Bananas Have Many Health Benefits
Bananas are a very popular fruit. They are rich in essential nutrients that can protect your health.
Bananas may lower blood pressure, and reduce your risk of developing cancer.
This article will discuss the health benefits of bananas. It includes regularity and improving heart health. This article also discusses possible health risks associated with bananas as a result of the association doctors have made.
Bananas are very healthy and delicious.
They are rich in essential nutrients that can help you lose weight, improve your heart health, and digest food.
Bananas not only are rich in Vitamins, fibre, and fat-free but also have no Cholesterol.
They are a great snack food that is also very nutritious.
What good things can a banana contain? Bananas are rich in vitamin A6 and dietary fiber. These are important for your health.
Here are 11 Health Benefits that Bananas have.
1. Bananas Contain Many Important Nutrients:
Bananas are one of the most loved fruits in the world.
They are native to Southeast Asia and can now be grown in other warm regions of the globe.
Bananas come in a variety of colours, sizes and shapes.
Cavendish is a dessert banana and is the most popular type. It is green when it is unripe but yellows as it matures.
Bananas are rich in fiber and antioxidants. A medium-sized banana (118g) contains the following: (1 2 and 3 Trusted Source).
- Potassium 9% RDI
- Vitamin A6: 33% RDI
- Vitamin A: 11% RDI
- Magnesium 8% RDI
- Copper: 10% RDI
- Manganese 14% RDI
- Net carbs 24g
- Fiber: 3.0 grams
- Protein: 1.3 grams
- Fat 0.4 Grams
A banana contains only 105 calories, and almost all of its calories are water and carbs. Bananas contain very little protein and almost no fat.
Green, unripe bananas contain a lot of starch and resistant starch. However, as the banana ripens, starch becomes sugar (glucose, fructose & sucrose).
2. Bananas contain Nutrients that Moderate Blood Sugar Levels:
Pectin is a fiber found in bananas that gives the flesh its soft structure (4 Source).
Unripe bananas are rich in resistant starch which acts as soluble fiber and escapes from digestion.
Pectin and resistant Starch can moderate blood sugar after meals and decrease appetite (5, 6, and 7 Trusted Source).
Bananas are also low to medium in the Glycemic Index (GI). This is a measure of how foods raise blood sugar levels.
Unripe bananas have a GI value of about 30 while ripe bananas are at 60. All bananas have a GI value of 51 (8, 9 Trusted Source).
Healthy individuals should not experience major spikes in blood sugar.
This may not be true for people with type 2 Diabetes. They should avoid eating large quantities of well-ripened bananas and closely monitor their blood sugar if they do.
3. Bananas May Improve Digestive Health:
Many health benefits have been linked to dietary fiber, including better digestion.
A medium-sized banana contains about 3g of fiber. ( 10 Trusted Source).
Two main types of fiber are found in bananas:
- Pectin Decreases the banana’s ripening.
- Resistant starch found: in unripe bananas.
Resistant starch escapes digestion, and it ends up in your large intestine where it becomes food for beneficial bacteria ( 11 12, 13 TrustedSource).
Some test-tube studies also suggest that pectin may protect against colon cancer ( 14, 15 Trusted Source).
4. Bananas May Aid Weight Loss:
There has not been a study that directly examined the effect of bananas on weight reduction. However, bananas do have several attributes that should make them a weight-loss-friendly food.
Bananas are low in calories, for one. A banana averages just over 100 calories, but it’s very nutritious and filling.
Increasing your intake of fiber from fruits and vegetables like bananas has been shown to lead to weight loss and lower body weight ( 16, 17, 18 Trusted Source).
Unripe bananas contain resistant starch so they can be very filling & reduce appetite. ( 19 and 20 Trusted Source).
5. Bananas May Support Heart Health:
Potassium, a mineral essential for heart health and blood pressure control, is also important.
It is vital, but few people have enough potassium ( 21 Source).
Bananas are an excellent source of potassium. A medium-sized banana (118g) has 9% of the RDI.
Potassium-rich diets can lower blood pressure. People who eat a lot of potassium may have a 27% lower chance of developing heart disease. 22 25 Trusted Source
Bananas also contain magnesium, which is important for heart health ( 26, 27 TrustedSource).
