Are Bananas Bad For Your Diet?

A fruit that comes in its own handy carrying case, the banana offers a soft, creamy texture and sweet flavor along with a variety of vitamins and minerals. Bananas have gotten a bad rap in some circles, though, because of the higher carbohydrate count than many other types of fruit -- this fruit does not fit well into carb-restricted diets. Despite this, bananas are not bad for you and will not damage your health when eaten as part of a varied and nutritious diet.

Calories and Sugar

A 1-cup serving of raw bananas contains 200 calories, or 10 percent of the calories you need to eat each day when you follow a 2,000-calorie diet. The quantity of calories you require daily may vary widely depending on your lifestyle, genetics and fitness goals; consult a nutritionist or physician to determine the correct level for you. One serving of bananas has 27.5 g of sugar. Despite the high amount -- the American Heart Association recommends limiting your consumption to roughly 25 to 37 g per day -- natural sugars should not negatively impact your health.

Macronutrients

Eat a serving of banana, and you take in 51.4 g of carbohydrates. This accounts for 15.8 to 22.8 percent of the carbs you require daily. A normal diet without food or carbohydrate restrictions accommodates the consumption of bananas, although like any food, you need to eat them in moderation to make sure you do not overeat on calories or other macronutrients. One serving of banana contains 2.5 g of protein; you need up to 56 g of protein each day. You also take in less than 1 g of fat -- 0.7 g. Approximately half of that comes from saturated fat.

Fiber

Bananas are a good source of fiber, with 5.8 g per serving. The fiber in bananas takes up space in your stomach, keeping hunger from returning too soon and helping you to shed weight by eating less. Develop your meal plan to include 25 to 38 g per day. Research published in the January 2011 issue of the "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition" indicates that the fiber content makes bananas a low-glycemic food appropriate for people with diabetes as well as an overall nutritious snack for healthy people.

Minerals

One serving of bananas contains 23 percent of the potassium you need each day, which makes this fruit a good option for normalizing your blood pressure. You also get 15 percent of the daily recommended intake of magnesium and lesser amounts of copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron and calcium. The nutrients in bananas contribute toward bone strength, transporting energy and metabolizing iron.

Vitamins

The banana is an excellent source of vitamin B-6, with 41 percent of the daily recommended value; this vitamin helps your body use protein. Bananas also serve up 33 percent of the vitamin C you need each day. One serving provides 10 percent or less of the riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, thiamin and vitamin A your body requires daily as well.