Banana: The Best Fruit Ever

Bananas are one of the most popular fruits worldwide. Bananas are a tasty and convenient source of some important nutrients. You can eat bananas raw or mixed in your favorite smoothie. You can enjoy your own homemade peanut butter-banana sandwich, banana bread, or banana muffins.

Banana Nutrition Facts

One medium-sized banana (118g) provides 105 calories, 27g of carbohydrates, 14.4g of sugars, 1.3g of protein, 0.4g fat,1.2mg sodium, 3.1g fiber, 14.4g sugars, 1.3g protein, 10.3mg vitamin C and 31.9mg magnesium.

Bananas contain several healthy antioxidants, which are responsible for many of their health benefits. These include dopamine and catechin.

As bananas ripen, some of the resistant starch (fiber) converts to sugar, meaning that a yellow banana with brown spots has more sugar and less fiber than a green banana of the same size.

The glycemic index is used to measure how much a specific food increases your blood sugar levels. The higher the GI, the greater the effect on blood sugar levels. The glycemic index is a tool that’s often used to promote better blood sugar management. Several factors influence the glycemic index of a food, including its nutrient composition, cooking method, ripeness, and the amount of processing it has undergone. The glycemic index can not only help increase your awareness of what you’re putting on your plate but also enhance weight loss, decrease your blood sugar levels, and reduce your cholesterol. The glycemic index for bananas ranges from 48–54.

Asthma

Bananas are known to improve functioning of lungs. Antioxidant and potassium content in bananas make them good for people who have asthma. Eating bananas might help prevent wheezing in children with asthma. Going bananas may help kids breathe easier. Children who ate just one banana a day had a 34% less chance of developing asthmatic symptoms, according to a British research. The Imperial College of London collected dietary information from 2,640 children, ages 5 to 10, and found that banana-eaters were one-third less likely to encounter breathing problems like wheezing.

Banana Lectin

Ripe bananas do have lectins. Lectins are a group of proteins that recognize and bind to carbohydrates without modifying them. They are indeed a promising source for many medicinal applications. Banana lectins have the potential for stimulating macrophage activities. Macrophages are specialized immunity cells involved in the detection, phagocytosis and destruction of bacteria and other harmful organisms.

Heart Health

Bananas contain fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants, such as vitamin C. All of these support heart health. People who follow a high fiber diet have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those on a low fiber diet. Those who consumed more fiber also had lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol.

Potassium

We encourage people to lower their intake of salt, or sodium, and increase their consumption of foods that contain potassium. Bananas are rich in the mineral potassium. Along with potassium, bananas contain some vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and choline.

A medium banana gives you 450 milligrams, which is 13% of what you need every day. This mineral is a big player in heart health. Potassium-rich foods help manage your blood pressure because.

Potassium may lower your risk of stroke, can help keep your bones healthy as you age, helps your muscles work better and can help prevent kidney stones.

Potassium helps fluid levels in the body and regulates the movement of nutrients and waste products in and out of cells. Potassium also helps muscles to contract and nerve cells to respond. It keeps the heart beating regularly and can reduce the effect of sodium on blood pressure.

Diabetes

Diabetes diet should include foods that do not contribute to fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Managing blood sugar is an important part of diabetes management. Diabetics are usually of the opinion that they should not eat fruits as they contain fructose, the natural sugar available in fruits. However, this is anything but true. Most fruits have low glycemic index which do not contribute to fluctuations in blood sugar levels. When consumed in controlled proportions, they can benefit the body in many ways, and this stands true even for diabetics.

Banana is a fruit which is commonly eaten as part of breakfast. Foods rich in carbs are known to result in a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. Banana contains sugar and carbs. But it is rich in fiber and has a low glycemic index. Diabetics can eat banana, but in moderation. A small banana twice or thrice a week is safe diabetics. But, a diabetic should not consume banana daily.

A Gut-Friendly Fruit

Bananas are one of the best foods that help with digestion because the carbohydrates they contain are easily broken down and phytochemicals like potassium. The fruit is gentle enough to be eaten if you are suffering from stomach ailments, like vomiting and diarrhea, and it restores lost electrolytes back into the body.

High-potassium foods such as banana are extremely helpful for many digestive system conditions. Potassium is helpful for nerve function in the digestive tract. The best bananas that help with indigestion are those that are mostly yellow, have some firmness, with small brown dots on the skin.

Bananas are also a rich source of fructooligosaccharides, which act as a probiotic and promote the growth of good bacteria in the digestive tract, which ultimately helps with digestion. They feed beneficial microorganisms there. Bananas have antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties.

Bananas have a soothing effect on the gut thanks to their high content of pectin, a soluble fiber which not only helps lower cholesterol but normalises bowel function. The high fiber content of bananas helps to promote feelings of fullness and appears to reduce bloating.

Bananas have a ‘walk on water’ quality. This means they can move in the intestinal tract without touching the intestinal lining. The chemical compounds in the banana become a film-like shield between the banana and the lining of the intestinal tract. While the nutrients in the banana (and other foods in the gut at the same time) can pass through the shield and absorb into your intestinal lining, as the banana breaks down, it doesn’t rub on the intestinal lining. Its chemical compound coats and soothes the lining like a healing ointment.

Bananas are anti-spasmodic in nature. Because of their anti-spasmodic nature, they can help alleviate cramps caused by gastrointestinal disorders.

Bananas contain water and fiber, both of which promote regularity and encourage digestive health. Bananas are also part of an approach known as the BRAT diet, which some doctors recommend for treating diarrhea. BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Diarrhea can lead to a loss of water and electrolytes, such as potassium. Bananas can replace these nutrients.The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America recommend banana as a snack food in their diet plan.

Bananas are Mood-Boosting Foods

Bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid which the body can’t make it and it must be acquired from food. Tryptophan has various functions, including the regulation of mood, appetite, muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions including memory and learning. Tryptophan is the only substance that can be converted into Serotonin. Serotonin is a brain neurotransmitter: a chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Serotonin is considered a hormone of happiness.

Tryptophan deficiency can lead to lower serotonin levels. This can result in mood disorders. The lowered mood is one of the major symptoms of depression, an affective disorder which is the leading cause of disability worldwide, affecting approximately 20% of the world’s population.

Serotonin is a key player in mood, anxiety, fear, and a general sense of well-being. Serotonin is a key to our feelings of happiness and very important for our emotions because it helps defend against both anxiety and depression.