Banana Diet: Weight Loss & Simple Meal Plan - Is It Effective?

The morning banana diet is a flexible way of improving your physical condition. This diet gained popularity in Japan in 2008 and is intended to cause weight loss. The creators of this diet insist that eating bananas and drinking room temperature water causes weight loss irrespective of what is consumed during the remaining part of the day. The diet is extremely simple and easy to follow.

In this diet, the dieter has to eat as many bananas as they want with room temperature water for breakfast. There is no restriction on lunch and dinner. They can eat one or more bananas between meals but no other dessert is permitted. Nothing is eaten after 8 p.m. and the dieter must go to bed by midnight.

Origin:

The morning banana diet for weight loss is based on the popular Japanese ‘Asa Banana Diet’. This was popularized by Hitoshi Watanabe who followed it on the recommendation of his wife Sumiko Watanabe and lost 37 pounds (16.8 kg).The diet became a rage thereafter. In fact, the diet was so popular that bananas became scarce in Japan for a short period as retailers were unable to meet the demand.

Sample Diet Plan:

Breakfast

One or more bananas (as many as desired until full)
One glass lukewarm water

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 No dessert

Theory behind banana diet:

Originated as a group-developed diet program, there are different theories to explain its effectiveness. Some of the most common ideas are:

• Bananas contain enzymes that speed up the process of digestion by reducing the amount of time needed by the intestines to digest food. This results in metabolism more suited to losing weight.

• Bananas are a storehouse of resistant starch which lengthens the feeling of fullness. Resistant starch also ferments in the digestive tract that increase fat burning by 20%-25%.

• The reason why water has to be room temperature is not certain but theories have speculated that it improves digestion and reduces hunger. Moreover banana plus water results in elimination of constipation symptoms.

• The digestive process is further enhanced due to early intake of dinner and avoidance or reduction of evening snacks, thus resulting in sounder sleep and more energy in the morning

• Doing away with mandatory exercise and allowing afternoon sweets reduces stress, leading to prevention of overeating.

Rules of Banana Diet:

1. Eat one or more bananas for breakfast. In fact the inventor of this diet ate 4 small bananas. The bananas should be raw, uncooked and unfrozen as they are rich in enzymes.

2. You can choose anything for your lunch and dinner. However, it is advisable to cut the amount of food intake and substitutes for fried food as it is a diet at the end of the day.

3. Afternoon snack of cookies and the like is allowed at about 3 p.m. Ice cream, donut and potato chips are not recommended.

4. It is advisable to have dinner before 8 p.m. and stay away from desserts. Your sweet tooth can be satisfied by having fruits.

5. Another rule of the diet is that you must go to sleep before midnight. The rationale behind this advice is sound as scientific studies show a relationship between sleep deprivation and obesity.

6. Dairy products and alcohol are not allowed on this diet. The only beverage that may be consumed with meals is room temperature water.

7. Much exercise is not required. A little bit of walking every day is preferable.

Benefits of Banana Diet

Many Japanese people have reported rapid weight loss when experimenting with this diet. Besides being simple and easy to follow, this diet offers various benefits.

• Bananas are an excellent source of dietary fibre, both soluble and in soluble. The 6 gram fibre in a 2 banana breakfast can reduce caloric intake. Fibre bulks up in the stomach, lengthening feelings of fullness and pulls some calories through the digestive system before they can be absorbed.

• It reduces the likelihood of overeating.

• Avoidance of caffeine at breakfast results in reduced appetite and stable blood glucose levels.

• Since dairy products and desserts are not allowed, calories are reduced by limiting fat and sugar intake.

• Not eating after 8 p.m. reduces the tendency of late night intake of high calorie foods resulting in sound sleep.

• Increased resistant starch consumption can increase fat burning and decrease fat accumulation.

Drawbacks of Banana Diet

Despite being effective this diet possesses certain drawbacks

• One of the problems associated with this diet is that it may lead to misuse of unregulated lunch and dinner.

• Since the dieters are free to choose their lunch and dinner, they are likely to consume excess calories for their lunch and dinner.

• A pure carbohydrate breakfast is not suitable for certain dieters particularly those with hypoglycaemia.

• This diet totally ignores the psychological factors involved in dieting.

• It does not encourage exercise.

Effectiveness of Banana Diet:

The success of this diet cannot be attributed to any special fat burning qualities of bananas. It is more likely the outcome of following the other rules of the diet such as eating only at specific times of the day and avoiding desserts. As long as dieters do not consume excess calories in their meals, there will be a reduction in calories that will promote weight loss. Thus, the positive effects of this diet are due to the fact that being on a diet in general makes the people aware of what they are eating.

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