One of the most popular fruits in the world are banana. This botanical berry is the one the most consumed food in the world, in fact, in the USA it is the most consumed fruit.
Apart from milk banana is the 2nd food considered to provide almost all nutrients required by the body. It is especially high in potassium and provides one ingredient that is missing in milk Vitamin-c.
Every nutritionist recommends taking 2 banana a day as this helps people of all age and sex. It provides enough anti-oxidants, helps improve heart condition and maintain blood sugar. Some even suggest it being able to reduce body fat as it contains very little calories and fat.
You might have even seen athletes taking banana in the middle of matches. And this is specifically due to its mineral content and carbohydrates. Banana helps reduce muscle stress and crams. And for this quick recovery and soothing feeling athletes and bodybuilder tale banana.
Nutritional Value-
1. Potassium: 9% of the Required Daily Intake (RDI)
2. Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI
3. Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI
4. Magnesium: 8% of the RDI
5. Copper: 10% of the RDI
6. Manganese: 14% of the RDI
7. Net carbs: 24 grams
8. Fiber: 3.1 grams
9. Protein: 1.3 grams
10. Fat: 0.4 grams
11. Calorie: 105
Health Benefits of Banana-
· Improve the condition of Heart
Banana is rich in potassium, which is a mineral essential for heart health and helps regulate blood pressure.
Very few people daily take the required amount of potassium and this is more prominent in individuals suffering from Diabetes. Prolonged reduced potassium intake can greatly affect heart condition and lead to the development of heart disease.
A medium serving of banana (118 gm) can provide as much as 9 % of the RDI potassium and daily intake of two bananas can provide a great deal of this valuable nutrient. Alongside with potassium banana also contain a decent amount of magnesium (8%) which is also important for heart and other cellular function.
Research proves that individuals who take sufficient potassium daily suffer less from heart disease. And in the technology-based era where non-communicable diseases are taking the role of past communicable disease, it is necessary to prevent any sort of deficiency. 1
· Helps in maintaining and reduce Weight
There is no direct relation between banana and weight. But still, it is said to help maintain weight because of its low-calorie content and almost zero fat.
During everyday life nutrition of varying amounts is needed and along with nutrients we end-up taking huge amounts of calories and fats. Even milk which is considered one of the best foods contains 146 calories and 8 gm of fats in just one glass.
So, taking banana to meet-up nutritional needs accumulates less fat in the body and its easily digestible calorie combined with dietary fiber helps maintain weight. And if coupled with weight-reducing programs than can show great effects in weight management as they stimulate a sense of fullness and reduces excess appetite, a great food for those that always want to eat. 2,3
· Quick Recovery
Banana is full of minerals that are wonderful for the body especially that the one that is tired from work and activity.
Due to this huge mineral deposit, it is believed to be a perfect food for athletes.
Banana is thought to reduce exercise-related cramps and muscle sores but some research suggests that it not true. Still, daily consumption of banana can help with the problem.4
But whether it helps with cramps and sores or not the fact is banana is rich in essential minerals and that can be of great benefit to people who daily workouts.
· Improves Digestive health
For a good digestive system, it is paramount to have a decent portion of fibers daily. Dietary fiber is liked to have many health benefits including improving digestion.
A consumption of 100gm of banana provides 2.6 gm of dietary fiber which is a great amount compared to the daily required amount in the USA is 15 gm. So, eating two banana a day can provide a little more than 1/3rd of the required amount.
And among the fibers a specific one known as resistant starch which is found in greater amount in unripe banana helps in maintaining bacterial flora in the large intestine and ultimately improve digestive health.5
· Prevents Cancer
Cancer a well-known reason for death for many of us whose treatment procedure varies differently for person to person still takes a lot of lives each year.
So, it's always better to prevent it than trying to cure it. A for preventing it banana is thought to be very useful.
A type of fiber found in banana called, Pectin, is thought to play this role. Pectin is found in high volume in the banana that is very ripe and almost on the verge of rotting. Even though it looks bad and ugly but it contains a valuable component for us.6,7
So, taking a moderately ripe banana daily can play a vital role in saving us from a disease that can easily destroy our beautiful life.
· Maintains Blood sugar-
Due to its low calorie and fat content Banana is placed in the lower-middle of the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how fast a food increases blood sugar level.
The average GI of banana is taken to be 51 out of 100. So, taking one or two banana a day does not pose much of a problem for healthy individuals.8
But care should be taken for patients’ type-2 diabetes and they should avoid eating a lot of ripe banana daily.
Still, banana contains a high volume of dietary fiber and this can quickly create a state of fullness and help moderate blood sugar levels. So, banana can be good food for all but specific persons should avoid excess eating.
· Improves Insulin Sensitivity
The main reason behind type-2 Diabetes is the development of insulin resistance and apart from diabetes some of the most serious diseases also stem from this cause.
Research suggests that 15-30 gm of resistant starch can improve the body’s insulin sensitiveness by 30-50% within four weeks.9
And unripe banana contains a huge amount of resistant starch and can prove to be very beneficial for people who are suffering from diabetes or insulin resistance-related disease.
But still, there are some studies out there that don’t agree with this and states that further studies have to be done to know for sure.
Bananas are great for our body and not only do they help improve our health, but they are also a cheap and wonderful snack.
Banana can be incorporated into varieties of food and some recipes also use them as sugar alternatives. And due to having a natural thick protective cover, they are mostly free from pesticides and pollutants.
In one word, Bananas are great food and we should take at least once daily to give our body the nutrients and anti-oxidants it requires. And apart from nutritional facts, they are sweet to eat and very tasty.
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