High Fiber, Low Sugar Banana Bread
Have you ever had a few ripe bananas left over in your fridge and weren’t sure what to do with them? Discover how to prepare high fiber, low sugar banana bread that’s nutritious and delicious.
These days, you’ll find banana bread among basic household desserts thanks to its easy preparation, accessible ingredients, and of course, it’s a delicious treat!
However, the majority of banana bread recipes are high in refined sugar and flour and in saturated fats, which means that the nutritional value is very low and that eating it frequently can even be a health risk.
A high consumption of refined sugars and saturated fats is associated with being overweight and with obesity. It’s also linked to non-contagious chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
In spite of this, it’s possible to have a healthy diet that includes nutritious desserts that actually contribute to good health. Enjoy the guilt-free recipes below!
Why choose banana bread with high fiber and low sugar?
By means of a few small changes to a traditional recipe, you can prepare high fiber banana bread that will be a positive influence on your health. Substituting white refined flour with alternative flours (such as oat flour, almond flour or coconut flour) adds soluble and insoluble fiber to keep your gut healthy.
As the publication Current Developments in Nutrition brings out, when fiber gets to the large intestine it works as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are oligosaccharides (plant-derived carbohydrate compounds) that act as a food source for the microorganisms present in the intestinal tract (microbiota, or good bacteria).
What happens when microbiota in the gut are maintained in balance? Your body will be protected from harmful microorganisms, and will be able to better absorb vitamins from food sources. A healthy level of good bacteria in the intestinal tract also encourages anti-inflammatory activity in the body.
Likewise, exchanging margarine or cooking oil for seed butters or nut butters adds unsaturated fatty acids to your diet. These are healthy for your heart, and are loaded with antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory effects.
If you consume foods rich in unsaturated fats, they will help to regulate anti-inflammatory activity at the vascular level by means of microbiota.
Finally, it’s also much healthier to use the natural sugar present in fruit (fructose) instead of refined sugar to add a delicate and delicious sweetness.
Below you’ll find two recipes for high fiber, low sugar banana bread that are simple, nutritious, quick to prepare and above all, tasty.
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High fiber, low sugar banana bread recipes
This delicious banana bread uses oatmeal that’s rich in fiber, as well as other easy to digest ingredients. Enjoy it for breakfast or for dinner!
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat flour
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
- 1/3 cup of skim milk
- 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1/3 cup molasses of sugar or similar
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- 1 cup of mashed banana
- 1/3 cup of seed or nut oil
- 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or other nuts such as almonds
- 2 teaspoons of stevia (optional)
Preparation
- First, preheat the over to 180°C
- Next, grease a cake pan – you’ll need one that’s 9 inches in diameter, or you can divide the mixture between two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
- Now, mix the mashed banana, sugar, oil, milk and egg whites together in a mixing bowl
- Following that, add the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and chopped nuts (and stevia if desired) and combine
- Lastly, scrape the mixture into the cake pan and bake for 60 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean
- Take the banana bread out of the oven and let it cool off for 10 minutes before turning it out of the cake pan
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Gluten-free high fiber, low sugar banana bread with chocolate chips
This delicious banana bread with chocolate chips is ideal to share with the whole family. It’s nutritious and will become a fast favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup of peanut butter or another nut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of coconut or almond flour
- A good pinch of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preparation
- To start, preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
- Next, in a mixing bowl, use a mixer to beat the mashed banana, vanilla, nut butter and eggs until they bind together. Then add the coconut or almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix until everything is well combined. Lastly add the chocolate chips and mix by hand.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan and sprinkle a handful of choc bits on the top. Bake for around 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Take the banana bread out of the oven and let it cool off for 20 minutes.
- Lastly, turn it out of the cake pan and cut it into twelve slices.
Note: for the best results, use ripe bananas (with black spots).
Stay healthy by eating healthy foods. Use healthy alternatives to saturated fats and refined sugars to create delicious recipes that are actually good for you!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Corzo N, Alonso JL, Aspiroz F, Calvo MA, Cirici M et al. Prebióticos; concepto, propiedades y efectos beneficiosos. Nutr Hosp. 2015;31(1):99-118.
- Carlson JL, Erickson JM, Lloyd BB, Slavin JL. Health Effects and Sources of Prebiotic Dietary Fiber. Curr Dev Nutr. 2018;2(3):nzy005. Published 2018 Jan 29. doi:10.1093/cdn/nzy005
- Molendijk I, Van Der M, Maljaars PWJ. Toward a Food Pharmacy: Immunologic Modulation through Diet. Nutrients. 2019; 11 (6): 1-11.
- World Health Organization. Global Status Report on Noncommunicable diseases 2010. Geneva: WHO;2011.
- Cabezas-Zábala CC, Hernández-Torres BC, Vargas-Zárate N.
- Claudia Constanza Cabezas-Zábala1 • Blanca Cecilia Hernández-Torres2 • Melier Vargas-Zárate. Fat and oils: Effects on health and global regulation. Rev. Fac. Med. 2016; 64 (4): 761-8.
