Lightened banana bread (recipe)

By The Health News Team | November 15, 2024

Call it bread, call it cake, call it your guilty pleasure. No matter the name, banana bread doesn’t have to be bad for you. With some smart substitutions, you can still have this delectable treat while keeping your health in mind.

“Here is where you can have your cake and eat it too,” says Lily Padilla-Corona, a diabetes specialist educator with Sharp Rees-Stealy Otay Ranch. “Using a mix of white and whole wheat flour instead of all white flour, as well as walnuts and chia seeds can add a boost of protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. You don’t need to compromise taste to get health!”

Lightened banana bread

Prep time:

10 minutes

Total time:

1 hour

Servings:

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons (18 packets) stevia sweetener
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 medium semi-ripe bananas (mashed with a fork)
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup extra-light olive oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chia seed

Directions

1

Mix the Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, stevia sweetener, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon until well blended. In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, egg, apple sauce, chia seeds and oil until well blended.

2

Pour the Batter

Pour the batter into the flour mixture, stirring together until moistened with no visible flour. Stir in the walnuts. Pour the batter into the pans, about halfway full, smoothing the tops.

3

Bake and Enjoy

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pans to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

Nutrition facts per serving: Calories = 214; Fat = 7.5 grams; Sugar = 5.7 gram

The Health News Team

Author

The Sharp Health News Team are content authors who write and produce stories about Sharp HealthCare and its hospitals, clinics, medical groups and health plan.