Top Benefits Of Eating Deliciously Ripe Bananas
Top Benefits Of Eating Deliciously Ripe Bananas
Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world. They are very healthy and can be added to any diet, even to weight loss or low-carb diets.
The dessert banana is the most cultivated one. They belong to the ‘Cavendish' group and can be eaten raw. A banana is an elongated edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several herbaceous plants.
The fruit is variable in size, colour, and firmness. In some countries, the cooking version is called ‘plantains.'
- Family: Musaceae
- Genus: Musa
- Order: Zingiberales
- Kingdom: Plantae
History Of The Banana
The banana was not always yellow. It probably started as a smaller, browner fruit around 8,000 BC. Then, it was grown only in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea.
- Farmers took the early species of the banana, like the Musa Acuminata and the
- Musa balbisiana and crossbred them to a more sustainable fruit with fewer seeds.
- In the 15th century, Portuguese ships transported banana plants across the ocean and introduced them to Latin America and the Caribbean. That's where people planted them.
- Now, over 80% of all exports come from these regions.
- The legendary Cavendish banana had not caught on just yet. The softer, creamier variety of Gros Michel was trendy. This species was virtually extinct in the 1960s by an invasive and incurable fungus. That's when ‘The Cavendish, Gros Michel's cousin, became more popular, especially since it was successfully grown in the same soil as the extinct ‘Gros Michel.'
Benefits Of Eating Bananas
There are many benefits of eating this delicious fruit.
The Banana Is One of The Best Sources Of Vitamin B6
Our bodies easily absorb vitamin B6 in the banana, and it helps us to:
- Produce red blood cells
- Metabolize amino acids
- Metabolize fats and carbohydrates
- Remove unwanted chemicals from the liver and kidneys
- Maintain a healthy nervous system
This Delicious Sweet Fruit Is A Good Source Of Vitamin C
Bananas contain quite a substantial amount of Vitamin C. This vitamin is essential for our bodies:
- Protect against cell and tissue damage.
- To absorb iron better.
- To produce collagen, which holds the body, bones & skin together
- To help the brain by producing serotonin
Bananas Contain Dietary Fibre And Manganese
Dietary fibre from raw fruit is good for our digestive health and regular bowel movement. It also helps you feel full longer and can improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels, preventing diseases like bowel cancer, heart disease & diabetes.
Manganese plays a significant role in the metabolism of nutrients.
Bananas Are Nearly Fat-Free
100 g of this fruit only contains 0.3 g of fat:
- Saturated fat 0.1 g
- Polyunsaturated fat 0.1 g
- Monounsaturated fat less than 0.1 g
Bananas Are Cholesterol-Free
100 g bananas contain 0 mg cholesterol
Bananas Contain Tiny Traces Of Sodium
100 g bananas contain 1 mg of sodium
Manganese
100 g of bananas contain 0.32 mg of manganese. This mineral plays a variety of roles, such as:
- It aids the metabolism.
- Manganese helps regulate blood sugar.
- This mineral contributes to decreased inflammation.
- It reduces premenstrual cramps.
- It is essential for bone health.
- It lowers the incidence of epileptic seizures.
- Manganese also contributes to good thyroid health.
Bananas Contain Small Amounts Of Potassium
Potassium has some excellent health benefits:
- It is a mineral which is highly important for heart health.
- Potassium helps manage blood pressure by supporting your body with detox and removing some sodium.
- This mineral relaxes the walls of our blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
- It may reduce the risk of strokes.
- Potassium can help keep your bones healthy until a high age.
- It is essential for bodybuilding; potassium makes your muscles work better.
Bananas Can Aid Digestion And Help With Gastrointestinal Health
- This fruit contains prebiotics, which are food for the probiotics
- Bananas help people take antibiotics, replacing the removed or damaged probiotics.
- It reduces allergy symptoms
- It heals yeast & urinary infections
- Bananas lessen lactose intolerance
- A banana eases irritable bowel syndrome
Bananas Are One Of The Best Foods To Give You Energy!
They are an excellent source of carbohydrates, potassium & vitamin B6, all of which boost energy levels in our bodies. Energy is essential in our busy lives.
How Do You Keep Bananas Fresh?
- This is how you buy organic bananas in grocery stores. You cover the stems of bananas with plastic wrap (see image)
- It is important to recover the bunch after eating one of them.
- My favourite version is to separate the bananas into single fruit and then wrap its stem. This slows down the ripening even more.
- You can also cut them into slices and sprinkle them with lemon or lime juice.
Little-Known Facts About Bananas
There are some fascinating facts about this exciting fruit which I didn't know myself:
- The banana is “botanically” a berry, not a fruit.
- The plants they grow on are not trees. The trunk is a pseudostem, which is all that supports the plant.
- The banana “tree” is the largest herbaceous flowering plant.
- 99% of bananas we eat today are cloned from one original plant because the most popular banana, Cavendish, cannot reproduce independently.
- You can use the inside of the peel to soothe itching from bug bites and poison ivy.
- There is an International Banana Museum in Mecca, California. It holds the Guinness world record for the most extensive collection of one fruit, with over 20,000 items related to bananas.
Delicious Vegan Banana Recipes
1. Healthy Vegan Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 55 minutes | Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes | Servings: 8-10 slices
Dry Ingredients
- Spelt flour: 1¾ cups (210g)
- Organic can sugar or maple syrup: ⅓ cup (75g)
- Baking powder: 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda: 1 teaspoon
- Sea salt: ¼ teaspoon or to taste (we use Celtic sea salt)
Wet Ingredients
- Extra ripe bananas: 3 large, mashed
- Avocado oil: ⅓ cup (75ml)
- Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon
- Almond milk: ¼ cup (56ml)
Optional Ingredients
- Walnuts: ½ – ⅔ cups, finely chopped
- Vegan chocolate chips: ¼ – ½ cups
- Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease your loaf pan. You can also use parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients, such as flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
- Set aside.
- Mash the bananas in another bowl.
- Mix the mashed bananas and the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine them.
- Add almond milk if the mixture is too thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes. Then, use a toothpick to test if the banana bread is done.
- Remove the banana bread from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
As you can see, bananas are a trendy fruit. Each year, humans worldwide consume an estimated 100,000 billion bananas.
The average American eats 27 lbs a year! They have many benefits for your health, body, and brain. The most popular one exported today is the Cavendish. There are some interesting facts about the plant.
It is a herbaceous species, and the banana is botanically a berry. There are many benefits to eating bananas regularly. I am on a raw fruit diet and eat 8 – 12 bananas weekly.
I trust you enjoyed this blog post about the Top Benefits Of Eating Deliciously Ripe Bananas. Please stay tuned. More blog posts will be posted soon. Take care!
JeannetteZ
Would you like to grow your own bananas? However, do you only have a small garden area? Please click here to read my blog about Follow 10 Steps To Grow Banana Trees In Containers. You can find many more ideas on container gardening on my close-to-nature.org website.
>>>Want To Learn How To Create Delicious, Cruelty-Free, Healthy AND 100% Vegan Meals? Try These Awesome Vegan Cooking Courses With A Free 7-DAY MEMBERSHIP<<<
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Do you have thoughts, ideas, or questions? I would love to hear from you. Please leave me your questions, experiences and remarks about the Top Benefits Of Eating Deliciously Ripe Bananas in the comments section below. You can also reach me by email at Jeannette@LivingTheVeganLifestyle.org.
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Here are links to some of my favourite articles:
7 Best Vegan Banana Recipes For Your Kids
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Benefits Of Eating Melons – A Delicious And Healthy Fruit
Living The Vegan Lifestyle – A Guide
