Japanese have gone bananas -- for Morning Banana Diet

Posted on Sep 30th 2008 11:33AM by Martha Edwards

The Japanese love their fad diets, and a new one has taken the country by storm. The Morning Banana Diet has become so popular due to recent publicity that grocery stores across Japan are sold out of bananas, according to recent reports from banana importers. What's all the hype about? Here's a run-down of the diet:

You eat a raw, unfrozen banana for breakfast.
You can eat whatever you want for lunch and dinner, even fried foods. However, dessert is prohibited. You must eat dinner before 8 pm.
At 3 pm, you can have a sweet snack, like chocolates or cookies. You can have something healthier, but if you want chocolate, don't deny yourself.

You can have a bit of room-temperature water at meals, but only a little bit. Don't drink much water throughout the day. You can have alcohol at social events.
You can work out if you really want to but otherwise don't worry about it. You don't want to put any stress on your body.
The diet plan is free -- well, aside from the cost of bananas.

What the ... ?! That's a diet? I'd like to know if anyone has legitimately lost weight on this. I don't know about you, but in terms of healthy habits, this would be a step down for me, meaning my eating and exercise habits on the diet would be less healthier than they are off the diet.

Your thoughts?

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Tags: banana, bananas, food, japan, japanese, morning, morning banada diet, MorningBanadaDiet, weight loss, WeightLoss

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

michael s 9-30-2008 @ 12:36PM

what's the problem with water?! I don't see how having more than just a little (and no more than several servings a day) could affect you in any way but positively.

Natalie 9-30-2008 @ 4:13PM

So in other words, lose weight by eating a small breakfast of mostly sugar and not eating desserts.

This sounds like a horrible idea.

My favorite is don't worry about exercise because you don't want to "put stress on your body." Hahaha

Sullivan 10-17-2008 @ 2:25PM

It's not sugar. When bananas aren't ripe they are all starch. There are more potent enzymes in the banana when they are not ripe and these enzymes instead of breaking down the starches in the banana and making it sweet break down the food in your stomach throughout the day. The lack of water helps to not dilute the enzymes. You have to remember that japanese people don't eat that much fried food like frenchfries and chips and unhealthy red meats. Not eating after 8pm is tough for people because that's the time when most people go out, this alone will have a huge effect on weightloss. You have to be careful though because green bananas have been known to be very sour on the stomach and can lead to an upset stomach and feelings of indigestion.

rayshael 10-17-2008 @ 9:29AM

i can't wait.
i'm starting it first thing tomorrow morning!

Ashley 10-18-2008 @ 9:10PM

Apparently some actress lost like 26 pounds doing this diet, so it's gotta work.

I'm starting tomorrow morning. =]

Mr.Z 10-19-2008 @ 11:31AM

If that's true, then why monkeys are neither fit nor pretty??

Scott 10-17-2008 @ 2:29PM

I think it could have a good chance, anything is better than biscuits and gravy in the morning.

Morning Banana

Kelly 10-17-2008 @ 3:44PM

The way that the 'diet' is presented here is incorrect. If anybody were to read this and then try to follow the diet as presented, of course it would seem to be a horrid idea and unhealthy.

A few of the things that were misrepresented about this diet is that water is recommended and encouraged throught the day. It does tell you to not drink water or to only have a little bit. It does tell you to stay hydrated and to have your water at room temperature.

Exercise is encouraged, but not the grueling hours in the gym that many Americans equate to exercise. Recommended exercise (for those on the diet) would be yoga, walking, and pilates. All great ways to alleviate stress from the body, after all, that is the goal of this 'diet'. Not to lose weight but to lessen the stresses of life and the stresses put on a person's body. Some people that are trying to lose weight actually can start to stress out more because they feel they need to do hours at the gym or they need to watch their caloric intake or they need to restrict the foods that they love. All that leads to stress, over eating, and/or the feeling of failure for getting off track of the extreme diet rules they have created for theirself.

An example of what a person would eat while on this 'diet' is actually very filling.
Breakfast: fruit salad made from your morning bananas (1 or 2) and your morning apple, water
Lunch: Udon and water
Snack: fresh fruit or vegetables and water
Supper: Sushi and water followed by green tea
Snack: Fresh fruit (though one does not have to have this snack if you are 80% full from your supper meal)

Exercise: Yoga

Alchohol is acceptable if one is socializing and getting a good night's sleep is vital since lack of sleep is proven to lead to weight gain and obesity.

