Should You Eat Banana For Breakfast? - Healthline

Maybe your like

HealthlineSubscribe

Nutrition

Evidence BasedIs Eating a Banana for Breakfast Healthy?

Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, RDN, CDCES — Written by Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD on April 14, 2021

A healthy breakfast?
Before breakfast
Foods to pair them with
Bottom line

Bananas are a versatile and flavorful fruit often added to smoothies, baked goods, sauces, and desserts.

Many people also enjoy eating bananas for breakfast, thanks to both their portability and low price tag.

However, some wonder whether bananas are a good option for their morning meal.

This article evaluates whether eating a banana for breakfast is healthy.

two bananas, banana smoothie, powder, and table cloth — Arx0nt/Getty Images

Are bananas a healthy breakfast?

Bananas are highly nutritious, boasting a good amount of potassium, fiber, and vitamins B6 and C (1).

However, they’re also relatively high in carbs and natural sugars (1).

While this can help provide a quick burst of energy to get your morning off to the right start, it can increase blood sugar levels and cause a mid-morning crash among those with type 2 diabetes (2).

Studies also show that eating a breakfast comprising mostly processed carbohydrate foods may increase hunger levels and increase the risk of weight gain in the long term (3, 4).

Instead, pairing healthy, higher fiber, high carb foods like a banana with heart-healthy fats and a good protein source may be more beneficial for blood sugar and appetite regulation (5, 6, 7).

summary
Bananas contain carbohydrates and natural sugars, which may increase blood sugar levels if consumed alone.

Eating bananas before breakfast

While eating a banana on its own might not be ideal as a breakfast meal, enjoying a banana before your morning meal or as part of a balanced breakfast could be beneficial.

In fact, one medium banana contains about 3 grams of fiber, a plant compound that slows stomach emptying to increase feelings of fullness and support regularity (1, 8).

Unripe green bananas also contain a specific type of fiber called resistant starch, which resists digestion in the gastrointestinal tract and promotes gut health (9).

Bananas are likewise a great source of several key nutrients that your body needs, including potassium and vitamin C (1).

Potassium is involved in fluid balance and muscle contractions and may help reduce your blood pressure (10).

Meanwhile, vitamin C supports the immune system and may help protect against inflammation and chronic disease (11).

summary
Eating bananas before breakfast or as part of a balanced meal may help promote satiety and aid digestive health. Bananas contain several important micronutrients, including potassium and vitamin C.

Complementary breakfast foods

Pairing bananas with other foods high in protein and heart-healthy fats can help round out your meal.

This can support blood sugar regulation, improve satiety, and reduce hunger between meals (7).

Furthermore, increasing your intake of protein may promote weight loss and fat loss (12, 13).

Here are a few healthy breakfast ideas that include bananas:

frozen banana bites with yogurt and nut butter
Greek yogurt with bananas and chia seeds
a protein smoothie with spinach, berries, and frozen banana
oatmeal topped with nuts, seeds, and sliced bananas
banana breakfast bars with nut butter, oats, and walnuts

summary
Pairing bananas with other ingredients that are high in protein and fiber for breakfast may help improve satiety, reduce hunger, and promote digestive health.

The bottom line

Bananas are relatively high in carbohydrates and natural sugars, but they’re a good source of fiber and important vitamins and minerals, which makes them superior to highly processed high carb breakfast foods.

Therefore, they can be great a great addition to a well-rounded meal, especially when paired with other foods high in healthy fats or protein.

For an easy way to enjoy bananas for breakfast, try adding them to smoothies, yogurt parfaits, oat bowls, or high protein breakfast bars.

How we reviewed this article:

History

Share this article

Evidence Based

This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.

Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Medically reviewed by Kathy W. Warwick, RDN, CDCES — Written by Rachael Ajmera, MS, RD on April 14, 2021

Health Conditions

Condition Spotlight

Wellness Topics

Product Reviews

Featured Programs

Featured

Lessons

Newsletters

Lifestyle Quizzes

Health News

This Just In

Top Reads

Video Series

Find Your Bezzy Community

Follow us on social media

Nutrition

Nutrition

Are bananas a healthy breakfast?

Eating bananas before breakfast

Complementary breakfast foods

The bottom line

How we reviewed this article:

Evidence Based

related stories

Read this next

Contact