Guide Reference

By Arold Augustin

Bananas are one of the worlds best selling and most commonly consumed fruits. A bananas calories come primarily from sugar and starch, which is true of most fruits. The calories in a banana are approximately 100, and the fiber content is generally around 3 grams. Bananas are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6 and manganese, providing 10% or more of ones daily requirements of these nutrients.

Fruits like oranges and grapes contain more water, as compared to bananas. This means that juicy fruits contain slightly fewer calories, ounce for ounce, than bananas. An average size banana contains 105 calories. Meanwhile, a juicy orange contains around 65 calories, and an apple contains around 95. The average adult requires approximately 1600 calories each day. When taking this into consideration, it is easy to see that the relatively small calorie difference between bananas and juicier fruits is not very significant. Experts recommend eating a variety of different fruits, in order to consume a variety of nutrients.

Bananas have numerous benefits. They ensure that is there is enough energy to be used in physical movement. They also give energy that is used in metabolism. This energy is broken down from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. 95 percent of the energy that the body gets from this fruit is obtained from carbohydrates. This includes starch, sugars and fiber.

On the average, bananas provide approximately 14 grams of sugar, 3 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of starch. Additionally, they also contain small traces of protein and fats, which make up approximately 4% of the total energy content. There are different varieties of bananas, the most common of which is long and yellow. These bananas are easy to find in supermarkets. However, you can also find other varieties, such as red bananas, baby bananas and plantains.

Compared to the types that are taken while raw, the plantain kind of banana has more energy. The latter types contain the same amount of energy but they have different sugar to starch ratios. Big fruits have higher energy content. If you need an exact calorie count in your diet, then you need to have recipes that specify the size of fruit you need.

According to the USDAs National Nutrient Database, a banana that is 6 to 7 inches long and weighs 3.5 ounces contains 90 calories. A banana that is 7 to 8 inches in length and weighs 4 ounces contains 105 calories. A banana that is 8 to 9 inches in length and weighs 4.75 ounces contains 121 calories.

Bananas are frequently used to flavor recipes and packaged foods. Snack bars, yogurt, cereals, muffins and breads are just a few of the foods that are frequently enhanced with the flavor of bananas. However, it is important to realize that in the case of processed foods, sugars, additional fat and other ingredients are also included.

The calories in a banana are important for healthy body growth. Doctors recommend this fruit for every person because it has manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, Vitamins B6 as well as Vitamin C. Another advantage of this fruit is that it contains sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat in trace amounts. Combining bananas with other fruits will ensure that the body gets all the nutrients that it needs for proper growth.