Best Time to Eat Banana for Weight Loss – The Best Secrets

​When do you find that you’re hungriest? 

Just like sleeping patterns, we all have certain times where we prefer to eat. In fact, they might be linked.

These patterns are familiar and feel good to us.

For instance, once you get into the habit of having that midnight snack, it can be hard to quit. It might be when your body is just naturally hungry, but isn’t it also the worst time to be snacking? 

Today, we’re looking into how our timing with food can impact our weight. Interestingly, we’re going to begin with one simple whole food - the banana. Is it a weight loss food?

If so, when’s the best time to eat banana for weight loss? 

How many bananas should we eat, and what’s behind that?

Are you ready to pull back the peel and start scheduling your meals? Let’s go.

​Best Time to Eat Banana for Weight Loss

Normally, I automatically ignore any “health advice” that involves avoiding a simple, nutritious piece of produce. But with bananas, I kind of get it. After all, they’re basically just sugar and carbs. 

While I can’t blame anyone for being wary of them for that, there’s something important to remember here.

Not all sugar is bad for you.

If you can, go back and read how I break down the truth about fructose.

Fruits are a great source of natural fiber, which has a HUGE impact on how we metabolize sugars. 

In addition to that, bananas offer good amounts of:

​But is banana good for weight loss?

Ultimately, they’re great for weight loss.

Here’s why... ​

​1. They’re a convenient, complete workout snack.

Not much of a meal prepper?

If you’re not packing a snack, you’ll end up at the vending machine. And if you plan on hitting the gym later on, that packet of chips isn’t going to do much for you. 

Because of their thick peel, bananas are easy to carry along wherever you go. Furthermore, eating one prior to a workout​ provides the healthy lift in blood sugar you need to expend more energy. 

If you prefer saving the snack until after your workout, you’re in luck there, too. When you’re trying to build muscle for excellent tone, that post-workout nutrition is crucial. Bananas have the right nutritional profile for this.

Especially when you pack some almond butter - click for price, to eat with it.

Also, the potassium helps replenish electrolytes lost during a sweat session. This, along with the magnesium, means there’s a slimmer chance you’ll be sore the next day.

In turn, that means you’ll be good to go for a workout the next day, too.

​2. They’re satisfying.

​Have you ever been caught in a cycle where one snack just leads to another? Usually, this is because you’re consuming processed foods that, while tasty, aren’t satisfying. You munch and munch, but can’t find satiety.

Not the case with bananas.

The fiber and pectin in each banana helps you feel fuller, so you’re likely to eat less. In fact, people who eat fruit are often shown to maintain a healthier weight.

​Even when they eat the same amount of calories (or more) as their heavier counterparts. 

​There’s also the resistant starch factor.

Greener bananas might not taste as sweet as the ripe ones, but they’re higher in resistant starch. Resistant starch bears an association with a reduction in appetite.

​3. They’re good for the gut.

​Personally, I notice that a lot of women who think they have too much abdominal fat are really experiencing bloating. Again, minerals like magnesium and potassium can help keep you from retaining water, thanks to their relationship with sodium. 

Plus, bananas are a great complement to your probiotics, particularly if they’re unripe. That resistant starch we were just introduced to is also a prebiotic. 

Prebiotics provide nutrition for your probiotic bacteria. When the good probiotic bacteria have a healthy food source, their population is more likely to grow. Therefore, you might experience a faster, more enduring path to excellent digestive health. 

This is important for those who feel their bloat and actual belly fat might be due to insulin resistance. There’s some evidence that resistant starches can help us manage and correct that condition, too.

​4. They contain fewer pesticides than other traditionally-grown fruits.

​Do you keep track of the Dirty Dozen?

​What about...

The Clean Fifteen? If not, let me fill you in real quick. 

​The Dirty Dozen is an annual list of conventionally grown (read: not organic) produce with the most pesticides on it.

The Clean Fifteen have the fewest.

Again, because of that peel, the banana you eat has little in the way of pesticides on it. 

But wait... aren’t we talking weight loss here? 

What in the world do pesticides have to do with weight?

A lot, perhaps.

​Pesticides can change our metabolisms, it seems. It’s a topic begging for more research. Still, bear in mind that all types of industrial chemicals may impact how and how much fat we carry.

To be clear, bananas aren’t “clean” according to many, because many undergo a “fast ripe” process. Typically, this is done with ethylene gas.

​Fruits produce ethylene naturally, but producers have come up with a synthetic version to help time the ripening process.

Still...

Take that peel off, and you have a low-pesticide fruit. 

​30 Bananas a Day?

​Unsurprisingly, the news that bananas are good for weight loss inspires some to take it to the limit. If you do five minutes of research into bananas and weight loss, you’re sure to come across a certain diet.

​I always have great interest in unusual diets. Especially when I know my readers will come across them when looking further into a topic we’re discussing.   

A fruit-heavy diet known as Raw Till 4 encourages you to eat as many bananas as you can. Even up to 40 or 50 per day! Thousands of people have tried the plan, where you essentially eat nothing but raw fruit until 4 pm.

​Then, you have one cooked, starchy meal. An offshoot of the 80/10/10 diet, Raw Till 4 is all about a high carb, low fat vegan lifestyle hinging heavily on fruit. Think of it as reverse keto. 

