I'm writing this from the 2009 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo, the annual convention of the American Dietetic Association. I'm a registered dietitian. And here's a diet that's news to me: The morning banana diet. Apparently others have heard of it because there are a few other articles I found when I did a search. But some of their details vary, so I'll tell you here what the Dole banana people are saying about it.

It started in Japan and is purely anecdotal. This means there are no studies to show the results of anyone who has tried it. Just the story from one man who made it so popular that Japan ran out of bananas! Naturally, Dole is very happy about this since they are a supplier of bananas. The diet is simple: Eat two bananas for breakfast with room temperature water (they don't tell you how much water to drink; I'd suggest between eight and sixteen ounces). The diet instructions end there. You then eat your usual lunch and dinner. Could it work?

Dole suggests it might work because of the nutrient content of bananas, which contain something called a "resistant starch". This type of starch can block the body's use of some carbohydrates, as well as potentially boost fat burning. Bananas, they say, can help improve the bioavailability of calcium which has also been shown to play a role in weight loss. The fruit provides a decent amount of vitamin C, a significant amount of potassium, and also three grams of fiber per medium banana. So even if you don't lose weight, it's a good addition to your daily intake of these nutrients.

I haven't known anyone who has tried it, but I think it could work for a few reasons:

1. It gets people to eat something for breakfast when perhaps that hasn't been a practice for them in the past. Studies do show that eating breakfast kick-starts your metabolism. So starting this diet could help you if it gets you to start eating a morning meal.

2. Bananas do have fiber and quite a high water content. So two bananas could keep you full for quite a while. If a person was previously having donuts in the morning, or coffee cake at a coffee break, their caloric intake will be reduced quite a bit by switching to bananas and cutting out all the fat and carbs in the latter choices.

3. Being in the mindset of dieting, or feeling like it's time to do something to lose weight, can be a huge step in unknowingly changing your eating habits. It may actually be that once you start on the Banana Diet you become more aware that it's important to you to lose weight. Maybe you eat a little bit smaller portion at dinner, or pass on a dessert; maybe you go for a walk in the evening because you're ready to start a healthier lifestyle.

Whatever the reason, if the diet works for you don't question how it works: just enjoy your success!