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Botanically speaking, bananas are berries (and strawberries are not)
If you leave bananas alongside other fruits, they will cause them to ripen faster due to an enzyme they release.
Green bananas have a lower glycaemic index than more yellow/brown bananas – but less antioxidants.
If you put a banana in water – it will float just like an apple.
Potassium rich bananas can help to reduce blood pressure and therefore improve heart health.
Over 100 billion bananas are eaten every year across the world – that averages out as 13 bananas per person, per year.
Blueberry & banana pancakes
Serves 1 - 285 kcals per serving
Kcals |
285 |
Fat |
10.1g |
Sat fat |
2.1g |
Carbs |
37.9g |
Sugar |
28.6g |
Fibre |
2.8g |
Protein |
13.3g |
Salt |
0.40g |
Ingredients
- 1 medium overripe banana
- 1 medium egg
- 1 medium egg white
- 10g rolled oats
- 40g blueberries
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp honey
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, over a medium heat.
- Meanwhile, mash up the banana in a bowl until no big lumps are visible. Then mix in the egg and an extra egg white.
- Add the oats and half the blueberries and mix well.
- Spoon the mixture into the pan to make 3 small pancakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.
- Serve with the rest of the blueberries and a drizzle of honey on top.
Caribbean bananas with rum
Serves 4 - 299 kcals per serving
Kcals |
299 |
Fat |
11.5g |
Sat fat |
7.8g |
Carbs |
43.2g |
Sugar |
39.0g |
Fibre |
1.6g |
Protein |
2.7g |
Salt |
0.24g |
Ingredients
- 40g butter
- 4 medium bananas, sliced
- 100ml orange juice
- 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
- 40g dark brown soft sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 30ml dark rum
Method
- Melt the butter and sugar in a large frying pan over a very low heat until it starts to caramelise. Increase to a moderate heat and add bananas to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until they start to brown.
- Add the orange zest and juice to the pan with the rum and shake gently to combine. Turn the bananas over and cook for a further 2 minutes or until golden.
- Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.
Lighter Banoffee Pie
Serves 4 - 269 kcals per serving
Kcals |
269 |
Fat |
13.4g |
Sat fat |
7.3g |
Carbs |
30.8g |
Sugar |
22.0g |
Fibre |
1.7g |
Protein |
6.4g |
Salt |
0.33g |
Ingredients
- 2 large bananas (120g without skin)
- 250g low fat toffee yogurt
- 4 lighter digestive biscuits, crushed
- 80ml double cream
- 60g 0% fat Greek yogurt
- 20g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Method
- Peel and slice the bananas and mix together with the toffee yogurt – leaving 8 slices for a garnish.
- Spoon the crushed digestives into the base of 4 small pots, and top each with the toffee yogurt and banana mix.
- Whisk the cream until it forms stiff peaks, then gently fold in the Greek yogurt.
- Place the cream mix on top of the toffee yogurt and banana mix, top with some dark chocolate and 2 slices of banana. Enjoy!
Banana loaf
Serves 10 - 186 kcals per serving
Kcals |
186 |
Fat |
6.3g |
Sat fat |
1.6g |
Carbs |
30.7g |
Sugar |
17.9g |
Fibre |
1.3g |
Protein |
3.3g |
Salt |
0.44g |
Ingredients
- 125g Flora light spread, plus extra for greasing
- 125g light brown sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- 3 ripe bananas
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 150g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas mark 6. Lightly grease a 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin with a little reduced-fat butter.
- Put the remaining butter and the sugar in to a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric whisk until creamy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Coarsely mash the bananas with a fork and stir into the mixture with the vanilla extract.
- Sieve in the flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and salt and gently fold into the mixture in a figure-of-eight motion with a metal spoon until well mixed.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes until you can pierce with a knife and the knife comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin before cutting the loaf into slices to serve. This will keep well, wrapped in kitchen foil, for several days.
Nutritionist Emma White (ANutr), MSc Human Nutrition is passionate about how food science applies to the human body, and how the nutrients in what we eat affect us and ultimately have an impact on our health.