Its companion eating plan is called 30 Bananas A Day.

Does it really work? 

Images of slim, tanned people on social media would have you believe it cures metabolic syndrome, acne, and more.

However, it’s not sustainable.

First, unless you’re a professional athlete, a few thousand extra calories - even from bananas! - can make you gain weight. The creators say this is a temporary effect while your metabolism heals, but it’s really just the huge caloric increase.

This is a diet that will not work unless you pair it with lots of physical activity.

Furthermore, when we focus on fruit, we’re missing out on other nutritious foods. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and veggies are necessary to a plant-based eating plan done right. Raw Till 4 makes healthy fat seem like the devil it really isn’t.

So to recap:

Is a vegan diet healthy? Yes, if it includes a range of whole foods.

Is it okay to eat a lot of carbs? Yes, as long as you are very active.

Are bananas good for weight loss? Yes, as long as you don’t eat dozens of them in a sitting.

On average, I can eat up to three bananas a day. One or two in a smoothie, one as a post-workout snack. This contributes maybe 200-250 calories, and plenty of nutrients, making it sustainable and supportive for healthy weight maintenance. 

​Then we have the question...

​Does it matter when you eat your bananas?

​The Best Time to Eat Banana for Weight Loss?

​The next time you’re looking at your food, forget how it tastes for a moment. Ask instead what it’s going to do for you. 

​When I see berries, I see antioxidants that prevent cancer and premature aging. When I see collard greens, I see strong bones. A handful of walnuts? Improved memory and cognitive performance. 

When I look at bananas, I see raw energy. Anything high in carbs, we can easily convert into pure energy. 

Knowing this, it makes sense for me to eat bananas in the morning. Slice them up and serve them with oatmeal for even more fiber. Blend them into​ smoothies, or grab one to eat on your commute as you’re running out the door. 

You can also try these healthy breakfast ideas including bananas:

​A key benefit of eating banana in the morning is that it helps tide you over until lunch. It helps reduce mid-morning snacking, and gives you a powerful start to the day.

​Aside from the morning, I find that bananas are a great afternoon snack. If you exercise after work, eat one about an hour before you leave. Not only will it make you less tired during that last dragging hour, but it will fuel your workout. 

​If you’re more of a post-workout snacker, an afternoon banana after you exercise has another benefit aside from muscle repair. As a bonus, you also might eat fewer calories at dinner, all thanks to the satiety from fiber. 

​Food and Sleep: Patterns for Weight Loss

At the beginning, I made mention of the link between when we eat and when we sleep. Now, staying up late or suffering insomnia doesn’t always mean you’ll weigh more. 

​However, there is a connection with poor sleep and poor dietary choices.  

​For starters, eating at night (as night owls tend to do) is commonly known to make us gain weight. During this time, your body naturally wants to rest, recharge, and produce hormones. 

​If it’s hard at work digesting instead, other processes get left to the wayside.  

​Interrupting hormone production leaves hormones unbalanced. This is a common cause of weight gain. And if you can’t sleep, but you are tired, you may crave empty calories and high-sugar foods for energy. After all, not sleeping is hard work for the body.  

​Moreover, people who stay up late and get less sleep commonly skip breakfast. Just like staying awake when the sun is down, this goes against our bodies’ internal rhythm.  

​There are exceptions of course, like fit people who engage in intermittent fasting.

But overall, eating a healthy breakfast has a reputation for leading to better overall health. Namely, a reduction in heart disease and cholesterol levels.  

Wait, how can eating at a certain time of the day really make you healthier overall? Is it all about hormones here, too? 

Researchers have a clue. It’s more about the lifestyle that goes along with good sleep hygiene and healthy breakfasts. It’s very likely that night owls who skip breakfast are more likely to smoke, get little physical activity, and more.  

That’s why I feel strongly that adequate rest is very important when switching to a cleaner diet. Your body, having had the respite it needs to do many housekeeping processes, will be more chemically, hormonally balanced. 

This lets us choose the right foods, instead of desperately craving something, anything to keep going.  

Getting good sleep, but not a fan of breakfast?

It’s not a big problem, as you really should only eat when you’re hungry. But a banana can be a great compromise here. 

If you want to try intermittent fasting, but don’t want to skip breakfast, don’t eat after 7 pm. Then, eat breakfast at 9am the next morning, having allowed yourself 14 hours of fasting. Much of which you did in your sleep. 

Once you start getting enough sleep at the appropriate hours, you’ll be able to interpret your authentic hunger signals. This way, you’ll be able to detect when it is that you truly feel the hungriest. This is when you deliberately choose your most filling whole foods.  

​And to sum it all up ​for the...

​​Best Time to Eat Banana for Weight Loss

​Bananas are hardly underrated. This tropical fruit is the most popular fruit in the US,  available everywhere from the grocery store to the gas station, and cheaply, too. 

But did we ever really look at it as a way to lose weight?

​You should be, considering:

​The banana - reliable, nutritious, easy to find. It sure has changed over the centuries, but apparently, this is exactly the way we like them.

​What do you think is the best time to eat banana for weight loss?

How do you feel about breakfast, and do you feel it has anything to do with your sleeping patterns? Could you eat 30 bananas a day?

​Share your thoughts now below!