The banana diet is a tasty way to lose a few kilograms

The anniversary is only a week away, but all the dresses are threatening to come apart at the seams? Just one fruit will restore your former slimness.

Express diets cause a storm of controversy, both among nutritionists and among those who follow such methods. Despite the fact that there are opponents to this approach, there are also its supporters. You can lose weight in a week using different foods - everyone chooses according to their taste.

The 7-day banana diet does not occupy the top of the popularity ratings, but there are still those who choose this particular method of getting rid of extra pounds.

In just 7 days you can correct your own figure and feel lightness within yourself, and all this thanks to your favorite sweet fruit.

Next, we will take a closer look at the banana diet for 7 days, as well as reviews of the results of this program.

General rules

Banana is not a dietary fruit, but nevertheless, a mono-diet for weight loss based on bananas exists and is quite popular.
There are many varieties of bananas grown in the world, most of which are forage varieties. Only the artificially bred banana variety Musa paradisiaca is used for consumption. The following table gives a general idea of ​​the nutritional value of these fruits. Nutritional value of banana in grams (per 100 g of the edible part of the product):

Carbohydrates	Squirrels	Fats	Water	Alimentary fiber	Calorie content, kcal
21,8	1,5	0,1	74,0	1,7	90

It contains a wide range of vitamins ( A - 0.12 mg, B1 - 0.04 mg, B2 - 0.05 mg, B3 - 0.4 mg, E - 0.4 mg, C - 10.0 mg, folic acid ), macro/microelements (potassium - 350 mg, phosphorus - 28 mg, magnesium - 40 mg, calcium - 12 mg, sodium - 30 mg; copper - 0.16 mg, iron - 0.6 mg, selenium - 1 .0 mg, zinc - 0.1 mg).

The carbohydrates contained in bananas are predominantly simple, easily digestible carbohydrates (19 g) - fructose, sucrose and lactose, which are completely absorbed by the body and quickly enter the bloodstream. The share of complex carbohydrates, which are represented by starch and dextrins , accounts for only about 2 g. The calorie content of a ripe banana is about 90 kcal, an unripe (green) banana is 110 kcal, and a dried banana is much higher - 300 kcal/100 g of product.

The banana diet involves the use of exclusively high-quality (without rotting or mold) ripe fruits - bright yellow, medium-sized, with a thin peel. It is not recommended to buy unripe green fruits, which cause increased gas formation and bloating, and you should not use dried high-calorie bananas.

Banana diet for weight loss

In fact, the banana diet is a carbohydrate type of diet with a daily calorie content of 1000-1200 kcal. It is characterized by extreme imbalance in all macro- and micronutrients and, accordingly, the period of its use should not exceed 3 days.

The diet of the strict version of the diet is extremely limited and includes about one kilogram of bananas and 750 ml of 2.5% milk, which, if intolerant, can be replaced with a similar amount of 1% kefir. The amount of free liquid should be 1.5-2.0 liters in the form of green/herbal unsweetened tea and mineral/table still water. Despite the meager diet, the banana diet for 3 days, as evidenced by the reviews of the overwhelming number of practitioners of this diet, is relatively easily tolerated. The entire volume of food is divided into 3-4 meals, and in between meals it is recommended to drink liquid. Any snacks are not allowed.

There is also a longer banana diet for 7 days. The daily ration of this diet option includes 1.2-1.5 kg of peeled bananas, to which it is allowed to add low-fat protein products (100-150 g of cottage cheese, boiled chicken egg). Calorie content of the diet is 1300-1500 Kcal. Green tea and mineral water are allowed in any quantity. You can also use the option of a more gentle 7-day cottage cheese-banana diet, which is based on alternating banana and cottage cheese days. It provides for the possibility of including fruit (grapefruit) in the diet of the curd day and low-fat protein products in the diet of the banana day (boiled egg, boiled chicken breast).

However, with any version of the banana diet, as with other express diets, it is recommended to prepare the body for the transition to dietary nutrition. To this end, for 2-3 days in the diet it is necessary to limit the consumption of fatty, smoked and fried foods, white bread, various sweets, cream-containing products and alcoholic beverages. It is recommended to reduce the portion size by half and cleanse the intestines.

While on a diet:

• Reduce your level of physical activity.
• Do not increase the recommended amount of bananas in your daily diet.
• If you experience an allergic reaction to bananas or the substances with which they are processed, stop the diet and contact a medical facility.
• Take tablets of an extended vitamin-mineral complex, drink alkaline mineral water.
• Follow the rules for exiting the diet and return to proper nutrition gradually.

