Don't Banish Bananas!

Bananas. The mere mentioning of the word is enough to strike fear into the hearts and minds of dedicated low-carbers, ketogenic dieters, and others who have become all but terrified of carbohydrate, in general, and fructose, in particular. And there may, indeed, be populations who are better off avoiding bananas most of the time. But it would be misguided to blacklist bananas from everyone’s diet, considering they’re a whole, unprocessed food that millions of people in tropical areas have been consuming for ages, with no detrimental effects on their health. Bananas are not as nutrient-rich as some other fruits, such as raspberries, blueberries, or pomegranates, but that doesn’t mean they’re nutritionally void. Far from it, in fact. They’re a good source of vitamin C, B6, manganese and magnesium, and bananas (along with potatoes and avocados) are often cited as rich sources of potassium. As for the carbohydrate content, one medium-sized banana (about 7-8 inches long) contains 27g total carbs broken down as follows: 3.1g fiber, 6.3g starch, 2820mg sucrose, 5876mg glucose, and 5723mg fructose. Sure, bananas have more sugar (and fructose) than, say, lemons but they’re not exactly toaster pastries or cake frosting loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Foods fall along a spectrum, and it’s important to help patients keep a proper perspective.