Like many other fad diets, the banana diet -- also called the morning banana diet -- can be difficult to sustain, and is intended to help you lose weight fast. The banana diet is relatively flexible in the foods it allows you to eat, but results from this diet have been mixed, with some people losing weight while others gaining weight.
Popularity
The morning banana diet became popular in Japan in 2008, when a famous Japanese actress claimed to have lost 26 pounds using the diet, according to an October 2008 article on cbsnews.com. The diet became so popular that, at one point, it caused a banana shortage in Japan.
Breakfast
The name "morning banana diet" comes from the breakfast portion of the diet, during which you can eat as many bananas as you want while drinking warm, or room temperature, water. The premise of the diet is that after eating this breakfast, you can eat whatever you want for lunch and dinner and still lose weight.
Lunch
After breakfast you cannot eat anything until lunch, but you can eat whatever you want for your daytime meal. While the guidelines of the diet allow you to eat anything from a salad and grilled salmon to a cheeseburger and french fries, certain options are obviously more healthy than others.
Timing
Timing in the banana diet is almost as important as what you eat. After lunch, you can eat anything you want for a snack in the mid afternoon. Again, for dinner you can eat whatever you want, but you cannot eat anything after 8 p.m. In addition, you have to go to sleep by midnight.
Benefits of Banana Diet
According to the CBS News article, warm water with breakfast may aid digestion and can add the benefit of increased fluid intake. In addition, bananas contain fiber, protein and potassium, which have a variety of health benefits. The resistant starch in bananas passes through your system and into your colon without being digested.
Cons of Banana Diet
While some research shows that bananas may help you burn fat, that does not mean they burn enough fat to allow you to eat whatever you want, the CBS article states. While people who have unhealthy eating habits--such as eating sweets throughout the day or binge eating late at night--may lose weight during the banana diet, people who normally eat a healthy lunch and dinner and conform to eating whatever they want may end up gaining weight. The diet does not promote the healthy eating habits health care practitioners and nutritionists advocate for weight loss and long-term health.
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