Bananas are one of the best fruits for helping you manage those daunting daily weigh ins. And we know what a tough battle that can be for some people. Right now, two out of three men and one out of every two women are overweight. There are thousands of theories about why we are so chubby and the media is rampant with diet tips, diet breakthroughs and diet plans. And yet, Aussies are getting chubbier with each passing year.
The answer is surprisingly simple. People gain weight because they eat more kilojoules than they burn during the day. The excess kilojoules are stored as body fat. It doesn’t matter whether those excess kilojoules come in the form of protein, fat, carbohydrate or alcohol, if they aren’t used they get stored as fat.
The most effective way to lose weight is to burn more kilojoules during the day (increase activity) and eat less kilojoules, mainly by eating less fatty foods and cutting back on alcoholic drinks. Wholesome carbohydrate foods are rarely the cause of anyone getting fat. Potatoes are fine until they become deep fried (ie fries). Other veggies and fruit are not fattening, unless they become wrapped in pastry (eg apple pies) or have lots of oil added during cooking.
Every day the pressure is on to control our weight.
When you think that a banana is totally fat free and that it’s a real tummy filler, it’s a wonder we don’t eat more of them. Bananas have a high satiety index, simply put, they are very filling for the amount of kilojoules they provide.
So if you want to stay a healthy weight, eat plenty of fruit and veggies and go easy on the fatty stuff.
Is there such a thing as a diet based on the banana? In 2008, banana sales went crazy in Japan as people followed a banana weight loss diet that included a banana at every breakfast.
By public demand, here is the Australian Banana One Day Eating Plan that is good for your heart, your brain and will very likely get you to shed a bit of excess weight too. If you have been overdoing it and eating a bit more than is good for you, then today the Australia Banana One Day Eating Plan will help you to reverse the excess of yesterday.
Breakfast:
2 cups breakfast cereal
1 cup low fat milk
1 banana
Lunch:
Nutty Bananarama smoothie (recipe provided on this website)
Salad with balsamic vinegar & lemon juice dressing
Afternoon tea:
1 banana
Dinner:
150g lean meat/200g fish
3 cups mixed vegetables
1 slice wholemeal bread + margarine
If you are still hungry after this, then add another serve of vegetables, another piece of fruit or, if you are really hungry, try another banana smoothie. The Australian Banana One Day Eating Plan will provide around 5000-6000 kJ (about 1200-1400 Cals in the old language). The lower level is achieved if you use skim milk, low fat breakfast cereal and don’t add extras.
