Gordon Brown is reported to be eating up to nine bananas a day, in a bid to kick his KitKat habit. But has he made the right choice?

150g banana

Calories: 95

Price: approx 18p

Fat: 0.3g

Mineral content: Potassium 358mg (per 100g), magnesium 29mg, phosphorus 27mg, calcium 5mg, selenium 1.3mg

Upsides: Slow energy release; a meal in a, um, skin.

Downsides: Inherent comedy value. A tricky shape to carry in a trouser pocket. Unavoidable associations of slip-ups and trips. Can't be dipped in tea.

KitKat

Calories: 233

Price: approx 45p

Fat: 11.8g

Mineral content: Sodium 0.1g

Upsides: Snaps satisfyingly (bananas are silent). Four pieces: they go on for ever. Always a chance you could get a solid chocolate stick.

Downsides: Unnutritious. Fattening. Whiff of the school tuck shop: not necessarily helpful to image of grown-up authority.
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