The word carb is a common short term for carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are macronutrients being metabolized by the body to provide energy.
Carbohydrates form important components of coenzymes such as the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).
The two molecules are made up of a ribose which is a five carbon monosaccharide. The RNA actually also contains the pentose sugar ribose which is a carb.
Are Bananas Good For You
It is significant to note that a lot of carbohydrates in the dietary intake can be of health risk to people especially those with a diabetic condition. With that in mind, we’ll be talking in deeper detail about carbs in banana.
Diabetic patients require diets that contain fewer carbs in order to control blood glucose levels.
Do bananas have carbs?
Banana actually contains a high percentage of carbs than most fruits.
How many carbs in banana are present?
A large banana fruit may contain up to 31.1 grams of carbohydrates. Individuals with diabetes may eat the fruit but should be aware with portion sizes and the amount of banana carbs present.
How many carbs does a banana have according to size?
Bananas certainly do vary in size. Below are simple estimates concerning the amount of carbs in bananas for the different sizes.
- Extra small banana (6 inches in length or less) — 18.5g
- Small banana (6 – 6 7/8 inches in length) — 23g
- Medium banana (7 – 7 7/8 inches in length) — 27g
- Large banana (8 – 8 7/8 inches in length) — 31g
- Extra large banana (9 inches in length or longer) — 35g
Before we proceed let us first determine a few more factors about the nutritional value of bananas.
Banana Nutrition Facts (per 100 grams)
| Carbohydrates | 23 grams |
| Fat | 0.3 grams |
| Protein | 2.6 grams |
| Fiber | 1.1 grams |
Now that we have the banana nutritional value clear, below are further essentials about present carbs in a banana. At the end of the article, we’ll also get to learn more on the subject how many calories are in a banana.
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How Many Carbs in a Banana
1. Dietary fibers
Dietary fiber is also known as roughages. These are food components that cannot be broken down completely by digestive enzymes.
We have two types of dietary fibers namely soluble and insoluble fibers.
Soluble fibers dissolve in water to form gases and other byproducts whereas insoluble fibers do not dissolve in water.
Insoluble fibers form a bulky mass that absorbs water as it passes down the intestines and aids in preventing constipation.
Of all the carbohydrates in bananas, 23% is dietary fibers.
2. Starch
A starch is a polysaccharide. Polysaccharides are polymers made up of large repeating units of glucose joint together by a glycosidic bond.
Plants store glucose in form of starch. In bananas, 12.1 of total carbohydrates is starch.
3. Sugars
Before we identify how much sugar is in a banana, it would be significant to first understand that sugars are single unit monosaccharides which include glucose, galactose and fructose. That would mean it’s not any single item in particular.
Now, how many grams of sugar in a banana is present? Sugars are 27.5 grams of the total carbohydrates mass.
4. Sucrose
Sucrose is a sugar in banana that occurs alongside fructose and glucose. Sucrose is responsible for determining the extent of banana sweetness.
The more banana you prepare to consume, the more sucrose you’ll be introducing into your body.
Sucrose is formed when fructose molecule and glucose molecule combines. When a banana is consumed, a group of enzymes known as sucrase, degrades the sucrose in the banana meal.
The mass of sucrose is 5,377 milligrams of the total mass of banana carbohydrates.
5. Glucose
How much sugar in a banana is present in terms of glucose?
Glucose occurs naturally in the banana as a result of the plant’s food making process known as photosynthesis.
Almost all ingested carbohydrates are converted into glucose. The total weight of glucose in banana carbohydrates is 11.2 grams.
6. Fructose
The total weight of fructose in banana carbohydrates is 10.9 grams. It is the sweetest of all monosaccharides.
7. Maltose
Banana carbs also contain traces of maltose sugars. Maltose is a banana sugar content formed when two glucose molecules combine.
When ingested, maltose is broken down enzymatically by maltase enzymes.
8. Galactose
A combination of galactose and glucose forms lactose which is a disaccharide. Banana contain 0 grams of galactose.
9. Lactose
Lactose are short chains of fructose units. Lactose is also a carbohydrate but not found in bananas.
It is only known to occur in milk. This is to say that both galactose and lactose carbs are not present in banana dietary.
10. Fructooligosaccharides
Fructooligosaccharides is actually used as artificial sweetener which can be extracted from certain fruits and vegetables, including banana.
How Many Calories in a Banana
Carbohydrates contain much calories of about 186 kilo Joules in comparison to fats and proteins in a banana.
At this point, we should now have a clear understanding on how many carbs are in a banana. The next relevant concern would be for us to determine how many calories does a banana have with it.
First, we should know in particular how many calories is a banana, averagely? It means the usual amount of calories in 1 banana.
The average banana is about 7 to 8 inches in length according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a medium-sized banana that is.
The amount of calories in one banana of medium size is 105.
Now, how many calories in one banana for the other sizes? Like calories in a small banana? Large banana?
- Extra small banana (6 inches in length or less) — 72
- Small banana (6 – 6 7/8 inches in length) — 90
- Medium banana (7 – 7 7/8 inches in length) — 105
- Large banana (8 – 8 7/8 inches in length) — 121
- Extra large banana (9 inches in length or longer) — 135
Based on the figures above, it’s clear to say that the estimated amount of calories in small banana is 90 while a large banana contains 121.
If with special concerns, it would always be wise to be aware of the nutritional value of a banana. Sometimes, you simply have to check the banana nutrition label if present with the product.
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