Are Bananas as Bad for You as Cookies? [Infographic]

The short answer is no, and it’s not even close. Bananas are rich in potassium, fiber, vitamins B6 and C, and other nutrients (1) — all of which cookies can’t compete with.

But what if you looked at it purely from a fullness perspective? That’s exactly what Massive Health did when it created the “Satiety Index” — a measure of how full you feel after eating 240 calories of something. The index maps foods across two different axes, the aforementioned Satiety Index, and the Glycemic Index — a measure of how quickly food digests, turns into sugar, and ultimately converts into fat.

The result is a powerful map, which *theoretically* creates a “leanness graph” of sorts — healthier, lean foods fall in the top right, blue area; fatty, unhealthy foods fall in the bottom left, red area.

Bananas sit right next to cookies, popcorn, cereal and french fries. While I wouldn’t put bananas in the same health stratosphere as cookies or french fries, they do have A LOT of sugar which explains their positioning (sugar decreases the fullness effect). Bananas can still be a staple in any healthy diet — they’re one of my favorite foods — but consider the occasional apple, orange, or pear (they’re higher in fiber and lower in sugar).

Regardless, don’t take the graph as science. I’m skeptical about the end result — for instance, white pasta DOES NOT belong in the powder blue circle — but it’s still an interesting perspective to consider

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Works Cited

1. NutritionData.com - Banana nutrition facts

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Bryan DiSanto

Owner & Editor-in-Chief at Lean It UP

Bryan DiSanto is the Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Lean It UP, ACE-CPT & CSN, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness/nutrition nutjob.

When he’s not working on his (or somebody else’s) abs, whipping up Eggocados, or running a Tough Mudder, he’s probably off yelling at a Carolina Panthers game somewhere.

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