Bananas are a popular tropical fruit spread from its Southeast Asian homeland.
It is readily available food so you can enjoy its delicious flavor and pleasant aroma without making a big change to your meal planning in the preparation part.
Bananas have a beautiful flavor and can be added to smoothies to achieve a creamy consistency, and they can be used in place of refined sugar in baked goods and oatmeal.
As it matures, it turns green to yellow, and the sugar content increases, giving it a sweeter taste.
The soluble fiber in it aids in blood sugar and cholesterol management. It is a good source of fat-free food that can aid in weight control due to its balanced composition and ability to promote satiety.
In addition, it helps keep digestion regular. Although it’s often the first item that comes to mind when thinking of foods to eat to stop diarrhea, beware: overeating it can lead to constipation.
Bananas Quick Nutrition Facts
Here's a quick nutrition overview for 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of bananas:
- Energy: 89 calories
- Carbs: 22.8 grams
- Sugar: 12.2 grams
- Fiber: 2.6 grams
- Protein: 1.09 grams
- Fat: 0.33 grams
- Saturated Fat: 0.112 grams
Jump to a section where you can learn more about bananas nutrition value, including macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, protein quality, and more.
Health Benefits of Bananas
Thanks to a significant amount of specific vitamins and minerals, bananas could provide several health benefits.
Continue reading to discover the potential benefits of consuming bananas.
They May Boost Energy Levels
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine can help release sugar from the fats stored in the body to meet the need for energy supply in the future.
This action of vitamin B6 can also be beneficial in the management of diabetes.
It can regulate the amount of fat that can be converted into a usable form of energy, especially in the absence of a ready supply of carbohydrates from dietary sources.
This can ensure the body receives a steady supply of glucose, which is its primary source of fuel and protect patients against serious complications of diabetes.
Vitamin B6 can also help in the formation of red blood cells and, thus, improve the bodily functions involved in the transportation of oxygen in the form of oxyhemoglobin.
Vitamin B6 is important for the normal development of the brain in children. It can also keep the immune system and nervous system healthy and, thus, reduce the risk of several diseases.
Bananas Nutrition Facts
Continue reading to find out the following bananas nutrition information:
- Macronutrients
- Vitamin Content
- Mineral Content
- Amino Acid Profile
- Fat Breakdown
- Carbohydrate Breakdown
Macronutrients
Macronutrients, often called macros, are most commonly used term when it comes to eating a healthy diet or losing weight. There are three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Macronutrients provide energy to your body and allows it to function properly. The following table contains the information on bananas macronutrients, while reading further will give you a better understanding on each of these macronutrients.
Carbohydrate | 22.8 g | |
Protein | 1.09 g | |
Fat | 0.33 g |
Vitamin Content
Bananas are not an excellent source of any particular vitamin.
However, they contain a good amount of Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine) and some Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid), and Vitamin B9 (Folate).
Here's the full bananas vitamin content per 100g:
Vitamin A | 64 IU | |
Vitamin C | 8.7 mg | |
Vitamin D | 0 µg | |
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) | 0.031 mg | |
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) | 0.073 mg | |
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) | 0.665 mg | |
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) | 0.334 mg | |
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine) | 0.367 mg | |
Vitamin B9 (Folate) | 20 µg | |
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) | 0 µg | |
Vitamin E | 0.1 mg | |
Vitamin K | 0.5 µg |
Mineral Content
Bananas are excellent source of Fluoride.
They also contain a good amount of Manganese and some Copper, Magnesium, and Potassium.
Here's the full bananas mineral content per 100g:
Calcium | 5 mg | |
Copper | 0.078 mg | |
Fluoride | 2.2 mg | |
Iron | 0.26 mg | |
Magnesium | 27 mg | |
Manganese | 0.27 mg | |
Phosphorus | 22 mg | |
Potassium | 358 mg | |
Selenium | 1 μg | |
Sodium | 1 mg | |
Zinc | 0.15 mg |
Protein and Amino Acid Profile
Bananas contain 1.1 g of protein per 100 g, or in other words, bananas provide 1.22 g of protein per 100 kcal.
Similarly to most other plant proteins, protein in bananas contain all nine essential amino acids, however, they are a little bit low in isoleucine, and methionine.
Histidine OK | 0.077 g | |
Isoleucine Low | 0.028 g | |
Leucine OK | 0.068 g | |
Lysine OK | 0.05 g | |
Methionine Low | 0.008 g | |
Phenylalanine OK | 0.049 g | |
Threonine OK | 0.028 g | |
Tryptophan OK | 0.009 g | |
Valine OK | 0.047 g |
Fat Breakdown
Around 3% of the calories in bananas are from fat. Bananas have 0.33 grams or 0% of recommended daily values per 100g.
Saturated fat and trans fat can increase cholesterol levels and increase the heart disease risk.
Bananas fat content mostly consists of saturated fats.
According to FDA, dietary cholesterol should be kept below 300 mg per day. Luckily, bananas is cholesterol free.
Bananas do not contain trans fats. Trans fats should be kept as low as possible.
Total Fat | 0.33 g | |
Saturated Fat | 0.112 g | |
Monounsaturated Fat | do not have a %DV | 0.032 g |
Polyunsaturated Fat | do not have a %DV | 0.073 g |
Trans Fats | do not have a %DV | 0 g |
Cholesterol | 0 mg |
Carbohydrate Breakdown
102% of the calories in bananas come from carbohydrates.
Carbs in bananas are mostly sugars (54%), followed by starch and fiber.
When it comes to sugars, bananas contain grams of sugar per 100g.
Total Carbohydrate | 22.8 g | |
Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g | |
Sugars | 12.2 g |
Articles related to Bananas
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Bananas Nutrients, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/173944/nutrients -
Listing of vitamins, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/listing_of_vitamins/ -
Appendix 7. Nutritional goals for age-sex groups based on dietary reference intakes and Dietary Guidelines recommendations. (n.d.).
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-7/ -
International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/114/5/1625/6320814?login=false -
Health Claim Notification for Saturated Fat, Cholesterol, and Trans Fat, and Reduced Risk of Heart Disease
https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/health-claim-notification-saturated-fat-cholesterol-and-trans-fat-and-reduced-risk-heart-disease -
Nutrient Recommendations: Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI), Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences Engineering, and Medicine
https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx -
Protein And Amino Acid Requirements In Human Nutrition, WHO
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43411/WHO_TRS_935_eng.pdf -
Nutrition Facts Labeling RDIs Nutrients, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
https://www.fda.gov/media/99069/download -
Nutrition Facts Labeling DRVs Food Components, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
https://www.fda.gov/media/99059/download