The Theory behind the Diet

Given its origins as a group-developed diet program, there are many theories about why it has proven to be effective to many. The prinicple creators of the diet have their ideas about why it worked for them. Members of the various internet groups devoted to the diet have offered various explanations. And physicians who have tried the diet or who have been consulted in connection with the books, magazine articles, and television reports about the diet have also offered their theories. And finally, as the diet enters the Western mainstream, various theories have been put forth by researchers, banana promoters and members of the forum here on this site.

At any rate, here are some of the ideas that have been thrown around to explain various aspects of the diet:

• Bananas contain a large amount of an insoluble carbohydrate called “resistant starch.” Resistant starch has been credited with various weight management benefits, including the ability to initiate fat burning (or “lipid oxidation”) (See Wikipedia, Prevention Magazine, Dole Nutrition Institute, and Gail Gedan Spencer.)
• Bananas contain enzymes that assist in digestion, speeding it up and thus reducing the amount of time the intestines need to work to digest food, resulting in a metabolism more suited to losing weight. These enzymes only exist if the bananas are eaten in their raw state.
• Bananas plus water results in faster and more frequent elimination and improvement of constipation symptoms. Some Morning Banana Diet followers report two or three trips to the toilet daily for “number 2.”
• Finishing dinner early and avoiding or reducing evening snacks allows the most active portion of the digestive process to complete before bedtime, making for a sounder sleep and more energy in the morning.
• Laying off the manditory exercise and allowing afternoon sweets reduces stress, which would otherwise lead to overeating.
• Even though you can eat “anything you want” for lunch and dinner, the filling, high-fiber banana breakfast, the early dinner, and the limiting of meal beverages to water (preventing the washing down of food in the manner of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest “gurgitators”) tend to influence Morning Banana dieters to eat reasonable amounts.
• The three meals and one or two snack rule, along with the early bedtime, act as a throttle on grazing and unmindful eating throughout the day.