Gain Weight with Bananas?

I eat 12 bananas a day to increase weight because people say that bananas are good for gaining weight. Is this correct? Or should I spend my money on chicken? (from Z.K.)

Bananas have the reputation for causing weight gain for good reason. They are very high in simple carbs. Eating a lot of them will make you gain weight but it probably won't be from muscle. If you have ever known a person who is a long-time vegetarian or at least very much limits meat in their diet, you will typically see a person that doesn't have very defined muscles (flabby). This is due to a lack of protein.

On a weight gain diet where new muscle is the goal, you want your carbohydrate intake to account for no more than 50% of your daily diet. A regular banana has only 3 grams protein as compared to 37 grams carbs. Eating so many bananas, where you will be consuming 12 grams of carbs for every one gram of protein, is going to make it more difficult to achieve your diet goals. Looking at the GI value of bananas, they are neither the best source of carbs or the worse.

I wouldn't necessarily cut bananas completely out of your diet but perhaps make them a smaller part of it. They are a great source of potassium and fiber. Maybe cut down to 2 or 3 a day and spend your left over money on chicken (high in protein).

Resources:

About Carbohydrates and the Weight Gain Diet

Nutrient Values of Foods

Glycemic Index Database

JP Clifford