Figs and Bananas
Helen and I were wondering about the comprehensive nutritional value of figs last night, so I decided to do a little research. I used the USDA's nifty nutrient database, which includes everything from fruit and vegetables to Burger King hamburgers (but not Twinkies, apparently).
While looking at information on the fig, I noticed it was remarkably similar to the banana. Which is neat, since I'm allergic to the pesticides used on bananas and can therefore only eat organic bananas, and organic bananas are difficult to find in New Jersey. Super Stop & Shop in Clifton, however, carries organic figs. But not organic bananas.
So, here's my basic analysis of the nutritional content of figs and bananas, normalized by making the mass of the two imaginary samples equal at 100 g. This seems to be about two-and-a-half small figs or a small-to-medium banana.
| Fig | Banana | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy (kcal) | 74 | 89 |
| Protein (g) | 0.75 | 1.09 |
| Fat (g) | 0.30 | 0.33 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 19.18 | 22.84 |
| Fiber (g) | 2.9 | 2.6 |
| Calcium (mg) | 35 | 5 |
| Iron (mg) | 0.37 | 0.26 |
| Magnesium (mg) | 17 | 27 |
| Potassium (mg) | 232 | 358 |
| Vitamin C (mg) | 2.0 | 8.7 |
| Beta Carotene (μg) | 85 | 26 |
| Alpha Carotene (μg) | 0 | 25 |
OK, so they're not that similar, now that I'm looking at them side-by-side, but the potassium amounts compare pretty well in terms of the number of figs (seven or eight) versus the number of bananas (maybe two?) I'm willing to eat in a single sitting.
Comments
you must be bored =P
Posted by: tay | March 12, 2008 08:26 PM
Intriguing. You have almost as much time on your hands as I do. I propose a toast to the idle upper middle class! May it not be so blasted difficult to find organic bananas in the middle of New Jersey. Here Here! *Clink* *Clink*
Posted by: arc | March 14, 2008 09:09 AM
erm... 7 figs x 232 mg K/fig = 1624 mg K
3 bananas x 358 mg K/banana = 1074 mg K*
I wouldn't call that comparable. One is more than 50% greater than the other!
best to toss in a few extra bananas --- you monkey!
haha (what an appropriate word to type in, to check I'm not a spammer!
Posted by: Figment of your Imagination | March 15, 2008 03:03 PM