What are the benefits of bananas?

Bananas contain many valuable minerals and trace elements, in particular potassium , which has a diuretic and laxative effect and thus contributes to the natural cleansing of the body of toxins and toxins. In addition, potassium stimulates the heart muscle and helps fight high blood pressure. This element also actively participates in the water-salt metabolism of the body, helping to remove excess fluid and toxins from it. That is why the banana diet is recommended for those who often experience edema due to any diseases or poor lifestyle.

Another microelement that bananas are rich in is magnesium . Magnesium reduces the excitability of the nervous system, participates in the construction of bone tissue, and affects blood clotting processes. One banana completely replenishes the daily requirement of potassium and magnesium in the body. A number of beneficial microelements contained in bananas are supplemented by iron, phosphorus, sodium, manganese and calcium.

Bananas are those fruits that, in addition to valuable minerals, contain a balanced vitamin composition : fruits A, B1, B2, B6, C, E. B vitamins improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair, and reduce irritability. Vitamin C is considered a powerful antioxidant that slows down the aging process in the body and helps cope with colds. Vitamin A improves vision, strengthens bone tissue, and stabilizes the functioning of the immune system.

With such a huge amount of minerals and vitamins, bananas have very little fat content - this causes a decrease in cholesterol levels and also has a positive effect on overall well-being.

Authorized Products

The banana diet menu is extremely limited and includes ripe bananas, low-fat milk or kefir, green/herbal tea and mineral water. In an expanded version of the diet, it is allowed to include grapefruit, low-fat cottage cheese in small quantities (up to 150 g/day), boiled chicken eggs or boiled chicken breast.

Table of permitted products

Proteins, g	Fats, g	Carbohydrates, g	Calories, kcal
bananas	1,5	0,2	21,8	95
grapefruit	0,7	0,2	6,5	29
milk 2.5%	2,8	2,5	4,7	52
kefir 1%	2,8	1,0	4,0	40
cottage cheese 1%	16,3	1,0	1,3	79
chicken eggs	12,7	10,9	0,7	157
mineral water	0,0	0,0	0,0	—
green tea	0,0	0,0	0,0	—
* data is per 100 g of product

conclusions

The banana diet is quite controversial, so you should not blindly trust the loud statements of its creators. If you don't exercise and lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle, it's better to choose another option.

The banana method will help those whose lives include physical activity, but you should not rely on the fruit alone - it is better to choose a rational way to lose weight, and eat bananas after grueling workouts to help your body.

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Fully or partially limited products

With a banana diet, almost all foods except those allowed are excluded from the diet. Drinking alcohol, carbonated and caffeinated drinks is strictly prohibited.

Table of prohibited products

Proteins, g	Fats, g	Carbohydrates, g	Calories, kcal
Vegetables and greens
vegetables tubers	2,1	0,3	14,8	64
vegetables legumes	9,1	1,6	27,0	168
eggplant	1,2	0,1	4,5	24
cabbage	1,8	0,1	4,7	27
bulb onions	1,4	0,0	10,4	41
canned cucumbers	2,8	0,0	1,3	16
Berries
grape	0,6	0,2	16,8	65
Mushrooms
mushrooms	3,5	2,0	2,5	30
Nuts and dried fruits
nuts	15,0	40,0	20,0	500
Snacks
potato chips	5,5	30,0	53,0	520
Cereals and porridges
millet cereal	11,5	3,3	69,3	348
rice	6,7	0,7	78,9	344
Flour and pasta
pasta	10,4	1,1	69,7	337
pancakes	6,1	12,3	26,0	233
vareniki	7,6	2,3	18,7	155
pancakes	6,3	7,3	51,4	294
Bakery products
buns	7,2	6,2	51,0	317
wheat bread	8,1	1,0	48,8	242
Rye bread	6,6	1,2	34,2	165
Confectionery
jam	0,3	0,2	63,0	263
jam	0,3	0,1	56,0	238
candies	4,3	19,8	67,5	453
cookie	7,5	11,8	74,9	417
cake	3,8	22,6	47,0	397
gingerbread	5,8	6,5	71,6	364
dough	7,9	1,4	50,6	234
Cakes
cake	4,4	23,4	45,2	407
Chocolate
chocolate	5,4	35,3	56,5	544
Raw materials and seasonings
seasonings	7,0	1,9	26,0	149
mustard	5,7	6,4	22,0	162
ginger	1,8	0,8	15,8	80
ketchup	1,8	1,0	22,2	93
ground black pepper	10,4	3,3	38,7	251
chilli	2,0	0,2	9,5	40
Dairy
cream	2,8	20,0	3,7	205
Cheeses and cottage cheese
cheese	24,1	29,5	0,3	363
Meat products
pork	16,0	21,6	0,0	259
salo	2,4	89,0	0,0	797
beef	18,9	19,4	0,0	187
beef liver	17,4	3,1	0,0	98
mutton	15,6	16,3	0,0	209
bacon	23,0	45,0	0,0	500
Sausages
boiled sausage	13,7	22,8	0,0	260
smoked sausage	28,2	27,5	0,0	360
dry-cured sausage	24,1	38,3	1,0	455
sausages	12,3	25,3	0,0	277
Bird
smoked chicken	27,5	8,2	0,0	184
duck	16,5	61,2	0,0	346
goose	16,1	33,3	0,0	364
Fish and seafood
caviar	36,0	10,2	0,0	123
salmon caviar granular	32,0	15,0	0,0	263
salmon	19,8	6,3	0,0	142
sturgeon	16,4	10,9	0,0	163
canned fish	17,5	2,0	0,0	88
Oils and fats
vegetable oil	0,0	99,0	0,0	899
butter	0,5	82,5	0,8	748
animal fat	0,0	99,7	0,0	897
cooking fat	0,0	99,7	0,0	897
Alcoholic drinks
white dessert wine 16%	0,5	0,0	16,0	153
vodka	0,0	0,0	0,1	235
cognac	0,0	0,0	0,1	239
liquor	0,3	1,1	17,2	242
beer	0,3	0,0	4,6	42
Non-alcoholic drinks
cola	0,0	0,0	10,4	42
coffee	0,2	0,0	0,3	2
black tea	20,0	5,1	6,9	152
energy drink	0,0	0,0	11,3	45
* data is per 100 g of product

