Banana bread is often no healthier than a standard slice of cake despite its fruit content, leading dietitians have warned, as new genetically engineered bananas threaten the traditional recipe.
Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietitian and author of How Not To Eat Ultra Processed, explained that consumers frequently view the baked good as a virtuous option simply because it contains fruit.
"Banana bread is often seen as virtuous because it contains fruit but, in truth, it often contains similar amounts of sugar, fat and calories to other cakes," Ludlam-Raine said.
The warning comes after food scientists at Tropic, a Norwich-based biotechnology firm, invented non-browning bananas engineered to stay fresh and yellow for several days longer. Tropic stated the innovation could slash food waste and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 9 million tonnes if introduced widely, though avid bakers note that a lack of brown bananas makes for an unpleasantly flavourless banana bread.
Nutritional content of a standard slice
Banana bread originated in 1930s America as a way to use up overripe bananas, which had recently become more available in the United States. Baking powder was also becoming more commonplace in supermarkets at this time, meaning home cooks could experiment with new baking techniques.
While consumers can buy banana bread, the majority of regular consumers enjoy a homemade loaf. A typical recipe involves butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, and very ripe bananas.
This traditional recipe results in a slice containing around 268 calories, 13g of fat, including 8g of saturated fat, 24g of sugar, 3.8g of protein, 0.5g of salt, and just 1g of bowel-friendly fibre.
"Some of the six teaspoons of sugar here don't count towards your daily 30g limit of "free" sugars as it comes from the bananas," Ludlam-Raine said. However, she added that due to the large quantity of added sugar, fruit sugar makes up only a small proportion, possibly around a third.
That means one slice takes a consumer over half of their recommended daily intake of the sweet stuff. Fat-wise, there is around 40 per cent of a woman's daily limit of saturated fat, the type that can cause problems for heart health, and a quarter of a man's daily limit, which is roughly equivalent to the amount found in a portion of Greek yoghurt.
Banana bread became particularly popular during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, when home baking soared across the UK.
Data from bbcgoodfood.com revealed the top 20 recipes searched on the website during lockdown:
- Brilliant banana loaf recipe
- Best-ever chocolate brownies
- Best Yorkshire puddings
- Classic scones with jam & clotted cream
- Easy pancakes recipe
- Classic Victoria sandwich recipe
- Yummy golden syrup flapjacks recipe
- Lemon drizzle cake
- Chilli con carne
- Vintage chocolate chip cookies
- Easy white bread
- The best spaghetti bolognese
- Easy chocolate cake
- Cupcake recipe
- Cheesecake recipes
- Strawberry cheesecake in 4 easy steps recipe
- Ultimate spaghetti carbonara
- Classic cheese scones
- The best apple crumble
- Hot cross buns
Comparison with carrot cake, chocolate cake and biscuits
Good news for carrot cake fans: there is little difference, nutrition-wise, between carrot cake and banana bread, apart from a single teaspoon of extra sugar. A slice of homemade carrot cake contains around 279 calories, 6g to 7g of saturated fat, 28g of sugar, 3g of protein, and a small 1g of fibre.
Ro Huntriss, a consultant dietitian and chief nutrition officer at weight-loss platform Simple Life App, noted that both carrot cake and banana bread are far better options than chocolate cake.
"Victoria sponge and chocolate cake are the most indulgent per portion, with around twice the calories of the banana bread and considerably more sugar and saturated fat," Huntriss said.
A slice of Victoria sponge contains around 435 calories, 18g of saturated fat, 24g of sugar, and 1.5g of fibre, while a slice of chocolate cake contains 523 calories, 18g of saturated fat, 47g of sugar, and 2g of fibre.
Huntriss highlighted that portion size often skews intake: "However, people tend to have larger portions of cake, compared to banana bread because of the way you cut it. So consider eating a much smaller slice."
If you fancy a biscuit that will not have too much of an impact on the scale, Huntriss suggested opting for a Rich Tea or Digestive. A Rich Tea contains a small 38 calories, 0.6g of saturated fat, and 1.5g of sugar, while a Digestive contains a modest 76 calories, 1.5g of saturated fat, and 2.5g of sugar.
"But keep to two or three biscuits. Eating half a packet will make the swap pointless," Huntriss said.
Healthy recipe swaps to reduce fat and sugar
Adding more bananas is one simple way to up the fibre and reduce added sugar in your weekly slice. "Fruit can add fibre but also potassium. This means you're getting benefits you wouldn't get with similar cake without fruit," Ludlam-Raine said.
In the UK, most adults only get about 18g of fibre a day, according to the British Dietetic Association, which is considerably lower than the recommended 30g per day. Low fibre can cause problems with digestion that raise the risk of bowel cancer, while fibre found in fruit, vegetables, and wholegrains has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Potassium, meanwhile, is crucial for healthy blood pressure.
A typical banana contains around 3g of fibre, meaning you might get an extra half a gram or so depending on the size of your slice. "Very ripe bananas provide sweetness and moisture, which can allow you to use less added sugar," Ludlam-Raine added.
However, she noted that reducing sugar requires care: "But it isn't necessarily a straight gram-for-gram swap, because sugar also affects texture and browning, so I'd start with a recipe designed to use less added sugar."
As well as fruit, adding nuts, seeds, oats, and wholemeal flour to your bake can boost the fibre content. Although this may increase the calorie content slightly, experts say it is likely to be worth it for the extra nutrients.
With banana bread having a fairly high saturated fat content, home cooks might also want to consider swapping out some of the butter. "Try using rapeseed oil or natural yoghurt instead of large amounts of butter which can lower the saturated fat content," Huntriss said. Greek yoghurt can be a good partial substitute as well, providing protein to help keep consumers fuller for longer.
