Last week experts announced a potential threat to the much loved British afternoon treat: banana bread.
Food scientists at a Norwich-based biotech firm have invented non-browning bananas – fruit that is genetically engineered to stay fresh and yellow for several days longer.
Tropic, the company behind the innovation say it will slash food waste and could reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 9 million tonnes, if introduced widely.
However avid bakers will know that a lack of brown bananas makes for an unpleasantly flavourless banana bread.
But could we all do with eating a little less of the popular bake that’s widely deemed to be healthier than a typical slice of chocolate cake?
‘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,’ says Nichola Ludlam-Raine, dietitian and author of How Not To Eat Ultra Processed.
Here, experts reveal if it really is the most nutritious treat to opt for – and how to make your batch more waistline friendly.
Banana bread became particularly popular during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown
What’s in banana bread?
Banana bread originated in 1930s America as a way to use up overripe bananas, which had recently become more available in the states.
Baking powder was also becoming more commonplace in supermarkets at this time, meaning home cooks could experiment with new baking techniques.
You can buy banana bread, but the majority of regular consumers will enjoy a homemade loaf.
The typical recipe involves butter, sugar, eggs, self raising flour, a pinch of salt and very ripe bananas.
This results in a slice containing around 268 calories, 13g of fat – 8g of which is saturated – 24g of sugar (some of which is naturally occurring in the fruit), 3.8g protein, 0.5g of salt and, disappointingly, 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,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine. However, she adds that, due to the large quantity of added sugar, fruit sugar is only a small proportion – possibly around a third.
That means one slice takes you over half your recommended daily intake of the sweet stuff.
Fat-wise, there’s 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.
Still, it’s roughly the same as you’ll find in a portion of Greek yoghurt.
How does it compare to more indulgent cakes?
Good news if you’re a carrot cake fan – there’s little difference, nutrition-wise, between the two, apart from a teaspoon extra sugar.
A slice of homemade carrot cake contains around 279 calories, 6-7g of saturated fat, 28g of sugar, 3g of protein and a small 1g of fibre.
Both carrot and banana bread are far better options than chocolate cake, says Ro Huntriss, a consultant dietitian and chief nutrition officer at weight loss platform Simple Life App.
‘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,’ she says.
‘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.’
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.
If you fancy a biscuit that won’t have too much of an impact on the scale, Ms Huntriss suggests 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. Meanwhile, 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,’ says Ms Huntriss.
How do you make banana bread healthy?
Adding more bananas is one simple way to up the fibre – which we all need more of – and reduce the 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,’ says Ms Ludlam-Raine.
In the UK, most adults only get about 18g of fibre a day, according to the British Dietetic Association (BDA) – considerably lower than the recommended 30g per day.
Low fibre can cause problems with digestion that raise the risk of bowel cancer.
Fibre – found in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains – has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Potassium, meanwhile, is crucial for healthy blood pressure.
Dietician Nicola Ludlam Raine advises swapping out sugar for more banana and adding oats, seeds and nuts as a topping
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. But making sure you lose some of the sugar is key.
‘Very ripe bananas provide sweetness and moisture, which can allow you to use less added sugar,’ adds Ms Ludlam-Raine.
‘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/or wholemeal flour to your bake can boost the fibre content.
Although this may increase the calorie content slightly, experts say it’s likely to be worth it for the extra nutrients.
With banana bread’s fairly high saturated fat content, you 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,’ says Ms Huntriss.
Greek yoghurt can be a good partial substitute too, plus it also provides some protein to help keep you fuller for longer.
