How Many Calories in a Banana?

Bananas are perhaps one of the most easily recognizable foods the world over. This bent yellow fruit is tremendously versatile, healthy, and even comes in it’s own packaging of banana peel! A banana is a frequent sight in most people’s kitchens, lunch boxes, or as an ingredient in a banana smoothie, banana bread, or as a healthy topping for cereal. If you are counting the calories you eat then you probably want to know “How many calories in a banana?“. Well we will be able to answer that question on the table below.

Calories in a Banana

So how many calories are in a banana? These figures were kindly provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. You can see how many calories in a banana, along with the fat, carbs, and also the amounts of protein in a banana.

How Many Calories are in a Banana

Now that we can calculate how many calories are in a banana using the table above, we can see that the calories in a banana are mainly dependant on the size of the banana: there are significant differences between how many calories in a small banana, how many calories in a medium banana, and how many calories in a large banana for example. We can also see that how many calories is in a banana changes significantly, with a 9″ banana having almost twice the calories of a banana that is less than 6″. As well as thinking about how many calories are in a banana, it’s also good to consider the fat content; luckily bananas are very low in fat, another reason that they are considered such a healthy fruit.

How Many Calories in a Banana

Did you know that the skin of a banana is edible? Well it certainly is, although it tends to have a rather unsatisfying and waxy taste, instead of the delicious soft and fresh taste of the main fruit of the banana. For this reason we haven’t included any information on how many calories are in a banana peel or banana skin. Bananas are harvested green because they will continue to ripen even after they are picked, although it is best to wait until the bananas become their traditional and iconic yellow colour before eating them, as unripened bananas will taste starchy rather than sweet.

There are more than 500 varieties of banana world wide. They are delicious eaten raw, or they can be cooked as banana bread, or put into yoghurt. Bananas are delicious on toast with honey, they can be fried in batter as either a sweet or savoury dish, and can even be made into dried banana chips. How many calories in a banana changes depending on how the banana is cooked of course!

Vitamins and Calories in a Banana

Like most fruit, bananas contain lage amounts of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, which can be even more important than how many calories in a banana. An average sized banana contain a whopping 420mg of potassium, which is why bananas are among the best known sources of this mineral. Below is a list of other important vitamins that can be found in 1 medium banana.

• Vitamin A – 76 IU
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – 0.037 mg
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – 0.086 mg
• Niacin – 0.785 mg
• Vitamin B6 – 0.433 mg
• Vitamin C – 10.3 mg
• Vitamin E – 0.12 mg
• Folate – 24 mcg
• Pantothenic Acid – 0.394 mg
• Vitamin K – 0.6 mcg

Minerals and Calories in a Banana

Along with how many calories in a banana and the vitamins in a banana, there are also plenty of minerals inside this delicious and nutritious fruit. As mentioned before, the high quantity of Potassium in a banana is perhaps it’s top nutritional claim to fame, but there are also a number of other minerals in a banana. Have a look at the list below to see the quantities of minerals in an average banana.

• Potassium – 422 mg
• Calcium – 6 mg
• Sodium – 1 mg
• Iron – 0.31 mg
• Phosphorus – 26 mg
• Magnesium – 32 mg
• Selenium 1.2 mcg
• Copper – 0.092 mg
• Manganese – 0.319 mg
• Zinc – 0.18 mg

Now that we have found out how many calories in a banana we can use that information when planning an eating routine or a diet. If you want to know “How many calories should I eat a day” for example, you can use this calorie calculator or calorie counter to help you work it out. Remember that the amount of exercise you get is also as important as how many calories in a banana because you burn so many calories while you exercise. Someone who gets very little physical exercise might gain weight if they eat say, 3000 calories per day, while an athlete who exercises constantly may actually lose weight eating the exact same amount of calories.

Calories Banana

If you get a reasonable amount of exercise on a day-to-day basis, then how many calories in a banana shouldn’t be much of a concern. Even if you are trying to lose weight, the health benefits of the vitamins and minerals in a banana should outweigh the concerns about how many calories are in a banana. Bananas are a great fruit that is easy to throw in a lunchbox or suitcase, and they also taste delicious! Bananas are also a healthy snack for kids who would otherwise snack on cookies or candy, as the calories of a banana are much lower.