6. Bananas Contain Powerful Antioxidants:
Bananas and other fruits and vegetables are great sources of dietary antioxidants.
There are many types of potent antioxidants in them, including catechins and dopamine.
These antioxidants have many health benefits such as a lower risk of developing heart disease or other degenerative diseases ( 28 and 29 TrustedSource).
It is common to believe that bananas’ dopamine acts as a feeling-good chemical in the brain.
Dopamine from bananas doesn’t cross the blood-brain border. It acts only as an antioxidant and not as a mood-altering Harmones ( 30 Trusted source).
7. Bananas May Help You Feel More Full:
Resistant starch, a type of indigestible carb found in unripe bananas or other foods, functions in the same way as the soluble fiber in your body.
As a general rule, it is possible to estimate that the greener a banana is, the higher its resistance starch content ( 41 Source).
Yellow, ripe bananas, on the other hand, contain less resistant starch and total fibre, but more soluble fiber.
Both resistant starch and pectin have appetite-reducing properties and can increase hunger after meals ( 32 33 and 34 TrustedSource).
8. Unripe Bananas May Improve Insulin Sensitivity:
Insulin resistance is a significant risk factor for many of our most severe diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Numerous studies have shown that insulin sensitivity can be improved by as little as 15 to 30 grams of resistant starch daily ( 35, 36 Trusted Source).
Unripe bananas can be a good source of resistant starch. They may also improve insulin sensitivity.
The reason for these effects are not fully understood and not all studies agree ( 37 Trusted source).
Bananas and insulin sensitivity should be studied more.
9. Bananas May Improve Kidney Health:
Potassium is vital for healthy kidney function and blood pressure control.
Bananas are a great source of potassium and may help maintain healthy kidneys.
A 13-year study of women found that people who ate bananas 2-3x per week had a 33% lower risk of developing kidney disease ( 38 Trusted source).
Another study found that people who eat bananas at least four times per week are nearly half as likely to get kidney disease ( 39 Trusted source).
10. Bananas May Have Benefits For Exercise:
Bananas are often considered the ideal food for athletes due to their high mineral content and easy digestion.
Bananas can help relieve exercise-related muscle cramps, soreness and pain. This is according to 40 Trusted Source.
Although the cause of cramps is not known, it is believed that a combination of electrolyte imbalance and dehydration may be to blame ( 41 42, 43 Trusted Source).
Research has mixed results on bananas and muscle cramps. Some studies show that they are helpful while others do not ( 44 TrustedSource).
However, bananas are a great source of nutrition for endurance training ( 45 TrustedSource).
11. It’s Easy to Add Bananas to Your Diet:
Bananas are not only healthy, but they’re also one of the easiest snack foods.
Bananas are great for smoothies, yogurt, and cereal. Bananas can be used in baking and cooking to replace sugar.
Bananas are also free of pesticides and pollutants because of their thick protective skin.
Bananas can be transported and eaten quickly. Bananas are generally well-tolerated, easily digested, and can be eaten as is.
It’s not difficult to do.
Bananas in the Diet:
Bananas can be bought year-round. Bananas continue to ripen even after being picked, unlike other fruits.
At room temperature, bananas will continue to ripen. Bananas can be kept in a paper bag to speed up their ripening.
Refrigerated bananas will ripen slower. While the banana’s outer skin will darken when it is stored in the refrigerator, the banana itself will remain intact for longer.
Eating Tips & Serving:
Here are some ways to use bananas.
- A sliced banana can be added to your breakfast cereal or oatmeal for a healthier breakfast.
- Use mashed bananas to replace butter and oil in baked goods.
- Mashed bananas can be added to muffins, cookies, cakes, or other baked goods for a naturally sweet taste.
- Bananas can be added to smoothies.
- A banana is a healthy, portable snack that you can take to school or work.
Summary:
Bananas are a very popular fruit and they contain important nutrients that keep you healthy.
It is important to note that although bananas have many nutrients that can improve health and prevent disease, they may not have the same effect on everyone.
A diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables can provide essential nutrients that can keep you healthy.
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