Bananas Are Good Food!

I’m sure you’ve seen those ads like this…
Weeping Banana

…that appear or pop up (annoyingly) when you pull up a recipe or just about any resource regarding health, diet, or nutrition on the Internet. For some reason – and I haven’t yet found one that makes any sense even though I’ve sure been duped into believing temporarily that bananas just might be an unhealthy food – bananas have been given an unfairly deserved bad rap. Having said that, though, bananas are one of the most consumed foods in the world and, in the U.S., are eaten more than apples and oranges combined. That alone is a good sign that common sense does sometimes – very appropriately – rule the day.

Regarding nutrition (see the bottom of this article for a nutrition table), a medium sized banana (about 7 inches long) provides about 110 calories, almost no fat, no cholesterol, and virtually no sodium (1 mg). Bananas are relatively rich in fiber with 3 grams per serving. The recommended daily fiber intake is about 25 grams for women and almost 40 grams. According to the available research, most people in the United States take in about half the daily recommended amount of fiber. Fiber improves digestion and helps you feel full longer. Just as a point of perspective, our ancestors ate many more times the fiber per day than we do. Just look at the difference in their body shape compared to the way we look today to get an idea of the benefits of taking in more fiber.

Bananas are also rich in potassium. I saw a terrifically concise piece on potassium in a recent Medical News Today article online (link below) that read: “Potassium’s primary functions in the body include building muscle, synthesizing proteins, controlling the electrical activity of the heart and maintaining acid-base balance. Potassium is needed for maintenance of total body fluid volume, keeping electrolytes in balance and ensuring normal cell function.” That last line is pretty important regarding potassium’s ability to reduce muscle cramping after exercise.

Bottom line, bananas are good food, and I’m a big fan.

What you see above is just a thumbnail sketch of banana health benefits. Here are some links for more information along with a banana nutrition table from Wikipedia:

World’s Healthiest Foods – great site with in depth nutritional/health benefit information

Medical News Today – 2 articles: one about health benefits of potassium that includes a list of other potassium-rich foods and another about health benefits, risks, and banana nutritional facts.

About Health – informative article titled “Do Bananas Cause Weight Gain?”

 

Banana Nutrition

 

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