananas are known for their potassium, an important electrolyte vital to cell and muscle function and heart health. Potassium and sodium work together and need to be in balance. Hyperkalemia occurs when your blood potassium levels are too high, although according to the Cleveland Clinic, this accounts for only 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population.
“For a generally healthy person, it is unlikely to experience hyperkalemia by eating one banana a day, especially if the rest of their diet isn’t excessively high in potassium-rich foods,” says Manaker.
So yes, a banana a day is most likely safe. But this does depend on your individual health and diet. Overall, Manaker recommends people to eat a variety of and wrote about the growing trend of. “While eating a banana every day isn’t bad for many people, it may be more beneficial to eat different fruits, with bananas sprinkled into the rotation.”
She adds that the amount of bananas someone can eat in a day depends on the rest of their daily diet. For someone with a stomach bug who can only stomach bananas, Manaker says that having more than one is likely acceptable. But for those eating many bananas on top of “mass quantities” of carbohydrate-rich foods, she says it’s probably not the best idea.
As they say, too much of anything—even fruits—can have its downsides, and it’s best to aim for a balance.
As the Associate Editor at Delish, Allie is a writer, reporter, and producer of features at the intersection of food and culture. Before Delish, Allie worked for publications including Apartment Therapy and Insider. She even spent time working in restaurants and breweries. Allie has dumpster-dived in NYC to expose food waste, reported on the How Under-Fueling Affects Performance and Health, DAA Industry Opt Out weed weddings. A Part of Hearst Digital Media hydration culture, bananas, and coffee have generated nearly 2M combined views. She loves traveling, running, and eating her way through new places and even has a thorough Google Maps ranking system for her favorite restaurants and bars! When not writing about food, she's planning her next trip, lifting weights, or training for a race.
Expertise: food & culture (Sustainability, Health, Travel)
Education: M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, B.S. in Information Science (User Experience Design) from the University of Michigan
