Friday, March 21, 2025

Go Bananas!

Bananas: Fact or Fiction


Fruits and vegetables are essential in providing antioxidants, fiber and phytochemical to keep us healthy. Yet according to the CDC, only 1 in 10 Americans consumes the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.  Bananas are one of the most popular and least expensive fruits in the world. Yet so many people tell me that they avoid bananas because they have too much sugar or because they think all white food is bad. What is the real truth on bananas?

Fiction: All white food is bad.  Not all white foods are unhealthy. While processed refined wheat products like white bread and white rice lack fiber and nutrients, naturally white foods like bananas, cauliflower, onions, and mushrooms provide essential nutrients. 

Fact: Bananas are higher in sugar than most other fruits. A medium banana contains 27 g carbohydrate and 14 g sugar. However, the ripeness of a banana affects how much of its carbohydrate content is resistant starch versus actual sugar. The GI Index of a banana vs other "high sugar" foods is low. Plus, each banana is also packed with soluble fiber, potassium, and antioxidants like catechin and dopamine. Research shows that bananas have a positive impact on both heart and digestive health. 1/2 medium banana is considered one serving of fruit.

Fact: You should avoid eating bananas with berries. An enzyme in bananas may reduce your body's absorption of berries' beneficial anti-inflammatory agents. A study published in Food and Function found that adding bananas to a berry smoothie significantly reduces the levels of flavanols absorbed by the body. Thus, it is recommend to enjoy these fruit separately. If you currently use a banana to thicken your smoothie or protein drink, try replacing it with frozen riced cauliflower instead. The cauliflower does not change the flavor but provides a nice creamy texture. Bananas are great paired with mango in a smoothie or enjoyed as a snack paired with natural peanut butter or almond butter. Bananas can also be used in recipes to replace added sugar.

Fact: Bananas can be a healthy part of your diet! Although bananas contain more carbohydrates than other fruit, carbohydrates from whole fruit is an excellent source of energy. I recommend eating 1/2 medium banana as a serving and pairing it with a high protein food like Greek yogurt, nuts or natural nut butter. 


Recipe of the Month:  Banana Bars

  • Ingredients: 
  • cups organic rolled oats
  • medium bananas 
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (Trader Joe's are my fave!)
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder or PB powder (optional but I like for more protein)
  • Instructions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper. 
  • 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Fold through half the chocolate chips. 
  • 3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and press down evenly. Top with extra chocolate chips. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden on the outside and firm in the center.
  • 4. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing into bars.

Katie's Kitchen

This is my current favorite peanut butter because it comes in a glass jar! Smucker's Natural peanut butter is available at Meijer and Target. Other good brands to try: Kirkland (Costco), Trader Joe's and Koze, The most important thing to look at when buying nut butter is the ingredient list. You want to choose a product that only has 2 ingredients-peanuts and salt. Same for other nut butters like almond butter. Switching to a natural nut butter helps you to avoid the added sugars and hydrogenated oils in traditional nut butter. You will need to stir the nut butter when you first open it. Store in the fridge after opening.

I mentioned adding peanut butter powder in the recipe above to boost the protein content. This is my favorite because the only ingredient is peanuts (no added sugar). I also add this for extra protein in smoothies and oatmeal.





Truvani is a great option for a clean vegan vanilla protein. I have used it both in baking recipes like the one above and protein shakes. The ingredients are simple and clean including pea protein, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and monk fruit. Bonus it blends and tastes great!



Please note as an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from your qualifying purchases on Amazon.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Sugar Hype

 🍬Sugar-What's All the Hype about?🍬

What's the big deal about sugar?

The Average American consumes 77 grams of added sugar every day which is equivalent to 19 teaspoons! This is significantly greater than the American Heart Association's recommended limits as listed below.

Men: 36 grams or less (9 teaspoons)

Women & kids: 25 grams or less (6 teaspoons)

While most people associate eating too much sugar with obesity, did you know that excess sugar can lead to insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, a weakened immune system and inflammation?

Where is all this sugar coming from in the American diet? 

These days sugar in various forms is added to all kinds of food products including bread, yogurt, cereal, condiments and especially beverages like pop, lemonade, energy and coffee drinks. Reducing sugar and focusing on whole unprocessed foods can significantly improve overall health.

Tips to Reduce Sugar intake:

1. Start with Reading the Nutrition Facts Labels. Under Carbohydrates ,it list the total grams of added sugar per serving. Keep this as close to 0 as possible. Next read the ingredients-avoid high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, dextrose and maltose

2. Replace sugary drinks with water, herbal tea or sparkling water. Choose whole fruit instead of fruit juice.

3. Cook at home as often as possible. That way you are in control of what is added to your foods. Choosing lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables instead of packaged and processed foods is the healthiest choice.

4. Be smart about sugar alternatives. Local honey and Pure maple syrup are better for you than refined sugars but they still add calories and increase blood sugar. Artificial sweeteners like Sucralose and aspartame can disrupt your gut microbiome. Sugar alcohols (sorbitol, erythritol, mannitol) are considered non-nutritive however they can cause digestive issues like bloating, gas and diarrhea for some people. The safest alternatives for a zero calorie sweetener is Stevia or Monk fruit which are both plant derived.


Sugar Saving Swaps


Instead of:Choose:
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce 2TStubbs Original BBQ Sauce 2T
70 calories, 16 g sugar25 calories, 4 g sugar
Quaker Instant Oatmeal-apple cinnamon
1 packet
Better Oats Steel Cut Quick cooking
 (instant)  1 packet
160 calories, 12 g sugar130 calories, 0 g sugar
Lemonade 8 oz (1 cup)LeCroix Lemon sparkling water 12 oz 
100 calories, 25 g sugar0 calories, 0 g sugar
Starbucks White Mocha 16 ozStarbucks Nitro Cold Brew 16 oz
390 calories, 46 g sugar5 calories, 0 g sugar
Raisin Bran Cereal 1 cupCatalina Crunch Cinnamon 1 cup
185 calories, 18 g sugar220 calories, 0 g sugar
Chobani Greek Yogurt Vanilla 5.3 ozOikos Zero Greek Vanilla Yogurt 5.3 oz
110 calories, 9 g sugar90 calories, 0 g added sugar
(5 g sugar from lactose)

Recipe of the Month:  Healthy Mug Cake

Ingredients: 
2 T almond flour (ok to sub all purpose)
2 tsp Stevia or Monk Fruit
2 tsp Cacao powder OR chocolate Collagen powder
1/16 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tsp olive oil or avocado oil
1/8 tsp vanilla
2 T water
1-2 T dark choc chips (optional)

Instructions: Spray microwave safe mug or bowl with nonstick olive oil spray. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until blended. Fold in chips, if using. Microwave 1-2 minutes or until done. Let sit for 30 seconds. Enjoy!

Katie's Kitchen

Monk fruit is a safe sugar alternative however it can be hard to find without sugar alcohols added like erythritol. I like this one from Amazon as it does not contain any fillers or sugar alcohol. 









Stevia is another plant based sugar alternative that can be used in baking or coffee. Again, it is important to read the ingredient labels for other fillers or sugar alcohols that may be added. This product is 100% Stevia - nothing added!







As noted in the mug cake recipe above, I like to swap out cocoa powder for chocolate collagen powder. It adds some protein (amino acids) while still giving a great chocolate boost! Here is a link to my favorite one at Amazon: 





Please note as an Amazon Associate, I may earn commission from your qualifying purchases on Amazon.

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