Sometimes it’s hard to find a hundred-percent-accurate answer when it comes to calories. This is especially the case when it comes to bananas, which grow in all shapes, sizes, and weights.
But if you love eating bananas and are watching your weight or calorie intake, it’s good to know the rough numbers.
So what’s the answer?
The simple answer is: a small banana, around 6 inches long and weighing around 100 grams, contains about 90 calories.
That’s not much, generally speaking. And even if you’re monitoring your calorie intake, the nutritional value you get in each banana can make the amount of calories worth it.
But what about other banana sizes? This simple guide has all the answers you’re looking for, so make sure to keep on reading.
How Many Calories In A Medium Sized Banana?
Now that you know how many calories there are in a small banana, what about medium bananas?
A medium-sized banana, around 7 inches long and weighing around 120 grams, contains about 105 calories.
So, compared with a small banana, a medium-sized banana contains roughly 15 more calories. Not that big of a difference!
How Many Calories In A Large Banana?
Sometimes bigger is better. And if you find yourself extra hungry, you might be eyeing up that big banana in your fruit bowl over a small banana! But how many calories are there in a big banana?
A large banana, around 8 inches long and weighing around 135 grams, contains about 120 calories.
Compared with a small banana, then, a large banana contains roughly 30 more calories.
Compared with a medium-sized banana, on the other hand, a large banana contains roughly 15 more calories.
How Many Carbohydrates In A Small Banana?
Now that you know how many calories are in small, medium, and large bananas, what about the amount of carbohydrates in bananas?
A small banana, around 6 inches long and weighing around 100 grams, contains about 23 grams of carbohydrates.
A medium banana, around 7 inches long and weighing around 120 grams, contains about 27 grams of carbohydrates.
A large banana, around 8 inches long and weighing around 135 grams, contains about 31 grams of carbohydrates.
For reference, a banana contains more carbohydrates than an orange, but around the same amount of carbohydrates as an apple.
How Much Sugar In A Small Banana?
A lot of fruits contain more sugar than you think. So what’s the deal with bananas, then? Are bananas high in sugar? Let’s take a look.
A small banana, around 6 inches long and weighing around 100 grams, contains about 12 grams of sugar.
A medium banana, around 7 inches long and weighing around 120 grams, contains about 14 grams of sugar.
A large banana, around 8 inches long and weighing around 135 grams, contains about 17 grams of sugar.
For reference, a banana contains more sugar than an orange, but less sugar than an apple!
Are Bananas Healthy?
Calories and carbs aside, are bananas healthy? They’re a fruit, after all, so you’d think bananas are healthy.
And you’d be right! Bananas are healthy. They’re high in nutritional value, being high in fiber, potassium, and various essential vitamins, including vitamin C and vitamin B6.
Potassium maintains normal fluid levels in blood cells and supports everyday muscle functions. Fiber improves bowel health and assists bowel movements. And vitamins B6 and C increase immune health and improve cognitive functions.
On top of all that, bananas are also low in sodium, which, while healthy in small amounts, can cause high blood pressure and other heart-related problems in high amounts.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that bananas generally contain more calories and carbohydrates than other popular fruits, like oranges and apples – which isn’t great if you’re trying to keep those macros to a minimum.
This high calorie and carb content can also be a benefit, however, as consuming calories and carbohydrates (plus potassium) can improve physical performance by increasing energy and aiding muscle contractions.
So if you’ve ever seen someone eating a banana in the gym, now you know why!
Are Bananas Good For Weight Loss?
With around 90–120 calories per banana, depending on the size, are bananas good for weight loss?
Bananas generally contain more calories and carbohydrates than other fruits, like oranges, for example.
So, on the surface, bananas are not the best choice if you’re doing your best to keep your calorie and carb intake as low as possible.
But despite that, you can still eat bananas and lose weight as long as you maintain a caloric deficit. In other words: consuming fewer daily calories than your maintenance calories.
It all comes down to calories consumed versus calories burned.
Put simply, if you eat a small 90-calorie banana but burn off 90 calories doing exercise, you won’t gain weight.
If you eat a small 90-calorie banana but off 200 calories doing exercise, then you’ll be heading in the right direction to lose weight.
This applies to your whole diet, in general, and how many calories you are consuming and burning off on a daily (or weekly – however you prefer to track it) basis.
Bottom Line
To wrap up, a small banana—a banana that’s around 6 inches long and weighing around 100 grams—contains about 90 calories.
A medium banana, on the other hand, contains about 105 calories while a large banana contains about 120 calories.
It’s not entirely possible to know exactly how many calories are in a banana, since bananas do not come with manufacturer labels (and come in all different shapes and sizes), but these are the general calorie amounts that you can expect.
Still, eating bananas shouldn’t come with any guilt, as bananas are high in potassium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and other vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They’re the perfect workout food too, offering benefits that can improve physical performance.
The bottom line? No matter how many calories there are in bananas, they’re still super healthy and shouldn’t be excluded from your diet!
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