Explainer | What is the Morning Banana Diet trending on social media? An expert reveals how it works and how to use it for long-term weight loss
- Eating bananas for breakfast to lose weight trended on Japanese social media years ago. Now it’s back – but there’s more to the diet than the name suggests
- Cutting out alcohol, caffeine and nighttime snacks, and not eating until full, are key tenets, as are a balanced diet and exercise, a nutritionist says
Waking up to a breakfast of bananas, a strategy for weight loss, is trending on social media – again.
Japanese pharmacist Sumiko Watanabe developed the Morning Banana Diet, also known as the “Asa Banana Diet” – asa is Japanese for “morning” – in 2008 for her husband, who reportedly lost nearly 17 kilograms (37 pounds) while he was on it.
It became all the rage when he wrote about it for one of Japan’s largest social networking services, Mixi. Local grocers quickly sold out of bananas as weight-loss seekers enthusiastically embraced the diet.
The diet’s appeal lies in its flexibility and simplicity. The official website says followers can start their day by eating as many bananas as they like for breakfast, and drinking room-temperature water.
The diet also allows one snack a day, preferably Japanese confectionery or chocolates.
