A banana is an extremely healthy and delicious fruit. It is cultivated in more than 100 countries around the world. You may be unaware of the fact that it is botanically classified as a berry. Apart from vitamin B6, bananas are a good source of vitamin C.
Today, we have an interesting question for you. How much does the average banana weigh? Before answering this question, let us tell you that in the United States, an individual American consumes more than 28 pounds of banana in a year, and approximately 96% of the households purchase bananas every month.
Standard Serving Recommendations
The U.S. Food and Drugs Association (FDA) recommends that on average, you should consume at least one cup serving of any fruit or vegetable daily. This holds true for fruits including berries, melons, grapes, or cherries, unlike other fruits that can be consumed as a whole, like apples, oranges, and bananas.
Serving Recommended for Daily Intake
On the other hand, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends half to one cup of fruit serving in a day. As per the guidelines established by the USDA, women who are under 30 years of age, should consume 2 cups of fruit as a daily intake. For women over 30 years of age need not to consume more than half a cup or less.
As far as fruit intake for men is concerned, they can consume up to 2-3 cups of a fruit daily.
Since bananas are consumed as a whole fruit, the daily intake may vary from individual to individual. The USDA recommends the following estimations to figure out how many bananas will be equivalent to the recommended daily intake (1 cup).
- A large-sized banana – 1 cup
- A medium or average-sized banana – quarter cup
- A small-sized banana – half cup
Banana Nutrition Facts
Bananas offer numerous health benefits and are rich in minerals, nutrients, and vitamins. It is important to know the nutritional value that an average-sized banana offers.
One Average or Medium-sized Banana Offers
- Calories: 100-105
- Dietary fibers 3.1 grams 13% of RDV and 70% of them are insoluble that is effective in controlling bowel syndrome and cures indigestion.
- Carbohydrates 27 grams, with 14.4 grams of sugar
- Vitamin C: 17% of Recommended Daily Value (RDV)
- Vitamin B6: 22% of RDV
- Vitamin B2/ Riboflavin: 5% of RDV
- Potassium: 12% of RDV
- Magnesium: 8% of RDV
- Copper: 5% of RDV
- Manganese: 16% of RDV
- Folate 6% of RDV
Carbohydrate content is the main source of producing 90% of the calories in a medium-sized banana. It contains simple sugar, fructose, glucose, and sucrose. Because they are easily decomposable, they get quickly absorbed in the blood.
Bananas are also a good source of antioxidants that protect blood cells against damage. It also improves the nervous system.
How much does the Average Banana Weigh?
An average banana that is normally 6-8 inches long, weighs up to 120 grams or 4 ounces with its skin. However, the weight of the banana mainly depends on the size, origin, variety, etc.
According to USDA, the following are the standard weights in grams and ounces for the different sizes of bananas.
Size | Length (inches) | Weight (grams) | Weight (ounces) | Calories | Carbs |
Extra Large | <=9’’ | 152 g | 5.4oz | 135cal | 35g |
Large | 8-9’’ | 136g | 4.8oz | 121cal | 31g |
Medium | 7-8’’ | 118g | 4.2oz | 105cal | 27g |
Small | 6-7’’ | 101g | 3.6oz | 90cal | 23g |
Extra Small | >6’’ | 81g | 2.9oz | 72cal | 19g |
More than 90% of the calories that a banana contains come from the carbohydrate content while only 4% from proteins and 3% from fat.
It is important to note that people who follow a weight loss diet plan can include bananas in their diet regime, and get added benefits.
Take away
Instead of wasting your time calculating how much does the average banana weighs, it’s time to learn about its benefits and how it can help you stay healthy and avoid any complications.
This information has some errors. A medium banana = 1/4 cup yet a small banana = 1/2 cup?