Menu (Power Mode)

The banana diet menu for weight loss is quite monotonous. Below is an example of a menu for an extended 4-day cottage cheese-banana diet with alternating banana and cottage cheese days. The number of meals is 3 times a day.

banana day

Breakfast	one banana; green tea without sugar.
Dinner	one banana; boiled chicken fillet without skin (150 g); kefir.
Dinner	2 bananas; soft-boiled egg.

Curd day

Breakfast	1 grapefruit; low-fat cottage cheese (100 g); unsweetened green tea.
Dinner	cottage cheese 1% (150 g); Herb tea.
Dinner	cottage cheese 1% (150 g); kefir.

Is it wise to eat them at night?

This problem causes a lot of heated discussions among supporters and opponents of losing weight using the banana diet, reviews of the results of which are contradictory in this matter.
The fruit has the ability to normalize sleep and has a beneficial effect on the regulation of biorhythms. Magnesium contained in the fruit helps normalize the processes of excitation and inhibition in the nervous system. Phosphorus is indispensable for all chemical reactions in the human body, it supports:

• mental and muscle activity;
• metabolism;
• cell growth.

Vitamin A is essential for vision, skin, hair and immunity. Fruits help control weight. This is an excellent solution for those who are watching their weight, which is facilitated by easy digestibility and improved digestion.

Recipes

In order to diversify the menu, you can eat bananas not only raw, but also in the form of dishes prepared with bananas. Below are recipes for several banana-based dishes.

Diet banana pancakes

Banana pancakes are prepared without flour. For preparation you need one large ripe banana, two chicken eggs.

Separate the whites from the yolks and beat them using a blender, first the whites and then the yolks. Mix the whites with the yolks, add the banana and beat again until a soft, airy homogeneous mass is obtained. Grease the frying pan with vegetable oil with a cooking brush and spoon pancakes into the heated frying pan. Fry over low heat for one minute on each side. Serve hot with kefir.

Diet Banana Pancakes Recipe

The pancake is made with banana and Hercules oat flakes. You will also need milk, a chicken egg and baking powder.

In a blender, beat banana, egg, rolled oats and milk until smooth, add baking powder. Bake pancakes in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat without adding oil. Place them on top of each other, covering them with soft cottage cheese. Using a similar recipe, you can prepare a banana pie with the addition of a small amount of flour.

Quitting the diet

Often, after finishing the banana diet, women quickly “catch up” on lost time and their weight returns to its original weight. To avoid this, you must exit the banana diet carefully, expanding your menu by 1-2 products per day.

Start with vegetable salads, juices and fruits. Gradually introduce lean fish, dietary meats, seafood, and only on days 4-5 you can introduce dried bread, cereal with butter and higher-fat dairy products in small quantities. Don't overeat and drink enough fluids.

