The Dole Corporation brings tons of bananas to American produce aisles. As a leading importer and supplier of this fruit, the company naturally has an interest in the Japanese-inspired Morning Banana Diet. In response to consumer inquiries, Dole's Nutrition Institute collaborated with the University of Colorado's Jane Higgins to conduct scientific research into the weight loss potential of bananas. The Dole Banana Diet, unfortunately, is an urban legend, with no official support from the Dole Corporation.
Japanese Banana Diet
The Dole Banana Diet legend has its origins in the Japanese Morning Banana Diet, promoted by Sumiko Watanabe, a pharmacist who used it to help her overweight husband trim 38 lbs. This simple diet requires that you eat two bananas for breakfast and nothing else except water. The diet leaves lunch and dinner choices to the dieter, but prohibits desserts, dairy and alcohol. Although this fad diet fueled banana shortages, it has no supporting scientific evidence. Apparently, Dole's role in supplying the U.S. market and the company's decision to research banana consumption as a diet strategy created a connection between the original banana diet and Dole in the public mind.
Resistant Starch Theory
Nick Gillitt, of Dole's Nutrition Institute, explains the potential role of bananas in weight loss on the Dole website. He states that, in theory, bananas could promote weight loss because they contain resistant starch. He hypothesizes that bananas and other foods that have this characteristic block your body's conversion of carbohydrates that you eat into fuel. The result is that your body then burns fat for fuel, leading to weight loss. Gillitt says that reduced cravings is an additional benefit that resistant starch provides to dieters.
Dole Research
"Los Angeles Times" reporter, Elena Conis, notes that resistant starch functions much like fiber. Foods that contain it help you feel full longer, and resistant starch is present in potatoes, rice and other carbohydrate-dense foods. Conis queried the University of Colorado's Janine Higgins, the researcher on the Dole banana research project, about the implications of resistant starch for weight loss. Higgins stated that no human studies have provided evidence for a causal relationship between weight loss and the consumption of resistant starch.
Expert Insight
Diets that focus on the special power of or the exclusion of one or more foods as weight loss strategies are often unsound. Increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables and fiber is a tried and true nutrition and weight control strategy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Consumers seeking assistance with weight control should know that healthy, sustainable weight loss is simple math. It requires a combination of calorie reduction and increased calorie expenditure through exercise.
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