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In the world of desserts, a magical fruit will satisfy your sweet cravings and nourish your body with essential nutrients. Allow us to introduce the humble banana. It is a versatile ingredient that can transform ordinary treats into wholesome delights.
On our quest for healthy eating habits, finding innovative ways of enjoying desserts without compromising flavor and nutrition is a treat. Bananas are often overlooked as a superfood and are packed with vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.
We all deserve a sweet escape sometimes and with healthy banana desserts, you can indulge without guilt. These treats allow you to enjoy the flavors and textures you love while nourishing your body with essential nutrients. They are the perfect solution for those who are looking to maintain a balanced lifestyle without sacrificing the joy of desserts.
The banana is regarded as the fourth most popular agricultural product. Over 100 million bananas are eaten each year globally. (5) This may sound surprising, but what contributes the most to its fame is the bulk of benefits this ordinary fruit provides.
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A single banana, separated from its bunch, provides many benefits, including:
In one medium-sized banana, you will find 89 calories, 75% water, 1.1 grams of protein, 22.8 grams of carbs, 12.2 grams of sugar, 2.6 grams of fiber, and 0.3 grams of fats (3).
It is also rich in other minerals and vitamins such as vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium (1). Therefore, adding banana to your meal will help you maintain a healthy diet. Due to the water content, it can also be said that the banana is a fruit that hydrates you and increases your energy.
The abundance of dietary fibers in bananas makes them a recommended solution for digestive health. Unripe or newly ripe bananas contain resistant starch that cannot be digested. This may benefit your gut health as it functions like fiber (3).
Bananas are high in potassium. Eating a diet that is rich in potassium and low in sodium may help lower blood pressure, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Now let’s discuss how you can consume bananas in several different fun ways. If you are not a fan of the fleshy texture of bananas, here is a quick fix for you that will allow you to enjoy the advantages of bananas to their fullest.
Eating desserts doesn’t have to necessarily be a guilty pleasure, particularly when they have banana as their main ingredient. Instead, consuming healthy banana desserts is a win-win situation for everyone. They can satisfy your craving for something sweet and provide you with an extensive combination of nutrition. As a consequence, you can maintain your balanced diet even with a delicious dessert.
Below, we have listed some options from the delightful world of healthy banana desserts:
If you are looking for after-meal desserts that are quick and easy to prepare, you can go for healthy, no-bake banana desserts. Options include banana pops, overnight oats, and banana oatmeal cookies.
If you are diet-conscious but craving a dessert, healthy banana recipes with no sugar are your answer. Many recipes for healthy banana desserts have no added sugars, as ripe bananas are already quite sweet. It should be noted that you must use very ripe bananas to maintain the required level of sweetness.
Banana smoothies are a convenient and healthy banana dessert that can be fitted into your regular meal routine, whether for a main course at breakfast or as a dessert after lunch or dinner.
Ingredients:
You can also add other ingredients according to your preferences. You should remember that the ingredients should be healthy and not have a high calorie count. For example, you can choose fruits such as apples, strawberries, or blackberries.
You may now feel that you are ready to prepare a healthy banana dessert according to your diet, or you may still be contemplating whether you can afford to eat a dessert during your weight loss journey.
It should be noted that low-calorie banana recipes can help you shed those extra pounds while still allowing your taste buds to enjoy the luxury of sweetness. Bananas have a high fiber content, which makes you feel full for longer. This can reduce your appetite and help burn fat.
Read more: 4 Healthy Apple Desserts for Every Occasion.
Certain things need to be considered before deciding whether the combination of banana and toast is healthy. Banana is undoubtedly an excellent source of nutrients, but the question here is about the type of bread and toppings used.
The type of bread you choose plays a very important role. Refined white bread is not the best choice (12) and whole wheat or whole grain bread may be better. They have similar calorie counts, but are rich in other nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
You can eat toast and bananas, but you should be careful if you want to have any additional toppings. Some toppings can enhance the nutritional value of this snack, whereas others will increase the amount of carbs and the calorie count. Adding a layer of almond or peanut butter or sprinkling cinnamon or chia seeds will serve the right purpose, but adding sugars will increase the calorie count while providing little nutritional value.
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, you should be mindful of portion size. It is not about what you eat but how much you eat. Eating a portion that is too large will result in you consuming excessive calories that will accumulate as they are not needed. The portion size of banana on toast for an average healthy person should be half a medium-sized banana spread over one slice of toast.
Banana pudding is also a healthy banana dessert. It contains plenty of potassium that can help your nerves function properly. This is essential for regulating fluid balance and maintaining normal blood pressure (11).
As bananas are already quite sweet, there is generally little or no need for added sugars in banana pudding. This gives it an advantage over other puddings and desserts as the fruit has a lower calorie count and fewer carbs and fats.
Dairy products such as milk, eggs, and yogurt are added to the pudding during the process. These provide a rich source of calcium and protein. Calcium helps strengthen bones, while protein helps with muscle growth and many other functions.
Reaping all these benefits is dependent on the other ingredients you add to your pudding. You should avoid heavy cream or condensed milk as they are high in saturated fats and possibly contain added sugars. However, the perfect combination of banana and dairy can provide you with a wholesome dessert that will help curb your cravings.
Breakfast is your first meal of the day, so you should start your day off right. This should be a well-balanced meal with all nutrients present. When pairing bananas with other foods, you should look for foods that provide protein and healthy fats. There are many options to help you achieve a wholesome balanced combination of bananas and other ingredients (2).
You can choose to combine your banana with:
You can use banana as a sweetener instead of added sugars or use it as a filling. This can provide you with the fiber, vitamins, and minerals you need for a fresh morning start. Don’t forget to adjust your portion size according to your requirements.
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Many people like to eat yogurt and bananas together for breakfast. This is a great way to start the day with lots of good nutrition for your body. Bananas contain potassium and fiber, which are both good for you. Mixing bananas with yogurt, which contains protein, calcium, and probiotics, can help your muscles and cells grow better. Probiotics also help the friendly bacteria in your intestines grow and may make your gut healthier (4).
The best part is that bananas and yogurt are quick and easy to eat, which makes it perfect for a healthy breakfast or snack.
Bananas are high in potassium, which is an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure (8). Potassium may reduce hypertension and broaden the blood vessels, and can also balance the effect of sodium in the body.
The number of bananas an individual can or should eat is dependent on their dietary requirements, in addition to what else is in the meal.
Whatever you eat should be balanced with proteins, fiber, and healthy fats and should keep you energized and active for several hours.
Considering these requirements, you could opt for wholewheat toast and eggs, oatmeal with nuts and berries and a smoothie, yogurt with fruits and nuts, or almond butter, banana, and a smoothie. Such combinations will provide a full package of all the nutrients you require while also keeping you active and hydrated.
You can eat bananas with any other food that sounds good to you. Try pairing bananas with other foods that provide protein and healthy fat for a balanced meal or snack.
Eating bananas at night is not harmful and the nutrient content in bananas may actually help you sleep more peacefully. Basically, bananas can be consumed at any time of day without worry.
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