Contraindications

The banana diet has the following contraindications:

• allergy to fruit;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas;
• diabetes;
• condition after a stroke or heart attack;
• varicose veins;
• increased gas formation;
• children under 18 years of age;
• the period of intrauterine pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Before going on any diet, including a banana diet, you should consult your doctor to avoid negative consequences.

Comments from nutritionists

Despite the relative “satisfaction” of the banana diet, it, like all express diets, is potentially dangerous, since it does not contain the most important food nutrients in the required quantities, and if you overdo it, protein starvation and other metabolic disorders can develop. More attractive from a health point of view and for those who love bananas is a fasting day on bananas, which can be practiced 1-2 times a week. As reviews indicate, they are easily tolerated by the body, cleanse the intestines well and allow you to effectively control your weight.

Some people also wonder why you shouldn't eat bananas on an empty stomach. There are several reasons. First, bananas are relatively slow to digest. Secondly, eating them on an empty stomach, as well as drinking juice or water after eating bananas, can cause discomfort in the intestines and bloating. It is better to consume this fruit an hour after eating. Many people are interested in whether it is possible to eat bananas while on another type of diet for weight loss? Since bananas are high-calorie foods, it is not recommended to include them in your diet while on any weight loss diet.

Rules of the weight loss program

If you are used to snacking on sandwiches or cookies and coffee, then you will have to forget about it for a while, and it is better to stick to this principle even after completing the diet.

Important! If you really want to lose weight, and not just check the method for accuracy, then you need to give up any food that is not on the diet menu. For the entire time of losing weight, you will have to eliminate alcohol, sugar and other confectionery products.

In addition, in order for the technique to please you with positive results, you must follow the following rules:

1. Eat bananas in small pieces; it is better to cut the fruit into thin slices and chew them thoroughly. This way you can deceive your body, and hunger will not bother you much.
2. Every day there should be 4-6 meals, preferably at regular intervals. This measure will relieve the digestive system and help reduce the size of the stomach. If after a week-long diet you don’t eat too much, your appetite will decrease and it will become easier to keep your body in shape.
3. Every day you need to drink at least 1.5 liters of clean water without gas. Normalizing water-salt metabolism will eliminate swelling, which will also have a beneficial effect on the condition of the figure.
4. Bananas should not be overripe, ideally the peel should be thin and yellow with a few greenish spots. You can also buy mini bananas, since they have less starch, but then you need to calculate the amount of fruit per day based on their weight.
5. Fruits must be washed before consumption to remove any substances that have been used on them.
6. Despite the fact that bananas are eaten without the peel, harmful components remain on the hands and are easily introduced into the body.
7. Since bananas contain a lot of carbohydrates, the diet is contraindicated for people suffering from diabetes. The limitation for the technique is diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract. Problems with the heart or blood vessels also prohibit the banana diet, as well as pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Banana diet: reviews and results

Reviews of the 3-day banana diet vary widely, as do weight loss results.

• “...I decided to try the banana diet on the advice of my friend. For a long time I couldn’t choose what was better for losing weight - a diet for 3 days or a longer diet for 7 days. But I decided to start with a three-day diet, and if everything goes well, then next time I’ll try a 7-day diet. I did everything according to the rules. I spent 2 preliminary fasting days and cleansed my intestines with an enema. All my meals were almost the same and included one banana and 250 ml of 1% kefir. True, I prepared myself a cocktail with cinnamon and brewed green tea with the addition of milk. In total I consumed 10 bananas and 2 liters of kefir, not counting tea and mineral water. The result is 2.3 kg in three days. I didn’t notice any special side effects, with the exception of constipation”;
• “... The banana diet did not suit me, however, like many other diets. And I've tried a lot of them. I can't stand it. On the second day I began to have a severe headache and was very hungry. So I stopped the diet. But for myself, on the doctor’s advice, I began to practice fasting days, which my body tolerates more easily, and I myself feel good results after them. I accidentally found good reviews about a banana fasting day and now it, along with a fruit fasting day, has entered my arsenal of wellness.”

Errors

Any diet weakens the body. Therefore, a common mistake of those losing weight is their abuse. There is no need to mindlessly rush into yet another restriction and eat only bananas all day long. Listen to your body. It’s better to stay on a soft diet longer and then consolidate the results. Within strict limits, you can break in just two days. And it will be like in that joke: “I got up at night to drink some water, woke up eating a cutlet and borscht.”

Well, it’s stupid to rely only on a diet; no one has canceled sports. Lying down is a good exercise, but you and I are not seals.