The theory of Human Evolution from apes goes back to the mid-nineteenth century. Today when we look at monkeys and humans, there are various similarities. The significant difference we can see is the energy level of humans and monkeys. Monkeys are considered to be one of the naughtiest animals. With human evolution, various techniques are invented, new foods are created, and our lives are entirely different from what our ancestors used to live. We live a life of luxury. And this luxury makes us shift from natural to artificial pleasures. Also, with so many advancements, we are consuming more synthetic food than natural. But the apes are still following the natural diet. And clearly, we can see the difference in the health and strength of both. Do you know what the monkeys love eating? Bananas!
With so much going on around the world, when things are getting worse, people realise the importance of good health and are becoming fitness freaks while taking synthetic dietary supplements. These supplements help achieve our fitness goals at a fast pace but can negatively influence our health in the long run. Also, someone rightly said, ‘Health is not about the weight you lose, but the life you gain’. Instead of chasing a weight loss or gain goal, let’s become fit. The easiest thing to start your fat to fit journey is to grab and eat the nearest banana you can find. Let’s see why.
Belonging to the Musaceae family, Bananas are scientifically called Musa. These are tropical flowering plants, clearly visible by the banana fruits clustered at the top of the plant. Even though bananas hold some negative attention, in the early 20th century, they became the first “superfood” stated by the American Medical Association as a health food for children and treatment of celiac disease.
Bananas are highly nutritious. They are a source of Vitamin B6, Fiber, Potassium, Magnesium, Vitamin C and Manganese. One medium ripe banana can give you about 28g carbohydrates, 1g protein, 15g naturally occurring sugar, 3g fiber, 450mg potassium, 0g fat, and 89 calories.
Carbs: Bananas are rich in carbohydrates, mainly as starch in unripe bananas and change to sugar as the banana ripens. During the ripening, the composition of the banana changes drastically. In unripe green bananas, the starch content is about 80% of dry weight, which changes to sugar, and so the ripe bananas contain only 1% starch. The sugar in ripe bananas is mainly sucrose, fructose and glucose and is about 16% of fresh weight. The GI (Glycemic Index), which measures how quickly the starch in bananas enters the bloodstream and raises the blood sugar level, is relatively low, around 42-58, which depends on the ripeness of the banana.
Fibers: The highly found starch in bananas is “resistant starch”, which goes through the gut undigested. This starch acts like fiber. In the large intestine, it changes to butyrate by the healthy microbes by fermentation. Butyrate is a type of short-chain fatty acid that helps in better gut health. Bananas also contain other fibers such as pectin. Some of the pectin in bananas is water-soluble, which increases with the ripening and is the reason for bananas’ softening.
Vitamins and Minerals
- Potassium: A rich source of potassium, bananas help lower blood pressure and aid for a healthy heart.
- Vitamin B6: With a significant content of vitamin B6, a medium sized-banana can help you achieve up to 33% of the daily value (DV) of the vitamin.
- Vitamin C: Although mainly found in citrus fruits, bananas are also a good source of vitamin C.
Like most fruits and vegetables, bananas also contain various bioactive plant compounds as a plant product.
- Dopamine: Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter in the brain. The dopamine from bananas does not mess with the blood-brain barrier to feel good but acts as an antioxidant.
- Catechin: Among the many antioxidant flavonoids found in Bananas, Catechin is the major one. It is beneficial to our health and reduces the risk of a heart attack.
Bananas are the most commonly consumed fruit globally. Some of the fantastic perks of this superfood on your health are:
Cardiovascular health: Bananas are rich in potassium. Potassium is a vital mineral and an electrolyte that carries a small charge in our body. The nerve cells send out signals to the heart to beat regularly. Potassium also helps maintain a healthy balance of water in cells and reduces the effects of excess dietary sodium. An imbalance with little potassium and high sodium can lead to high blood pressure. Extra sodium can cause blood clotting and damage. Potassium helps flush out the excess sodium through urine and eases tension in the blood vessels. Rich in potassium and fiber and low sodium content, bananas are vital in heart-healthy diets like DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) that require around 4,700mg potassium daily in your diet.
Digestive health: Diarrhoea patients and patients with other stomach ailments that required bland, easy to digest food were once recommended the BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet. With being easy to eat, bananas also help replete electrolytes like potassium lost through vomiting or diarrhoea. They also contain resistant starch that helps heal your gut. Resistant starch is present in unripe bananas and is called so because it “resists” digestion in the small intestine. Many chronic diseases, including digestive disorders, can be prevented by eating unripe bananas because this starch is the food for the beneficial microbes in the digestive tract, which help break and ferment the starch as it passes into the small intestine.
