That's the message Dole wants to convey. The company recently launched a "banana diet" plan that includes lots of consumption of the yellow fruit in hopes of trimming down waistlines of consumers.
According to www.dolebananadiet.com, bananas are high in resistant starch, which boosts fat burning and calcium absorption. They also contain great deals of vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium, fiber and protein. Dole recommends people eat two bananas a day, which seems like a lot to us, since we don't usually even eat breakfast. But, according to Dole, women who eat breakfast eat an average of 100 calories less per day than those who don't.
On the Web site, Dole features a 2-week banana diet plan, which includes three meals and two snacks per day. There are also recipes, which include cantaloupe soup, shrimp salad and whole wheat pasta primavera.
The banana diet actually became a craze in 2008 in Japan, after opera singer Kumiko Mori said she lost 15 pounds on the "Morning Banana" diet, developed by Japanese doctors. The diet said you could basically eat whatever you want the rest of the day, and exercise wasn't necessary.
According to www.webmd.com, though, "Bananas, along with most fruits have long been a part of healthy diets and weight loss plans. But while they are nutritious, they do not have special weight loss properties." The site goes on to say the key to a healthy diet isn't just to eat more bananas--it's to eat more healthy foods in general and exercise. So, while bananas may be good for you, they're no magic weight loss pill.
