Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

Is it healthy to eat bananas first thing in the morning? 

Key Highlights

  • Bananas are extremely delicious and high in nutrients, providing major benefits for heart health, blood pressure and weight loss

  • They are a good source of potassium and magnesium, the two nutrients that are essential for heart health

  • But is it healthy to eat bananas alone on an empty stomach?

New Delhi: Bananas are among the most popular fruits in the world. They are extremely delicious and high in nutrients, providing major benefits for heart health, blood pressure and weight loss. The tropical yellow fruit is easy to eat and is good for your health. But is it healthy to eat bananas first thing in the morning?

For most of us who are always short of time when getting ready for work, bananas make a great breakfast option. However, having bananas on an empty stomach may not be a good idea. In fact, a celebrity nutritionist claimed that eating the nutrient-packed yellow fruit alone is one of the worst breakfast items you can have.

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

What happens when you eat bananas on an empty stomach?

According to Dr Daryl Gioffre, eating bananas alone for breakfast isn’t the best option because they’re 25 per cent sugar and moderately acidic, although they seem like the perfect option to grab and go in the morning.

“They’ll give you a quick boost, but you’ll soon be tired and feeling hungry,” said Dr Gioffre, who calls bananas ‘nature’s candy’. He added the fruit can actually cause cravings, resulting in overeating later on.

Bananas are high in potassium, fibre, magnesium and other essential nutrients that promote health in many ways, but having them alone is not enough to sustain you until lunch as they are acidic.

Should you avoid bananas for breakfast?

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

Well, the celebrity nutritionist does provide some solution. While eating bananas alone is not a wise choice, Dr Gioffre said you can eat the fruit by pairing it up with healthy fat, such as peanut butter, natural yogurt or porridge, some spices or herbs that will neutralise the acids, slow down the metabolisation of sugar and prevent an insulin spike.

“Without balancing this banana breakfast with healthy fat, many of banana’s benefits are lost, while spikes in blood sugar and acid are gained,” said Dr Gioffre, alkaline diet and ketogenic diet expert, and the creator of Alkamind.

So, if you want to eat bananas for breakfast, you would want to pair it up with a healthy fat or something that’ll keep you full until lunchtime. Bananas are versatile, easy to include in your diet and they make a great addition to yogurt, cereal and smoothies. Apart from being a good source of potassium and magnesium, the two nutrients that are essential for heart health, bananas are fairly rich in dietary fibre which may improve digestive health and aid weight loss among many others.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.

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Bananas seem to be the easiest option when choosing a healthy breakfast. You don’t even have to rinse it before eating. But breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you should not choose something just because it is easy. Now, of course, a banana has health benefits, but still, eating a banana on empty stomach is questionable. It may be because of:

  • After a few hours, the high amount of natural sugar can make one feel energy-deprived.
  • It can make you feel sleepy and tired. Bananas have elements like Magnesium that makes you sleepy.
  • It can cause bowel problems.

However, you can incorporate bananas as a part of your balanced breakfast and other food items.

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

Here’s What Eating Bananas Will Do to You!

Bananas are a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, potassium and magnesium. As per the U.S Department of Agriculture, a medium-sized banana has around 3gms of dietary fibres. It has high nutritional and low caloric value. Here are the benefits of eating a banana for breakfast. It:

  • Helps in gaining weight
  • Keeps you energetic
  • Helps your muscles to recover after an intense workout session
  • Strengthens immune system
  • Enhances gut health
  • Relieves constipation
  • Relieves stress and nervousness

As for the benefits of eating banana on empty stomach, though bananas have many health benefits, consuming bananas on an empty stomach can have harmful effects. Bananas have a high sugar content of around 25%. It has three different types of natural sugar, namely fructose, sucrose and glucose. It provides instant energy and can quickly spike up your sugar levels. This instant energy will last for a few hours and soon result in a sugar crash. It can make you feel sluggish and cause more harm than good. People with diabetes should not consume bananas on an empty stomach.

Bananas are acidic; eating them on an empty stomach can raise your body’s acidity level. It will first give your energy a quick boost but later make you feel drained and dull. It can also disturb bowel movements.

The high magnesium content in bananas can disrupt the balance between magnesium and calcium in the blood. This imbalance can harm heart health. Also, it can affect metabolism and negatively affects our digestive system. Therefore, one should not take a banana in morning empty stomach.

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

Wondering What You Should do?

It can help if you complement it with healthy fats and essential nutrients to maintain your energy level throughout the day. It can also bring back the body’s acid level to normal and regulate the sugar metabolism.

A banana on its own is not a healthy breakfast option, but you can include it as a part of a well-balanced breakfast.

You need to consume it correctly to have its optimum benefits. Foods like a glass of milk, apple, peanut butter or boiled eggs go well with bananas. It is best to mix it up with soaked dry fruits as they help reduce the acid in our body.

You should eat a healthy breakfast meal to kick-start your day. Here is a list of a few healthy breakfasts, including bananas:

  • Frozen banana with yoghurt and peanut butter
  • Smoothie with banana, berries and other fruits
  • Muesli with seeds, nuts and sliced bananas
  • Banana with oats, walnuts and nut bars
  • Yoghurt with banana and chia seeds

Instead of having an empty stomach banana, eating it any time of day is completely fine and healthy. You can consult a well-qualified professional dietician for better guidance and secure the best health benefits for yourself.

Also Read: Banana Shake Benefits: 14 Reasons to Include Banana Shake in Your Diet!

Is it good to eat a banana in the morning

References

  • Yingting Cao, Shiqi Zhen, Anne W. Taylor, Sarah Appleton, October 2018; Magnesium Intake and Sleep Disorder Symptoms: Findings from the Jiangsu Nutrition Study of Chinese Adults at Five-Year Follow-Up - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6212970/
  • Bananas, raw -https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173944/nutrients
  • Siti A Zaman, Shahrul R Sarbini, January 2013; The potential of resistant starch as a prebiotic - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25582732/

Is it good to eat banana on empty stomach?

“Your body naturally boosts your blood sugar in the morning and if you are not diabetic, your body will make more insulin to balance out your blood sugar,” she explains. “For this reason, morning (or on an empty stomach) is not the best time to eat high simple carbohydrate and low fiber foods such as bananas.”

What happens if we eat banana in empty stomach in morning?

Bananas are acidic; eating them on an empty stomach can raise your body's acidity level. It will first give your energy a quick boost but later make you feel drained and dull. It can also disturb bowel movements. The high magnesium content in bananas can disrupt the balance between magnesium and calcium in the blood.

What is the best time to eat banana?

You can consume bananas in the morning along with other breakfast foods. However, you should avoid eating them on an empty stomach. Eating bananas at night should also be avoided if you have cough, cold, or breathing problems.

Is it OK to eat only a banana for breakfast?

According to various sources, we find that bananas, despite being full of potassium, fiber and magnesium, are not a good option to consume on an empty stomach. Some of the reasons include: The high amount of natural sugars present in bananas that boost energy could also make you feel drained after a few hours.