Again, this 'diet' is not designed to lose weight but to help relieve stress (which also a cause of weight gain).

Jerry 10-20-2008 @ 4:53PM

Bananas contain resistant starch, which ferments in your large intestine, creating by-products that actually block conversion of some carbohydrates into fuel, so replacing ordinary carbs with the resistant starch in bananas can boost fat burning. And banana fiber bulks up in your stomach, so you feel full for longer. The healthy way to do the banana diet makes sense and includes exercise. You can read about it here http://www.dolenutrition.com/bananadiet/bananadiet.htm

JENNIFER B 10-22-2008 @ 12:50AM

FROM MY EXPERIENCE THE DIET DID WORK FOR ME BUT IN A SLOW STEADY TIME.

ABOUT A YEAR AGO I DECIDED TO TAKE OFF A COUPLE OF POUNDS IN A HEALTHY AND NON STRESSFUL WAY.

I STARTED EATING ONE BANANA, ONE REGULAR YOGURT BECAUSE REDUCED SUGAR OR FAT TASTES HORRBLE TO ME, AND KEEP MYSELF HYDRATED WITH WATER DURING THE DAY.
I WOULDN'T EXERSICE A BIT AND ALL I WOULD DO IS WATCH WHAT I ATE THAT'S ALL.
I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN MY URGENCE OF CANDIES AND FAT FOODS.AND TAKE OFF ABOUT 13 POUNDS IN LESS THAN 4 WEEKS.
NOW AFTER A YEAR I'M WILLING TO RESTART THIS SAME DIET AND HOPE TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT.

Kathleen 10-26-2008 @ 10:56PM

Hi Everyone doing the MBD. I started yesterday! This morning I was already down one pound.

Started 10/24
5 ft, 3 in tall
start weight 143#
goal 120#

B - had two bananas, bottle of room temp water

L- bowl of french onion soup with croutons and cheese, bottle of water

Snack- 4pm- popcorn and diet soda

D- pizza, small portion of fries, glass of chilled green tea with lemon

Done eating by 7:45pm. Went to bed around midnight. No late night snacks, although I did crave some. Worth it though!!! Down to 142# this morning. Hooray!

Looking for more info on NO-nos. I heard ice cream and dairy should be avoided... but I love cheese and I love Diet pepsi which is also discouraged. What are the best beverages? No crazy about luke warm water.

Ravi 11-03-2008 @ 6:00AM

Actually you can eat banana or any other fruit for that matter for your breakfast. But the problem is you'll become hungry again within 2 hours because fruits digest faster than non-fruit food.
So if you like to loose weight, there is no need to cut down on the amount of food your body needs. Instead eat naturally according to your body needs. What your body needs? Nobody knows it except you. You are the only person in this world who knows better than any other person about what your body needs! So how to know about it?
For every human being the natural food is fruits and only fruits but nowadays it is very difficult to follow fruit diet everyday due to social circumstances. And fruits have become very expensive these days. Still if you like to follow fruit diet, take fruits in raw and natural form (not in the form of fruit juice) only when you feel hungry and drink only water only when you feel thirsty. Throw away the foolish 8-glasses-of-water-everyday theory. Your body sends signals whenever it needs water. Just listen to it.
If you like to follow non-fruit diet, here is the way: Take whatever breafast you like when you feel hungry. Take your own time and enjoy your food while eating. When you feel full, stop there. Don't eat further. If you feel thirsty in the beginning, middle or end of the breakfast, drink pure water. How do we know the food we eat is good for our health? Observe yourself after eating. If you feel heavy, birp, sleepy, or uneasy, you ate wrong food. Instead if you feel active and energetic, you ate the right food. Always check this. You should select by trial and error the right food suitable for your body when you eat non-fruit (unnatural) diet. Similarly take whatever you like for lunch and observe the same as explained above. Now supper should be always lighter than breakfast and lunch because the digestion process slows down in the night. So it is better to eat some fruits (Any fruit. Seasonal and locally grown fruits are better).
Finally one more thing: In the morning, do stomach vacuum, v-crunch, bycycle crunch, and walking for fitness. You get beautiful shape and fitness.

jacs 11-06-2008 @ 5:32PM

i think this diet is brilliant. the lack of thought that goes into it helps so much in actually staying on it.. and i can't live without my chocolate :)