Can You Eat Bananas on the Paleo Diet?

Ever since I posted about strawberries and paleo, people have gotten curious about other foods and whether they are allowed on paleo or not. One common question among paleo-ites is whether bananas are allowed on a paleo diet.

The Simple Answer is Yes

Are bananas allowed on paleo then? Yes, they definitely are. They are a fruit, and fruits are allowed on paleo diets.

Bananas, like most fruits, are a pretty good source of many vitamins and minerals including Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese and are a great source of Vitamin B6.a

The More Complex Answer is Maybe

I’m not going to say that bananas aren’t allowed on this diet. They are. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should eat them.

As with any food, you should be analyzing your goals and determining whether bananas fit in with those goals.

The average banana has about 120 calories and roughly 20 grams of sugar to go along with 4 grams of fiber. Compare that to a lot of other fruits and you’ll find that that’s more sugar and less fiber than your typical fruit.

This isn’t a problem at all if you don’t have goals to lose weight. For many, eating paleo is an exercise in health and if you’re in that boat, eat all the bananas you want. They are perfectly healthy and will contribute nicely to a healthy lifestyle.

However, those of you who have goals for weight loss should at least educate yourself on the potential effects of the sugars and starches in bananas.

Any food that is this high in sugars should be used carefully if you’re interested in weight loss. If you have goals to lose weight, I would recommend only eating bananas within 30 minutes of finishing a workout where you have used weights. During this window, the sugars from bananas won’t contribute at all to weight gain and will aid your body in the recovery process.

Each person is different and for some, it’s possible to lose weight at a nice rate while eating bananas. However, if your weight loss has stalled out and you eat them regularly, there’s a pretty good chance that bananas are the culprit. Bananas are paleo friendly, but they can affect your body composition to a certain degree.

1. Can You Eat Strawberries on a Paleo Diet?
2. Can You Eat Sweet Potatoes and Yams on a Paleo Diet?
3. Reasons You’re Gaining Weight on a Paleo Diet
4. How to Gain Weight on a Paleo Diet
5. Can You Eat Nuts on the Whole 30?

Tags: bananas, diet, nutrition, paleo