“Musa” is the scientific name for banana. It is one of the essential food crops on earth. Bananas come from the Musaceae family of tropical plants and are at the top of the plant. Bananas are a rich source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, and other antioxidants. Bananas are incredibly healthy, and it also contains several essential nutrients.
The bananas are divided into different categories based on their color- (1) Cavendish (usually green or clear yellow), (2) Plantain (green in color), (3) red banana, (4) and lady’s finger. One serving of banana or a medium-sized ripe banana provides 110 calories (which is high as a serving of strawberries has only 50), 1 gram of protein, 29 grams of carbohydrates, and 2.6 grams of fat, 450mgpotassium, and 0.3 grams of fat. 93% of bananas’ calories are from carbohydrates, 3% from fat, and 4% from protein.
Bananas are rich in fiber and low in calories. Fiber helps you keep regular. On average, bananas can fulfill 10%of daily fiber requirements. Bananas are a vital source of vitamins, such as Potassium. According to a study in Forbes, vitamin B6 helps protect against Type 2 diabetes which aids in losing weight.
Moreover, they are rich in antioxidants which can protect us from free radicals which come in contact with us every other day, whether it is putting the lotion to protect from the sunlight. They provide carbohydrates like other fruits and aren’t a source of protein or fat.
- Bananas for a weight loss journey:
For a balanced diet, bananas are good as they’re nutritious and beneficial. A small banana of about 101 grams contains 89 calories, and a medium-sized, around 118 grams, about 7 to 8 inches, contains 105 calories. While a large banana, about 8 to 9 inches, contains 121 calories.
If you want to keep a check on the calories you’re gaining by eating bananas, and you are unsure about the size, do remember that on an estimate, an average banana contains around 100 calories. They are suitable for losing weight as they contain fiber and help slow digestion. It makes you feel full, and that’s how you don’t starve and eat less, thus resulting in weight loss.
Research has found that boosting fiber intake reduces the risk of weight gain by 30%. But the fiber content, high vitamins make it a solid addition to a healthy weight-loss journey. As fiber is a vital part of weight loss. Bananas contain 12% fiber and therefore prove effective for weight loss. It helps curb appetite, and fat burns fast. The bananas contain indigestible fiber, or resistant starch, which blocks the carbohydrates absorbed by the body. According to Chelsea Tersavich, there’s no difference in the nutritional value of bananas as they ripen, but a change in carbohydrate levels and taste.
The greener the banana is more brutal to digest, but it is helpful for someone with gastrointestinal health issues or digestive problems. A balanced diet is necessary that is full of vegetables and fruits. Rather than starving and being on a diet, your weight loss journey should include all the essential nutrients and vitamins enriched food that will help you lose weight.
Bananas have been an excellent fruit, so adding multiple amounts of bananas to your diet will add variety to your food and other essential macronutrients, which include healthy fats and proteins. There a study published in 2009 which was based on the food takes 252 women for about 20 months.
The study revealed that for the an extra amount of fiber intake the women had per day, their body weight was 0.55 pounds lower than 15 ( which is a highly respected database of the National Institute of Health).
- Bananas for Cardiovascular health:
A study published in 2017 revealed that people following a high-fiber diet tend to have less risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with a low-fiber diet. And people consuming more fiber have low levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also called bad cholesterol. Bananas are rich in the mineral potassium, an electrolyte, and carry a small electrical charge.
These electrical charges send signals to the heart to be at regularly. Potassium is best for maintaining the fluid level in the human body and regulating the movement of nutrients. It also helps contract the muscles responding to the nerve cells. That is how the heart beats regularly and reduces the sodium effect on blood pressure. An inadequate amount of potassium in your food leads to high blood pressure. That’s how the proper amount of potassium can be consumed by eating bananas. Bananas, rich in potassium and fiber and low in sodium, are essential to healthy heart diets like DASH.
(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) which aims for 4,700 potassium consumption per day. A high intake of salt causes high blood pressure, which then leads to heart diseases, while the high level of potassium intake helps in relaxing the blood vessels. So, being high in potassium and having a low sodium content in the help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system and therefore prevent high blood pressure.
- Bananas for memory and for boosting mood:
Bananas have tryptophan, an amino acid that helps preserve memory and boosts a person’s ability to remember and learn things while regulating mood. It helps a lot with your mood triggers. As being rich in vitamin B6, they help in synthesizing feel-good neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin. Serotonin is a natural neurotransmitter that sends messages between neurons in the brain.
The human body can make serotonin on its own, but the amount is not enough for the proper functionality of the human body. So, by eating bananas, one could get enough serotonin which thus aids in improving mood. Thus, eating bananas can help you learn things effectively. That is how you can get good marks in exams.
