The truth about bananas

Are Bananas good for you????  Aren’t they fattening and high sugar?

The 3 common questions I get asked??

If bananas are for monkeys, I would be happy to be a monkey. 
This fruit is in fact one of the most popular fruits in the world. Delicious, affordable, convenient and can be used in many ways other than a fruit. Are there any downsides to this fruit other than slipping on the peel ? Keep on reading….

Bananas are packed full of the nutrients. High in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and magnesium. A good source of fiber, resistant starch and they are a low fodmap fruit….so that means a gut friendly fruit. It also has a special something that helps us with our mood…good mood…..

An average medium-sized banana has 105 calories, so a definite well caloric fruit, putting this into perspective, a choc lindt ball has close to 100cal, so the better investment is by far the banana. At 3grams of fiber, 0 grams of fat and 27grams  of carb,  this fruit has a lot of punch.

Vitamin C: 13% of the Daily Value (DV), Vitamin B6: 22% of the DV, Potassium: 12% of the DV, Manganese: 16% of the DV, Magnesium: 8% of the DV

An average banana will have 14 grams of sugar, natural sugars and before you question if it has a lot of sugars,  I say this “ who do you know that is overweight or obese because they eat fruit, the answer is no one!!!! Fruit sugars are natural, have fiber and contain watare bound up in fibrous cell walls and contain water, so the don’t impact us the way processed sugars do.

1. Heart Health – the good news –

By eating potassium-rich foods —AKA banana!! it can help maintain your blood pressure at healthy levels. Potassium may also protect blood vessels from thickening and becoming damaged from atherosclerosis. 
Not to mention they are rich in magnesium, and it may actually be that magnesium deficiency correlates with high blood pressure and high levels of blood fats, for example.
Banana has a striking antioxidant even greater than glutothione, and that is dopamine.

2. Sleep and mood…. How can we say no to this?

Research suggests that a diet rich in potassium-containing foods (like bananas) may help you sleep better. A 2018 who had less potassium in their blood experienced sleep patterns that were more disturbed and less restful.!1)

Bananas also contain tryptophan an amino acid that converts to serotonin, a happy hormone.

This fruit is also abundant in magnesium and vitamin B6, which can both aid in calming your mind and promoting restful sleep. Between the potassium, magnesium, tryptophan, melatonin, and B6 in bananas, there’s good reason to believe they can help you enjoy a good night’s sleep.

3. May promote healthy digestion

Bananas contain two main types of fiber: pectin and resistant starch. While starch is most concentrated in greenish and unripe bananas, pectin increases as bananas ripen. Some research indicates  that pectin may be protective when it comes to colon cancer, and that resistant starch helps to feed the “good” bacteria in your gut.(2)

4. May help support healthy weight loss and maintenance.

I always wonder why people think bananas are “fattening” on the contrary, they actually offer characteristics to support a healthy weight …. Weighing in at only 100cal and having a high fibre content keeping you feeling fuller for longer in between meals will help you prevent overeating. Keeping your appetite at bay will give you the winning edge. .

Are there downsides??? 

Just ONE….that you can slip on a banana peel and hurt yourself!!!No no that is a lie, while bananas have a lot of potential benefits to offer, when it comes to health “are bananas always good fro you”. SOME people experience headaches after eating a lot of bananas which may be related to a compound called tyramine, in those people who already suffer with headaches and migraines. Extreme overconsumption of this fruit may also lead to excessive blood potassium levels….but thats with a lot of bananas in one sitting… this likely isn’t a major concern for you.

How to store a already self packed fruit

• cut and freeze them in an airtight bag for later use in smoothies or desserts like homemade ice cream. (They are the bomb in out HEG smoothies to be perfectly honest)
• I bet you didnt know this….. Bananas release ethylene gas, which makes other frui ripen more quickly. Keep them away from other fruit unless you’re in a hurry to ripen them. To slow bananas from ripening, you can place them in a preserving box or bag
• To speed the ripening of bananas, place them in a paper bag.
• you might not want to put bananas in the fridge or expose them to cold, because cold breaks down the cell walls of a banana’s peel, and turns them black.
• If you’ve already peeled your bananas and need to store them in the fridge, dip them in lemon juice to help preserve them longer and keep them from browning.

Did you know that you can actually eat bananas in their entirety — including the peel?

As it turns out, the banana peel is rich in nutrients like potassium, fiber, essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fats, and antioxidants. But keep in mind that many commercial bananas are contaminated with large amounts of pesticides, so if you plan to eat banana peel, this is a very good reason to make sure it’s organic.

Here are some fun and different ways to eat bananas that can be enjoyable for the whole family:

• Our famous banana cookies
• Our ice cream
• Our banana loaf
• Our smoothies
• Our pancakes

Jump on our website / subscribe and enjoy some of our recipes…..

The Bottom LineAs with all things, listen to your own body.  One or two bananas daily is fine for your potassium levels.
And if bananas give you headaches, you might want to cut down or eliminate them from your diet.