I keep getting mixed signals about bananas. My family says they are the worst fruit for you, but my theory is, a fruit is a fruit. And I like that it makes me feel full for many hours, and I only ate half. Do you eat bananas regularly? My plan is to eat half a banana in the am around 4:45 before working out to hold me over until my real breakfast when I get to work which is Greek yogurt.

Nothing wrong with bananas, just count them towards your daily calories.

NUT did a presentation just yesterday and bananas were brought up and she said that most people have the misconception that bananas are bad, but they are good for you. A serving size is usually just 1/2 a banana and people usually end up eating the entire banana, which means a lot more calories and why people have this misconception. Personally, I can only handle a 1/2 of a banana, not an entire one, but before surgery, I'd eat them like there was no tomorrow without any problem. Also, like Missy said, track it in your diary and you have control over if it's a "bad" or "good" fruit.

Thanks! I googled it after your answers to find the cals and here's what I found...

http://www.calories-in-foods.com/calories-in-banana.php

Pretty useful info!

They are low in water compared to other fruits and can have high calories.Meaning they are more carbs per bite.

Small - 6-7" long - 90 calories

Medium - 7-8" long - 105 calories

Large - 8-9" long - 121 calories

Extra-large - over 9" - 135 calories

There is a great article ai read this is the link to it. Hope this helps

http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/are-bananas-fattening-171942.html

I'm on mushy foods, and bananas are on the list. I eat only 1/2, and find them VERY satisfying. As mentioned above, they are more dense in carbs & calories than other fruits, but they're healthy. As long as you account for them, no problem!

Weight Watchers now allows all fruit, including bananas, as a free food. I don't quite understand why and how they do that, but I guess it's working. However, my sister does WW on and off (as so many of us have) and was eating three bananas a day! She wasn't losing, and I told her......really....three bananas a day? Common sense should tell you that even though they're a free item, there is nothing "free" about them :-)

Just count them in your calories but I agree....a banana holds me over for a long time. I put them in my morning protein shakes (on the days I do shakes).

ya me too. i love bananas. put a small one in my pp shake every day. good source of potassium.

I love bananas but if you are going to work out I would think a protein shake would be more beneficial then a half of banana.

Another thing, after reading your title again with the word scoop , is that you can freeze bananas without the skin and blend them up to make "ice cream". This might be a nice treat if you have warmer weather coming your way soon.

Saw this today

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=316655535127870&set=o.493070414070718&type=1&theater

I put 1/2 banana in my smoothie from time to time....

It is not very band friendly for me to eat one "as is"...too risky, so like other foods I stay away.....

(I don't count calories)

Saw this today

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=316655535127870&set=o.493070414070718&type=1&theater

What is this if I may asked?

Sorry was a link about bananas but guess it doesn't work.

Sorry was a link about bananas but guess it doesn't work.

No problem.

A ripened bananer is medium to high on the glycemic index compare to other fruits such as apples and cherries. This could cause drastic fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin level? But i agree, it's filling and yummy.