Are bananas complex carbs?
In this brief guide, we are going to answer “are bananas complex carbs?” and discuss what are these complex carbs, why are bananas considered as good carbs, are complex carbs good or bad, what happens to carb composition during banana ripening, and can you eat bananas on a low-carb diet.
Are bananas complex carbs?
Yes, bananas are considered as complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs include starch and fibres and bananas are enriched with them.
Are complex carbohydrates good or bad?
Complex carbs are considered as good carbs because they:
- Provide energy to your body for an extended period of time
- Take a longer time to digest and fulfill hunger
- Help you lose weight
- Lower cholesterol and blood pressure to keep your heart healthy
Why are bananas considered as good carbs?
A 7-8 inches medium banana has 27 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fibre, and it provides about 21 percent of the daily carbs intake and 8 percent of fibre intake.
Banana fibres are soluble fibres which help to regulate blood sugar levels and lower the levels of cholesterol.
Bananas do not contain added sugars that lead to health problems. These added sugars are mostly found in candies, cookies, sodas or energy bars.
What happens to the carb composition of a banana during ripening?
In green bananas, starch content is higher than the sugar content. During ripening, this starch is transformed into sugar.
Unripe bananas also have a high amount of resistant starch that is very beneficial in terms of your gut health.
Bananas also contain a good amount of pectin fibre which is water soluble and its solubility increases as the banana ripens. That is one of the reasons behind bananas turning soft while aging.
The glycemic index of bananas is 42-58, and it depends upon their ripeness. This is quite low possibly due to high content of resistant starch and pectin.
Nutritional facts of bananas
A fresh banana contains:
- Calories = 105kcal
- Total carbs = 27 g
- Net carbs = 23.9 g
- Fiber = 3.1 g
- Protein = 1.3 g
- Fats = 0.4 g
Bananas also contain essential supplements such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, selenium, folate, choline, vitamin A,B2, B3, B5, B6, Vit C,K and Vit E.
Can you eat bananas on a low-carb diet?
No, you can not eat bananas on a low-carb diet as bananas are high carbs and they would provide a sugar fuel source to your body which you don’t want when you are on a keto or low-carb diet.
Other FAQs about Bananas which you may be interested in.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we answered “are bananas complex carbs?” and discussed what are these complex carbs, why are bananas considered as good carbs, are complex carbs good or bad, what happens to carb composition during banana ripening, and can you eat bananas on a low-carb diet.
References
- https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-complex-carbohydrates.html
- https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/carbohydrates-bananas-oranges-6659.html
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/bananas#nutrition
- https://www.carbmanager.com/food-detail/cc:31871e654928cf8deb3a4e2def2605af/banana-fresh
- https://ketogasm.com/carbs-in-banana/
