You’ve probably heard people say, oh if you have banana and milk together, it will make you gain weight! The first time I heard it, I fell off my chair! I couldn’t believe that someone actually thought that- only to realize that so many people in India believe that. When asked why it would make them fat, there was no answer!
Lets analyze this a little. For a basic milkshake, you need one banana and one glass of low fat milk. A banana by itself has negligible fat. Milk is a dairy product, and a recent study linked dairy consumption with reduced storage of belly fat. So, we know its not the fat that is the problem.
Both banana and milk have a relatively low Glycemic Index, so its not the carbohydrate content that makes you fat. The total calories from this concoction are lower than a bag of chips. Besides, it provides you with protein, fiber, calcium, vitamins, and a bunch of other minerals, which if anything, don’t make you fat
So, I really don’t see anything in banana and milk that makes you fat.
What the culprit probably is all the additives to make it taste better- sugar, ice cream, syrup (basically, sugar and water), and all the extra flavouring. These additives are loaded with calories.
The other reason why people associate it with being fat is that they’re consuming more calories than they’re burning. If they added a banana milkshake to their diet, did they replace something with it.
We all know the basic rule of weight gain: More calories in, less calories out and you gain weight.
As you can see, the poor banana and milk are just scapegoats for people not burning the calories that they consume.
Tips from a reader: Next time you have a banana shake, add a pinch of cinnamon to it, or try some elaichi (green cardamom)- makes it delicious, and even more healthy!