According to a study, bananas play an indirect role in storing the amount of serotonin that the brain can produce. Other nutrients are required by the body, which helps make and use serotonin, including vitamin B6, and bananas are a rich source of this vitamin.
Eating in moderation is the key here; if you consume more bananas, you will gain weight. Moreover, overeating can often lead to sleepiness and headaches, according to a study at Forbes. Sleepiness is due to the excess of tryptophan found in them, leading to sleeping problems. As headaches are caused due to the amino acids in bananas that dilates the blood vessels. Amino acids are more in overripe bananas as compared to other bananas.
- Bananas for digestive health:
Bananas, rich in easily broken down carbohydrates, are beneficial for digestion. Bananas are a gentle food for some people who suffer from
stomach ailments, vomiting, and diarrhea. It’s effective indigestion and restores the lost electrolyte in our body. They are regarded as the BRAT diet (an acronym for Banana, Rice, Applesauce, and Tomato). It’s a good regimen for patients suffering from diarrhea.
Banana contains fructooligosaccharides, which acts as probiotic, and in the digestive tract, it promotes the growth of good bacteria. Banana, being high potassium food, helps the digestive system and nerve function in the digestive tract. That is how food is easily broken down. Therefore people like helicobacter pylori or other digestive issues. The amount of certain antibacterial compounds present in bananas inhabits the growth of ulcers which causes H. pylori.
They are best for clearing out the acidity of gastric juices, which strengthens the stomach lining and lowers inflammation. Studies have shown that people suffering from stomach ulcers or H. pylori should eat more bananas. The raw and ripe form of bananas has proven beneficial in curing digestive problems. Patients with bariatric surgery are advised to incorporate bananas and other fruits into their diet for almost five to six weeks because their stomach is not in the condition to eat other food items. Bananas and other fruits help the stomach slowly regain the strength for digesting other fibrous foods.
Unripe bananas are also one of the best options as they contain starch, a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine. It gets absorbed slowly, and that’s how there is not a sharp rise in blood sugar levels. Try eating out a ripe banana for almost three days and get ulcer relief. A study published in 2017 in Nutrition Bulletin revealed that resistant starch supports a lot in gut health and also controls blood sugar levels. As the resistant starch increases, the production of short-chain fatty acids in the gut is necessary to gut health. Also, try using green banana powder. For that, blend 2 tbsp of banana powder and 1 tbsp of honey. Try eating this mixture of three times a day for one week.
- Recipes:
Easy banana pancakes for breakfast:
The following ingredients are used for making the banana Pan cakes:
Flour: 350g
Baking powder: 1tsp
Eggs: 2
Bananas: 2 ripe
Vanilla extract: 1 tsp
Milk: 250ml
Butter: for frying
Sieve the floor; add a pinch of salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. And mash up ripe bananas in a separate bowl. Add the other ingredient well. For the banana pancakes, mix dry ingredients in the center and tip in the wet ingredients, then swiftly whisk all the ingredients together to make a silky and smooth batter. Heat the pan and add butter. Add 2-3 tbsp of the batter in the bowl to the pan and make tiny bubbles. Flip it for some time and cook on a slow flame for about 1-2 minutes. Repeat the same for the remaining batter, keeping the flame low. Stack it on plates and do the topping with banana slices, maple syrup, and a handful of nuts.
Banana smoothie:
For adding bananas to your diet, for its beneficial health effects, you should try this 5–minutes banana smoothie. You can add more ingredients to it like nut butter, veggies, and fruits, to make it yummier. All you need is to do the following:
Banana: one large or two small. For a good taste smoothie, try using a ripe banana. For creamy smoothies, use frozen slices of bananas.
Orange: half a quantity of it. As it will enhance the vitamin C and adds tropical flavor to it.
Plain yogurt: you can skip it if you are running short of it.
Water or milk: depends on the number of cups you are making.
Put everything in the blender and blendes until all the ingredients mix up well and it get smooth. For a chill smoothie, do add ice or other frozen fruits.
- Conclusion:
There have been a lot of benefits of curvy yellow fruit. Bananas provide 7%of the recommended daily intake. Bananas have been a versatile and affordable fruit all over the world. For some people it is recommended to consume two or more fruits a day as a balanced diet. As banana is one of the good choices, so it would be beneficial to have a medium-sized banana as a part of the weight-loss journey. Eating more vegetables and fruits should be a part of daily health intake. Moreover, banana is also a healthier option as it is rich in fiber.
Whether it is about a country’s health benefits or economic growth, bananas fits both. It provides a slew of health benefits to people and is also one of the world’s favorite fruit. The global exports for them have reached about 24.5 million tons, i.e., about 22.2 million metric tons in 2020, according to a report by the United Nations. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in the U.S, on average, every person eats about 13.4 pounds (6 kilograms) of bananas every year, thus making it one of the favorite fresh fruit.
