Health Benefits of Bananas

Health Benefits of Bananas

Bananas contain three natural sugars sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. Here on these page we will see some of the useful health benefits of bananas.

Physical Features of a Banana Plant

They’re actually plants made up of stalks. A stalk can be about 30 cm. A banana plant can grow up to 6 meters in height. It has up to 20 long and wide leaves. Bananas hang in clusters of 10 to 20 bananas. Bananas are harvested while they are still green. Banana as a staple diet In many tropical regions of Africa, South America, and Asia, bananas are a main food for the population. They have many nutrients that people need. In addition to 75 % water, a banana contains sugar, proteins, and vitamins. It gives you quick energy and can be digested fairly easily. In the western world, bananas are eaten as snacks in-between meals or together with cereals. In other countries, they are used to make wine or beer.

Types of Bananas

There are up to a thousand different kinds of bananas. The Cavendish banana is the most widely produced and eaten fruit in the world. Bananas that are used for cooking are called plantains.

Economic Value

Bananas are the fourth most valuable food crop in the world, after wheat, rice and corn. India is the world’s largest banana producer, followed by Uganda, China, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Brazil. About 140 million tons are harvested annually, however only a small percentage of the actual production is exported.

Health Benefits of Bananas

Overcoming Depression and Changing Mood

Bananas can be helpful in overcoming depression due to high levels of the Amino acid Tryptophan, which the body convert to Serotonin, Serotonin is associated with mental stabilization such as sleep, has anti-depression and anti-anxiety effects. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Energetic for Athletes

The unique mix of vitamins, minerals, and low glycemic carbohydrates in bananas has made them a favorite fruit among endurance athletes. Eating a banana about an hour before working out to allow sufficient time for digestion and top up your glycogen levels to help sustain energy throughout a long workout. One medium banana contains 422 mg of potassium, which your body needs to regulate fluids and prevent muscle cramps and spasms during workout. Bananas reduce the recovery period after a workout by replenishing potassium and glycogen stores and helping protein reach the muscles if paired with a protein source.

Blood Pressure

This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, aking it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Mosquito Bites

Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Hangovers

One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Ulcers

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Anemia

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Brain Power

200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Nerves

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Smoking and Tobacco Use

Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress

Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed,  our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Temperature Control

My other cultures see bananas as a cooling fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Strokes

According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.

Facts

Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the inmside of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe and polish with dry cloth. Thats it.

Health Risks of Banana?

Eaten in moderation, there are no significant side effects associated with eating bananas. However, eating the fruits in excess may lead to some side effects you can experience all the usual disadvantages of eating too much sugar, including tooth decay. Potassium over consumption can lead to hyperkalaemia which have serious consequences.