Ever Wondered What Goodness is in a Banana? Benefits of the Banana
The banana is a nutritional powerhouse, packed heart-healthy potassium, B6, manganese, fibre, carbohydrate and some Vitamin C. Grown in more than 150 countries, it is widely believed there are more than 1,000 types of bananas in the world, which are subdivided into 50 groups. Banana skins are most commonly known to be yellow, but ripe banana skins can also be red, pink, purple, and black.
The Banana Is Not a Tree but a Plant:
Although it looks like a tree, the banana is actually a plant. The plant grows up to 15 metres and belongs to the same family as the lily and orchid. Bananas grow in clusters of 50-150, with individual bananas grouped in bunches known as ‘hands’ of 10-20 at a time.
Potassium Rich:
A medium-sized banana will provide around 320-400 mg of potassium, which meets about 10% of your daily potassium needs.
Bananas are full of Potassium which is one of the most important electrolytes in the body, helping to regulate heart function as well as fluid balance – a key factor in regulating blood pressure. Bananas are also low in sodium; the low sodium and high potassium combination helps to control high blood pressure. The effectiveness of potassium rich in lowering blood pressure and protecting against heart disease and strokes is well accepted with considerable scientific research. check the link below:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1933171114000023
Benefits to The Gut:
A medium banana will provide about 10-12% of your daily fibre needs.
Bananas are also soothing to the gastrointestinal tract due to their high content of pectin – as soluble fibre it can lower cholesterol and help normalise bowel function. The high fibre content of bananas promotes satiety (feelings of fullness). Soluble and insoluble fibres play an important role in your health. Soluble fibre helps your body control your blood sugar level and get rid of fatty substances such as cholesterol. Insoluble fibre adds weight and softness to stools, making it easier for you to have regular bowel movements. This helps to keep your gut healthy and safe from harmful bacteria.
A Prebiotic:
The resistant starch in bananas also has prebiotic action, helping to fuel the friendly gut bacteria which increases their production of short chain fatty acids which are beneficial for digestive health.
Bananas as An Energy Source: without the fat and cholesterol
Bananas contain three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose, giving you a fat and cholesterol-free source of energy. As such, bananas are ideal, especially for and athletes, workout training, busy people and children. Its great eaten for breakfast, as a midday snack or before and after sports.
A Good Source of Vitamin B6:
Vitamin B6 helps your body:
- produce red blood cells,
- metabolise carbohydrates and fats, turning them into energy,
- metabolise amino acids,
- remove unwanted chemicals from your liver and kidneys, and
- maintain a healthy nervous system.
Vitamin B6 from bananas is easily absorbed by your body and a medium-sized banana can provide about a quarter of your daily vitamin B6 needs. Vitamin B6 is also good for pregnant women as it helps meet their baby’s development needs.
Bananas contain Vitamin C
We normally don’t associate bananas with vitamin C, but a medium-sized banana will provide about 10% of your daily vitamin C needs.
Vitamin C helps:
- protect your body against cell and tissue damage,
- your body absorb iron better,
- your body produce collagen - the protein which holds your skin, bones and body together, and
- support brain health by producing serotonin, a hormone that affects our sleep cycle, moods, and experiences of stress & pain.
Manganese in Bananas Can Support Skin Health:
One medium-sized banana provides approximately 13% of your daily manganese needs. Manganese helps your body to make collagen and protects your skin and other cells against free radical damage.
Fuller For Longer:
Bananas, especially newly ripened ones, contain starch that does not digest (resistant starch) in your small intestine and is able to pass into the large intestine. Such bananas help you manage your weight better as you stay full for longer.
Banana Skin to Help with insect Bites
The inside of a banana skin can be used to calm an itchy mosquito bite – many people find that rubbing the bite with the skin helps to reduce irritation.
Higher Sugar Content:
Since they have a lower water content than most fruit, bananas typically have more calories as well as a higher sugar content compared to other non-tropical fruits. For diabetics be mindful of your serving sizes, on estimate a medium size of 100g serving provides 81kcal, 20.3g of carbohydrate, 1.4g fibre and 18.1g of natural sugar. A large banana may count for one and half portions of fruit a
Most people need to cut down on foods with added sugars and refined carbs rather than whole fruit – a large banana is still better for your long-term health than a standard slice of cake, This is partly because the banana has no free sugar.