Weight Control: The notion that bananas cause weight gain has no evidence. No studies claim that bananas cause weight loss, but it has various properties that can contribute to weight loss. Bananas are rich in fiber, and high fiber foods are associated with low weight. Moreover, recent studies have found that resistant starch can be a weight-loss-friendly ingredient. It increases fullness, reduces appetite and helps in consuming fewer calories. In various studies, higher consumption of pears, apples and berries showed lower weight gain through time, but bananas also showed the same. So have the tasty, easy, on-the-go fruit on the way to your office or gym, and you can be worry-free about the myths you have heard.
Storing the “Superfood”: There are some elementary steps to have your bananas with the best taste at the right time.
- Do not store it in direct sunlight. Also, you don’t need any unique storage device or technique (not even a refrigerator!); just store them at room temperature.
- Refrigerating green unripe bananas can disrupt the normal ripening and affect the taste.
- If you find fresh ripe bananas but want to eat them the next day, you can increase the ripening process by keeping them in a brown paper bag with other ripe fruits because they emit ethylene gas that promotes ripening. Also, if you wish to slow the ripening process, store them away from other ripe fruits. Using plastic bags may cause rotting.
- Do not use plastic bags to store bananas as it traps excess moisture, making the banana rot early.
- The bananas in the tree ripen gradually, which is promoted by the clustering at the top and preventing excess pressure and moisture from collecting at the bottom by exposing the fruits to even amounts of oxygen.
- When you are only getting ripe bananas in the market, don’t worry, they can also be easily stored in the refrigerator. The flavor of golden yellow bananas can be preserved for a week by storing them in a sealed produce drawer. Even though the peel may turn brown, the banana inside will be okay.
- If you have ripened bananas that have the peel turned all brown, you can still use them. Peel and mash the bananas to use in bakery foods or freeze them to use in smoothies.
There have been several rumors surrounding bananas and their effect on human health and weight. One of the rumors is that people with type II diabetes can eat bananas or not? How will it affect them? But, you can be relieved that there is no scientific evidence to show so. Naturally, bananas are expected to immediately raise the blood sugar level with the high amount of starch and sugar. But, due to their low GI, bananas do not raise the blood sugar level as much as other foods with the same carb content. Although, it is suggested that people with type II diabetes avoid very ripened bananas in large quantities and keep their blood sugar level in check. On a different note, some studies suggest that bananas can cause constipation, while some state the opposite. If taken in moderate amounts, bananas cause no adverse effect on our health and can even boost our health naturally.
Consuming Bananas: Consuming bananas is the easiest and a delicious way to start a healthy journey today. Bananas have a naturally sweet taste, are soft and thus tasty and easy to eat. Bananas cause no trouble in eating as they require no cutting, washing or any processing to eat. Just peel and eat!
The best time to have a banana is in the morning. Remember not to have one on an empty stomach, as the high amount of magnesium and potassium in bananas can cause an imbalance in the blood. If you pair a banana with some other fruit or oatmeal in the morning, it can wonder for your weight loss journey.
Bananas can be used in many exciting recipes to make the food healthy and tasty. Some of the recipes you can easily make at home are:
- Banana Oatmeal Cookies: Add some banana to your regular oatmeal cookie recipe, and a fun and exciting breakfast is ready.
- Smoothie: Fresh ripe bananas can be added for a better and fresher taste in the morning or on-the-go smoothie. We can also use frozen banana pulp made to store ripe bananas.
- Banana Chutney: Cut your banana into small pieces, add some salt, a bit of sugar and lemon. Mix and store for half an hour in the refrigerator. A delicious healthy snack is ready.
- Banana Chips: Very easy to make with the unripe bananas; these are a healthy alternative to potato chips.
- Banana Bread: A freshly baked bread tastes so much better than the packed ones, and when you add some banana, you will have a yummy yet nutritious start to your day.
With the incredible nutritional benefits and ease of storing and consuming, bananas are a blessing. You can have them in your breakfast, lunch or dinner, or as a snack in between meals. You can use them in numerous recipes and make the food healthy and tasty. But, remember not to have excess, as ‘too much of anything is dangerous.
The peel of the bananas is also a very useful thing. Due to the high potassium and magnesium content in bananas, the peel makes very fertile manure. Rubbing the banana peel on your face can remove marks and make your skin glow up. Some cuisines have delicious banana peel dishes too.
One food and these many health benefits. Since childhood, we have been eating bananas, but have you ever thought that the ordinary, yellow, petite, long fruit has so much to give you. Now that we know it, why delay? We see the survival of the fittest trend, so let’s begin our fat to fit journey today. As said, ‘Your body is the reflection of your lifestyle’, let’s have a lifestyle close to nature and natural nutrition supplements. Let’s start by eating a banana! Next time someone offers you a banana, you know what to do. Do not say ‘No’ and enjoy the taste of the superfood with the numerous benefits it’s bringing with it. Say hi to a happy gut and heart with a banana.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As popularly said, does eating bananas increase weight?
