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Banana Diet
Background
When the Morning Banana Diet was promoted on the Japanese social networking site ‘Mixi’ in March 2008 it became so popular that it resulted in a nationwide banana shortage.
The diet was created by Hitoshi Watanabe who has studied preventative medicine and his wife Sumiko who is a pharmacist.
The Morning Banana Diet Basics
The creators of the Morning Banana Diet claim that eating only bananas and drinking room temperature water for breakfast leads to weight loss regardless of what is consumed for the rest of the day.
The diet is extremely simple and easy to follow however many Japanese have reported rapid weight loss when experimenting with this diet.
One of the reasons why the diet may work is that bananas are said to improve digestion and boost metabolism. Another possibility is that bananas are high in resistant starch, which is a type of fiber that can promote the feeling of fullness and may block the absorption of some carbohydrates.
The reason why the water has to be room temperature is not certain but many theories have been speculated on the Internet such as that it improves digestion or reduces hunger.
Dieters are also advised to eat their evening meal before 8pm and to avoid desserts after dinner. If feeling very hungry it is acceptable to have a piece of fruit.
Aside from eating bananas for breakfast and avoiding late night eating another rule of the diet is that you must go to sleep before midnight every night. The rationale behind this advice is sound as scientific studies show a relationship between sleep deprivation and obesity
At all times dieters should follow the Japanese principle of eating until only 80% full.
Dairy products and alcohol are also not allowed on this diet. In addition the only beverage that may be consumed with meals is room temperature water.
Recommended Foods
Bananas – must be raw, not cooked and not frozen.
Sample Diet Plan
| Breakfast
One or more bananas (as many as desired until full) |
| Lunch
Meal of choice |
| Afternoon Snack
A small sweet snack is allowed around 3pm if hungry |
| Dinner
Meal of choice but must be eaten before 8pm |
Low Calorie meal options can be found here.
Exercise Recommendations
Dieters are told they should exercise only if they want to.
You may want to try these exercises with the Morning Banana Diet.
Costs and Expenses
See The Morning Banana Diet Official Website
Pros
- Eating breakfast every day may increase metabolism and reduce the likelihood of overeating later in the day.
- Avoiding caffeine at breakfast may lead to more stable blood glucose levels and reduced appetite.
- Not eating after 8pm will reduce tendency for late night snacking on high calorie foods.
- Avoiding dairy products and dessert will reduce calories by limiting fat and sugar intake.
- Bananas are a nutritious food and high in fiber, vitamins B6 and C and potassium.
- Discourages overeating.
Cons
- Some dieters may not respond well to a pure carbohydrate breakfast particularly those with hypoglycemia.
- Easy for dieters to consume excess calories if they eat whatever they like for lunch and dinner.
- Does not encourage exercise.
- Does not address psychological factors involved in dieting.
Conclusions
If dieters are experiencing success on this diet it is not likely to be due to any special fat burning qualities of bananas. It is much more likely that it is related to following the other rules of the diet such as eating only at specific times of the day and avoiding desserts.
This will result in a reduction of calories that will promote weight loss so long as dieters do not consume excessive calories in their other meals.
I tried this diet after my second son was born to get rid of all of the pesky baby weight. I was very strict, followed the banana routine and also cut out all junk food, chips, candy, soda… I ended up losing 35 lbs. in 8 weeks. Very awesome diet!
Me and my friend Sophia are challanging ourself to go on the Banana diet for a week and if we fail or cheat I have too give her a piggy back ride until she says stop but if i win she has too do 10 push-ups with me on her back. LOL(;
I will win ![:
I am also very sick about various diets for weight loss and nothing worked out. I was told and conditioned my mind that banna will put up weight. Mental block will have to be removed but i just want to know which type of banna to be taken for weight loss. You may reply to me through the email.
I will also love to try d banana diet and hope
it works,since i heard sometime ago that if
one wants to loose weight should avoid eating
bananas.
Sounds good, I am going to try this diet however how long are you meant to do it for? Also how long after the diet length can you restart the diet again?
I want to try this too.. i was 50 kg before but i gained weight and became 65 kg.. But the thing is I gave birth to a baby so mostly mothers become fat.. :3
i will try this since i have suffered with weight for long
Hi I would like to try this diet but the confusing part is being able to consume anything u want for the other meals and even snacking with chocolates is allowed… Ay it doesn’t sound real to me. So do you have to drink the warm water through out the day or only in the mornings?
I have practiced a lot of diets that recommend not to eat bananas, but this diet actually explained the usefulness of this fruit ……One medium banana contains 1.29 grams of protein, 105 calories and 3.1 grams of dietary fiber.
a very encouraging article since i had suffered stroke for 2 years now. though we are banana growers and eating it, but for as a dessert; but now becoz of potassium content i will surely take heed to your wisadomly advised. thanks!
I have rheumatoid arthritis which my mother also had. She has very into health foods over thirty years ago and ‘cured’ or stopped her fingers from becoming more bent by eating BANANAS! Saw it myself and so am trying it now. Seems to working as have experienced no more bending of fingers since eating three bananas a day. It does reverse the damage but seems to prevent it.
would like to try the banana diet for my daughter
when i was younger i tried a bananas diet and it work really well for me, and i am thinking of trying it again now that i am older and see if i get the same out of it.