During the COVID-19 pandemic, banana bread exploded in popularity as home bakers whipped up batches everywhere. It's undeniably delicious, but is it as healthy as we think?
Traditional banana bread recipes call for ripe bananas, flour, oil, eggs, and a sweetener like maple syrup or honey. Unlike true bread—made with flour, water, yeast, and salt—this is more accurately a cake. That's why the name doesn't quite fit.
Ripe bananas provide natural sweetness and fruit sugars, but adding honey, maple syrup, or dates spikes the sugar content significantly. These may sound wholesome, yet they're still forms of sugar. Dates offer a bonus: plenty of fiber alongside the sweetness. With very ripe bananas, you can often skip added sweeteners entirely.
Spelt or wheat flour—common in banana bread—lacks fiber. Opt for whole wheat flour instead to boost nutrition. You can also skip the oil (like coconut oil); the moist ingredients provide enough richness on their own.
Read also: 5 ways to bake banana bread even better
Photo: Getty Images. Source: Gezondheidsnet.nl
