SubscribeThe Banana Diet: The New Grapefruit?
The "Morning Banana Diet" has taken Japan by storm - to the point where stores can't keep up with the demand. The diet is as simple as it gets - beginning with eating a banana first thing in the morning. Here are some other details of the diet:
- You may eat more than one banana for breakfast and have 2 if you like (only raw, uncooked and unfrozen)
- Eat anything you want for lunch and dinner as long as you eat diner before 8 pm. (many dieters report cutting back on rice and fried foods)
- No dessert with meals.
- At meals, eat only until satisfied but not full (The Japanese expression is "Hara hachibu ni isha irazu" - "A stomach eight-tenths full needs no doctor."
- Drink only water
- Eat mindfully
- You may have an afternoon snack
- Early to bed
- Journal your food intake
- Exercise only if you want
Like its other predecessors, the morning banana diet proponents have assigned magical properties to a single food which it simply does not possess. Here are some more truthful factoids (I think) about bananas:
- A medium sized banana contains about 108 calories, 27g of carbs, 5 grams of fat,
- Known for their potassium, bananas are actually an average source, providing about 13% of the daily intake.
- Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6 and to a lesser extent vitamin C.
- Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon.
- Bananas contain pectin, which helps proper movement through the digestive tract
- A Bananas glycemic index varies greatly according to its stage of ripeness: Under ripe yields about a 30, while spotted bananas can be well into the 60's.
Bananas are part of a healthy diet but they do not contain miraculous fat burning characteristics. The traditional Japanese diet is very healthy and has helped Japan secure its reputation for being home to the some of the longest lived citizens in the world. It would be more encouraging seeing those who have strayed from their traditional diets go back to their roots, rather than jumping on the latest dietary fad bandwagon.
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I think it's very good, except it lacks variety for breakfast and not exercising...is well, very stupid.
ReplySounds like a back-of-a-fag-packet description of one person's approach to living which has gained media exposure because it has a catchy name. When people decide to follow any program there is a big effect simply from their determination to get their life in order so I suspect there's very little of any special significance about any aspect of these rules, including, as you say, the banana itself.
Reply"When people decide to follow any program there is a big effect simply from their determination to get their life in order"
Well said, Methuselah!
ReplyIt is interesting to read the article about japan from the westernized perspective. For myself, I am not interested in this phenomenon, because this type of movement has been getting popular at a regular interval. Some Japanese TV personalities said on their media that they followed the banana diet and it worked. Banana, Apple, Cabbage, Natto, etc... Yuji from Japan.
ReplyI have a feeling that the reason the diet works has more to do with the "hara hachibu ni isha irazu" principle than eating bananas. And what's with the "eat one or more bananas for breakfast; you can have two if you like". What if you want THREE bananas? Is that allowed because it's more than one? Seriously, it's just the same ol' advice with a banana thrown in.
ReplyI follow that exact same diet, except I substitute apples for the bananas, frequently eat dinner after 8 pm, do not go to bed particularly early, try to exercise regularly, and do not eat "anything I want" for lunch and dinner. So far I have lost 50 pounds and kept it off!
ReplyMy roommate - who moved out yesterday - was doing this. He would eat a banana for breakfast and yogurt for dinner. Of course, everything ELSE he ate was, in essence, more of the same - juice, beer, popular fried bar foods. Yet, the way he acted, this was the only way to lose weight. He had a lot of good points, but this was one of the things that got pretty annoying. Last time I'm living with a Japanese businessman. (...SUCH a long story.)
ReplyIf I ate a banana for breakfast, I'd need a snack an hour later!
ReplyI think 2 banannas is not enough for breakfast..the banannas could be dinner, dinner fo breakfast and lunch..is..lunch
ReplyExercise, exercise, exercise! While I can get on board with some of these suggestions, it really boils down to how many calories you are burning throughout the day.
ReplyI don't really believe in diets which do not encourage physical activity. Plus, a well balanced breakfast is essential and I don't think that a banana , or even two bananas, will give you the necessary nutrients for the morning. I think the only way to attain weight loss is to eat a well balanced nutritionally satisfying diet and to take part in routine physical activity.
ReplyWow... marketing at it's best.
No wonder we have such a health problem. I think were going to have "fruit" diets until we exhaust every possible option:
apple diet
mango diet
grape diet
pear diet
and the list goes on. Who knew? I can predict the future =)
SahilM
Replyflawlessfitnessbook
Ugh, I hate bananas. Every now and then I force myself to buy a couple of them because of the supposed health benefits, and I'd also have to force them down for breakfast. I picked breakfast because I figured, at least I'd get it out of the way since I dislike them. All it results in is me feeling slightly nauseated (they don't sit well in my stomach for some reason) and a bad mood for the rest of the day.
ReplyIt's just for fun. And if it kick starts someone off to learning a healthier way to eat, then who cares.
ReplyBananas are a good diet food. They help people lose weight because they contain resistant starch, which ferments in the large intestine, creating by-products that block conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel, so replacing ordinary carbs with the resistant starch in bananas can boost fat burning. And banana fiber bulks up in the stomach, so you feel full for longer. A healthy way to do the banana diet makes sense and includes exercise. The science is from http://www.dolenutrition.com/bananadiet/bananadiet.htm
ReplyIf I ever sell out and create a diet around one single food, someone please just stop me on the street and smack me around! Is this really what people need to take action? If so, is it worth pandering to their lack of commitment?
Let's make it fun by treating the dissemination of knowledge like trading baseball cards. Yikes, I just want to say, "Hey look! I've got a meal plan and fitness routine that will make you healthier, happier, and give you a better physique! I'll trade you that for some of your will power and discipline and we've got a deal!"
Thanks for the post!
All the Best,
Andrew R
Reply