There is no scientific evidence that bananas increase your body weight. The calories you get from a banana are much lower than other carb-rich food. Bananas have 0% fat and are rich in fiber, which can help reduce weight.
Can people with diabetes eat bananas?
Yes. You just need your blood sugar level in check. As long as taken in moderate quantities, bananas have no adverse effects on health. Even with high starch and sugar content, bananas do not raise the blood sugar level due to their low GI. It is recommended for people with diabetes to avoid eating very ripened bananas in large quantities.
Do bananas cause constipation?
Some studies support this notion, while others state the exact opposite. If you are not consuming bananas in excess, it will not cause you any harm and will make your gut happy too.
How to decide if the banana is good to eat?
Bananas can be used at all the fruit stages, from unripe to fully ripe. A green banana is unripe and has the highest starch content, while an entirely brown banana is rotten as the starch changes to sugar. The best banana to eat raw would be a golden-yellow banana.
How many bananas a day are healthy?
Bananas are highly nutritious and low on calories. There is no fixed number that is considered healthy. The amount of bananas you can eat depends on your calorie and nutritional needs. Mix the bananas with other nutritious foods to fulfil the requirements. Although, one to two bananas a day are considered moderate for an average healthy person. Excess banana intake can turn detrimental.
Where to get bananas from?
Bananas are the most commonly eaten fruit in the world. You can purchase bananas from any fruit vendor near you. The color of the banana can estimate the health of the banana. Unripe bananas are green, change to golden yellow, which is the best stage to eat them raw, then brown spots occur on the outer peel, and the banana is rotten when it’s brown-black.
What is the best time to eat bananas?
You can eat a banana any time of the day. Its effects will be best seen when you eat them in the morning. Although eating a banana on an empty stomach is not recommended. You can have other nutritional fruits/vegetables or oatmeal with them.
Where are the most bananas grown in the World?
The city of Machala in southwest Ecuador is the banana capital of the world. But India is the top Banana producing country in the world. In 2020, India produced 31.5 million tonnes of bananas which is 26.43% of the world’s banana production.
What is the effect of Bananas on Human health?
Bananas are highly nutritious fruits and low on calories. Bananas can be beneficial to the human body in many ways. Bananas contain potassium which is an essential nutrient and an electrolyte that carries charge to the heart and makes it pump regularly. Bananas help in reducing blood pressure and keeping your heart healthy. Bananas are also the gut’s happy food. Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which resists digestion in the stomach and mixes with the good microbes in the large intestine. Fermentation forms short-chain fatty acids that help keep the gut healthy and maintain digestion. Bananas can also help you in your weight loss journey. Bananas are high in fiber and low on calories—mix bananas with other nutritious fruits/vegetables. The fiber in the banana gives you the feeling of a full stomach, thereby reducing calorie intake.
Can banana peels be used?
There are delicacies in some cuisines that are made from banana peels. Also, bananas are rich in potassium and magnesium. These nutrients are highly beneficial for the soil, and thus banana peels make excellent manure. Banana peels are also used in various skin treatments. Rubbing a banana peel on your face regularly can help reduce spots on the skin and make your skin glow.
Can women in pregnancy eat bananas?
Yes! Bananas help remedy morning sickness for pregnant women. Bananas are also a great source of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber. It can also help with constipation, a big problem with pregnancy. The National Institutes of Health recommends eating three to four servings of bananas per day for pregnant women.
Can breastfeeding mothers eat bananas?
Yes! Bananas are highly nutritious. Bananas are rich in fiber, which helps with hunger pangs in breastfeeding mothers by giving them the feeling of a full stomach. Bananas are a rich source of potassium, allowing nursing moms to maintain the fluid and electrolyte levels that improve breast milk flow.
Can infants be given bananas?
Bananas are considered to be great first food for your child. And there is not one but many benefits of it. A baby can eat bananas as soon as it starts having food. Bananas are soft and mushy and very easy to eat for an infant. Bananas are highly nutritious. Bananas are easy to digest. You can easily mix bananas with the food, cereal, milk your baby already eats. It can act as a natural sweetener. Or you can just mash the banana and feed your baby.
How long can bananas be stored?
The storage life of bananas depends on the stage when they are detached from the tree. The unripe green bananas can be stored for a few weeks, while we can store the golden yellow ripe bananas for a few days before starting to overripe and then rotten. The overripe bananas can be mashed and used in bakery food or frozen and used in smoothies. The ripening speed of the bananas can be controlled to some extent by storing them properly. If you want the bananas to ripen early, keep them in a brown paper bag with other ripe bananas or fruits. The ripe fruits emit ethylene gas which promotes ripening. On the contrary, if you want to delay the ripening process, keep the bananas away from other ripe fruits. The flavour of the golden yellow bananas can be preserved for a week by storing them in a refrigerator in a sealed produce drawer. The peel may turn brown, but the banana will be preserved.
