Bananas contain three natural sugars — sucrose, fructose, and glucose — combined with fiber. This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt.
The banana is full of proteins, and the sugar provided gives a lot of energy to those practicing sports requiring endurance. Moreover, it contains magnesium, selenium, iron, a lot of vitamins, and is recommended for salt-free diets because of its low sodium chloridium contents.
The banana plant is not a tree but a giant herb of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. There are about 400 varieties of bananas. The rhizome is planted and gives a first shoot 3 or 4 weeks later. After 9 to 10 months, the inflorescence from the foliated circlet has a diameter that can be as large as 7 meters. Three days after that, a bud hangs on the plant. On the fifth day, the bud turns red and starts opening. On the seventh day, the leaves that covered it are falling down, and finally two days later, you can already see the first banana hands. The trunk of a banana plant is made of sheaths of overlapping leaves, tightly wrapped around each other like stalks in a celery bunch.
The word banana is derivated from the Arabic meaning ‘finger’.
Fruit Calories
Fruit Calories are made up of mostly simple carbohydrates, some proteins, and typically very little fat. Of course, there are exceptions such as the avocado.
Fruit is nature’s sugar (the sugar fructose) and can be thought of as a “healthy” carbohydrate. However, during a fat-reducing program, all simple sugars should be eaten in moderation, but don’t go too overboard! Fruit contains many healthy nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber.
Banana Calories and Macro-Nutrients
| Serving | Calories | Carbs (g) | Protein (g) | Fat (g) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very Small Banana | less than 6″ | 72 (301 kj) | 18.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Small Banana | 6″ to 7″ | 90 (375 kj) | 23.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Medium Banana | 7″ to 8″ | 105 (438 kj) | 26.9 | 1.3 | 0.4 |
| Large Banana | 8″ to 9″ | 121 (505 kj) | 31.1 | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Extra Large Banana | 9″ or longer | 135 (564 kj) | 34.7 | 1.7 | 0.5 |
Carbohyrdates, proteins, and fats are rounded up to the nearest tenth of a gram. Carbohydrate is measured by difference: The total gram weight less protein, fat, and water grams. This measure includes fiber. Measurements taken from the USDA nutrient database. This is a rough guideline as bananas can be deffierent from one another.
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