In Japan, the morning banana diet has became a hit in no time. Those who tried it claim that this diet is perfect for quick and easy weight loss. What the morning banana diet does is it encourages you to eat less and to have a good night’s sleep and that way you’ll be able to lose a few pounds without actually exercising.
Important! Consult your doctor before starting any kind of weight loss diet especially if you have any health problems.
The Morning Banana Diet – What to eat
The morning banana diet is simple, you need to eat 1-2 bananas at breakfast and drink only water at room temperature. After that you can consume whatever you want for lunch, dinner and also snacks – but you shouldn’t eat after 8 pm and you must go to bed before midnight and have a good night’s sleep. Exercising is optional.
The only forbidden foods are:
- Ice cream
- Dairy products
- Alcohol
- Dessert after dinner
- All drinks except room temperature water
One of the most popular aspects of the morning banana diet is the lack of exercising and activities. They are recommended only if you want to exercise and even then they should be easy exercises so they won’t cause any stress to your body or mind.
How does the morning banana diet work
There are various explanations what exactly is behind the effects of the morning banana diet. One theory suggests that certain enzymes in bananas can stimulate your digestion and elimination of food, causing you to lose weight. However, the human body is capable of producing all the necessary enzymes in order to digest the food. It’s true that the fibers in the bananas pass through the gastrointestinal tract unchanged and help your bowel to eliminate waste better, but it’s not enough to significantly affect the process of losing weight, nutritionists say.
According to another theory, bananas contain a certain type of indigestible fiber called resistant starches that promote feelings of satiety and increase the process of fat burning. Many foods rich in carbohydrates contain this type of starch, like potatoes, cereals and legumes. Resistant starches aren’t digested in the small intestine and pass unchanged throughout the entire digestive tract.
Studies have shown that indigestible fiber can block the absorption of some carbohydrates, but even so, bananas contain a relatively small amount of fiber and resistant starches – only around 0.10 oz. of fiber, while the best sources of fiber contain 0.12 up to 0.17 oz. of equivalent portion.
Bananas and most fruits are an important part of any healthy diet for weight loss and although they undoubtedly have many valuable qualities, bananas don’t magically burn excess fat.
Morning banana diet – What the experts say
Eating everything you want for lunch, dinner and snacks isn’t a successful recipe for long term weight loss. If you want to lose some weight, you shouldn’t overeat during dinner and lunch, but you should eat healthy every day,
Restricting food intake after 8 pm is good thing for people who tend to overeat unconsciously in the evening. But don’t let this recommendation fool you: You won’t lose weight if you overeat during the day and you don’t eat after 8 pm. It’s important to know how many calories you consume throughout the day and how many calories you burn.
Having a regular breakfast helps to speed up your metabolism, but there is nothing particularly useful if you eat bananas and drink a glass of water at room temperature every morning. But the good thing about this breakfast is that the preparation is really fast and easy and it contains few calories. On the other hand, bananas are quite high in sugars and low in fiber. Each breakfast that contains only carbohydrates can usually make you feel hungry rather quickly, and this is the enemy of every diet fail.
Instead of ‘pure’ banana breakfast, make a simple smoothie. In a blender blend one or two bananas with some ice cubes and add a cup of low fat plain unsweetened yogurt or a scoop or two of organic whey protein – so you’ll have more energy during the day.
Morning banana diet – Summary
To feel full when you consume fewer calories, focus on eating healthy foods rich in fiber and water – beans, soups, vegetables and fruits. In your daily healthy menu you should also include some lean meats and other protein sources like low-fat dairy products, eggs and nuts. This will keep the hunger away.
The truth is that with low-carbohydrate diets, that have a big calorie restriction you’ll actually lose weight, but you can also get the yo-yo effect where you gain weight again. Experts agree that there is no food that is able to literally burn fat.
It might not sound so attractive and easy as the morning banana diet, but to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. So you can try this diet and if it doesn’t work then you’ll probably need to start exercising regularly and eat healthy.
