Bananas may be one of the best fruits to eat when attempting to lose weight. They are full of nutrients for increased energy and vitality. Bananas are also low in calories and fat, plus they have a high water content and potassium levels.
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. 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. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.
Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotonin and also helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood. Vitamin B6 is also essential for antibody production and to maintain a healthy immune response. It also helps to convert carbohydrates to glucose and thereby maintains proper blood sugar levels. A medium banana can take care of 1/5th of your daily recommended intake of vitamin B6 and is one of the easiest ways to increase your dietary intake of the vitamin.
It is important to note that the real banana tree is actually a fruit that must be cooked before eating, has a green, red or brown color and has seeds: it is today the staple food of many african populations and is different from the bananas we are used to eat. The original banana is a cultivar used as a food (cooked or ground to make banana flour) and a a source of fibre. Banana leaves are also used to transport food or as umbrellas (since they are large and waterproof).
To keep your bananas fresh, you should keep them out at room temperature. If you are waiting for green bananas to ripen you can speed up the process by putting them in a brown paper bag at room temperature. If bananas are not to your liking, you can mash them up and add them to a variety of recipes from meatloaf to casseroles, the taste of the dish will be slightly sweetened but without the direct taste of the banana. So buy a bunch today and help to save your life!
Banana is good a good source of potassium. If you are taking diuretics take 2 bananas a day to prevent the depletion of potassium in the body.
Banana is good for people who have high blood pressure because it is low in salt.
Banana are of great value in constipation and diarrhea as they normalize colonic functions in the large intestine to absorb large amounts of water for proper bowel moments. Their usefulness in constipation is due to their richness in pectin, which is water-absorbent and this gives them a bulk producing ability. They also possess the ability to change the bacteria in the intestines - from the harmful type of bacilli to the beneficial acidophilus bacilli.
Vitamins and minerals are abundant in the banana, offering 123 I.U. of vitamin A for the large size. A full range of B vitamins are present with .07 mg of Thiamine, .15 mg of Riboflavin, .82 mg Niacin, .88 mg vitamin B6, and 29 mcg of Folic Acid. There are even 13.8 mg of vitamin C. On the mineral scale Calcium counts in at 9.2 mg, Magnesium 44.1 mg, with trace amounts of iron and zinc.