Can you live off bananas?
But for a healthy person, "it would be impossible to overdose on bananas," says Collins. "You would probably need around 400 bananas a day to build up the kind of potassium levels that would cause your heart to stop beating...
The banana has fiber, sugar, and potassium, but no protein, and eating it as the only food is not safe for long periods of time. What is important is not just losing weight but what your body composition is like afterwards.
Although bananas are a nutrient-dense fruit, you cannot live a prolonged healthy life by sustaining on them alone. Bananas will supply you with water, calories, carbohydrates, vitamins B6 and C, and some dietary fiber, but they are deficient in protein, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B9, and many essential minerals.
Foods you can survive on
Nor would they recommend an all coconut, kale, seaweed, or yogurt one either. There's a reason that the U.S. dietary guidelines recommends eating a variety of vegetables, grains, proteins, fruits, and oils.
In theory, you could eat as many bananas as you want, as long as you're not over-consuming calories, displacing other foods and nutrients that your body needs, or harming your health in other ways. That said, one to two bananas per day would likely be considered a moderate intake for most healthy people.
Bananas are a rich source of the mineral, with one medium fruit containing 422 milligrams. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, adults need 4,700 milligrams of potassium each day, so you'd have to eat more than 10 bananas just to get to the recommended daily intake.
Adults should consume about 3,500mg of potassium per day, according to the UK's National Health Service. The average banana, weighing 125g, contains 450mg of potassium, meaning a healthy person can consume at least seven-and-half bananas before reaching the recommended level.
Kelp, alaria and laver (kombu, wakame and nori in Japanese cuisine) are among the most common. Almost all kinds are edible. Seaweed is loaded with vitamins and minerals. Once dried it will keep of months, too.
Even if it helps you lose a little bit of weight (which is unlikely, considering 30 bananas contain more than 3,000 calories — many more than the average young woman needs per day), "the plan is restrictive, [it] lacks nutrients needed to be a healthy person, and it encourages [an] unhealthy relationship towards food," ...
So, ensure combining it with foods that have healthy fats. Bananas are super-healthy fruits, but as they say, anything in excess is bad for your health. So, ensure having not more than two bananas a day or consult your dietitian, who can help you alter your diet plan.
What is the bare minimum food to survive?
While it's safe for both men and women to limit their intake to 1,200 calories a day, women may have an easier time meeting their nutrient needs than men, says Harvard Health Publications. Based on this information, limiting your intake to 1,200 to 1,500 calories may help you lose while eating the bare minimum.
- Super-Sweet Cereals. Breakfast cereals are commonly loaded with sugar. ...
- Sugary Coffee Drinks. Many people are accustomed to starting their day with high-calorie coffee drinks. ...
- Canned Soup. ...
- Margarine Bars. ...
- High-Calorie Soda. ...
- Processed Meats. ...
- Ice Cream. ...
- Frozen French Fries.
“Avoid any foods that have the words 'trans,' 'hydrogenated,' or 'partially hydrogenated' on the label [indicating bad fats], often found in commercially fried foods, donuts, cookies and potato chips,” advises Dr. DeVane. “Also, be aware of how many calories are coming from sugar.
While bananas do not specifically affect weight loss, they do have properties that can help a person manage their body weight, such as high fiber content. Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which can help make people feel fuller for longer periods.
Bananas are super-healthy fruits, but as they say, anything in excess is bad for your health. So, ensure having not more than two bananas a day or consult your dietitian, who can help you alter your diet plan.
The USDA (opens in new tab) recommends that adults eat about two cups of fruit a day, or about two bananas. If you eat dozens of bananas every day, there may be a risk of consuming excessively high amounts of vitamins and minerals.
Even if it helps you lose a little bit of weight (which is unlikely, considering 30 bananas contain more than 3,000 calories — many more than the average young woman needs per day), "the plan is restrictive, [it] lacks nutrients needed to be a healthy person, and it encourages [an] unhealthy relationship towards food," ...
