Go Bananas! (Or Don't!)

OK, so I’m SOOOO excited that a bunch of you are playing along with me and taking the challenge to add more healthy fruits and veggies to your plate!  The GREAT IN-BETWEEN-HOLIDAYS FRUIT AND VEGGIE CHALLENGE has begun!  LOL!  And by the way, if you’re reading this and thinking, “Yup, I NEED this right now!”.  You can join in and play along at any time!  Make comments, ask questions, snap a pic and share what you’re eating (you never know...YOU might be the inspiration someone needs to commit to eating healthier and feeling better RIGHT NOW!).  

So..I got a really great question yesterday on the Facebook page, which was…

“What about bananas? They’re not exactly crunchy or colorful, and I know they are kind of high in sugar. Do you consider them something to be piled on the plate, or no?”

The short answer is, if your goal is to lose weight, minimize blood sugar swings, and keep insulin stable, I'd keep bananas (and other high sugar fruits) to a minimum when you start out on your Fruit and Veggie Challenge.  Plus, if you eat a lot of sweet sugary things...guess what?  You sometimes end up craving sweet, sugary things even more!  It might make it harder to give up the sweets if you’re eating LARGE amounts of very sweet fruits and veggies.  

 

But don’t toss that banana just yet!  Bananas are NOT bad for you...in fact, they can be very nutritious--good amounts of potassium, magnesium, and B6, and green ones have gut-friendly prebiotic nutrients . Plus they’re super yummy (and you’re more likely to eat healthy if you like what you’re eating, right?).  

 

So...if you're a person who eats junk food every day and NEVER eats fruit, but you WANT to start eating fruit and the only fruits you like are bananas, pineapples and watermelon...then go for it!  I would WAAAYYYY rather see you improve your diet by ditching highly processed Frankenfoods like Ding Dongs and Oreos and adding in natural, nutritive, higher sugar fruits and veggies that have fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and other goodies inside!  That would be HUGE progress!

So are you scratching your head?  

“Was that a yes or a no? Do I eat bananas or not?”

As a Health Coach, my job is to help you get where you want to go. I don’t tell you what to eat...I trust that you know yourself well enough to decide what’s good for you and what’s bad for you. My job is to get you thinking about what you want, how you want to feel, and how the heck you can get there in the easiest and most fun way possible.


Want to live longer, age gracefully, have less pain, be happy in your jeans, and rock amazing energy? For most folks that happens by eating nutritious foods, exercising, hydrating, sleeping well, and managing your stress levels. But we all start someplace different, we all have different journeys, and we all have different goals in mind!


So...it’s up to you...eat the banana...or don’t. YOU are empowered to make choices that will bring you the results you want to see!


I’m so glad that my friend posted that question (thank you, Michelle!). Sometimes in order to make good choices for ourselves, we need to know what the impact of that choice might be. Knowledge is power! Ask your doctor. Ask a nutritionist. Ask Google. Ask me. Ask your mom. There are always two sides to every banana and it’s helpful to know what the sides are. ;)

Stay curious and be well!

-Dorothy

PS

When using Google to research foods, remember nutrition is not an exact science. If you're not convinced, choose a food and separately ask, "What are the benefits/pros of ____." And then type in, "What are the side effects/dangers/cons of ____?" You will get doctor's opinions, research results and anecdotal accounts that are completely contradictory! It's quite amusing!