5 Benefits Of Bananas
(BeWellBuzz) Rich in nutrients, good to taste, ready-to-eat, beneficial for your digestion and great to satiate your appetite, bananas are indeed the ultimate health fruit.
Here, let’s take a closer look into the nutrients that make bananas so healthy and learn more about its specific health benefits.
Key Nutrients
So, what do bananas offer? Well, to begin with, bananas are a rich source of some of the most important nutrients crucial for good health, including:
- Potassium
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B (in forms of Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folic acid)
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Calcium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Magnesium
Research reveals some of the most important facts about the healing and nutritive properties of bananas. For instance, one banana a day can actually fulfill up to 12 percent of your requirement of potassium and 17 percent of the total vitamin C requirement. Similarly, a single banana offers you at least 22 percent of the amount of vitamin B 6 your body needs for the whole day. The 3-gram content of fiber present in the fruit also adds to its goodness since fiber helps in reducing your cholesterol levels and preventing constipation, apart from satiating your appetite.
Adding on, bananas are also said to be carrying the amino acid, tryptophan, which further helps in production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates your moods.
In the section that follows, we list some of the most important and specific benefits of this amazing fruit.
The Top 5 Banana Benefits
Read on to know about the top 5 benefits of including at least one banana a day into your regular diet.
1) Works as an energy booster
Experts say that having two bananas can give you enough stamina to exercise for an hour and half. The high amount of vitamins and minerals makes bananas an important and effective energy booster.
2) Regulates blood pressure
The high levels of both, potassium as well as magnesium helps in controlling your blood pressure levels. In fact, research shows that increasing the levels of potassium in your diet actually works better than restricting your salt intake.
3) Boosts your immune system
The high content of vitamin B6 makes bananas an excellent food for your immune system. Apart form keeping your immune system in its best form, the vitamin B6 is also effective in warding off the onset of heart disease in the longer term.
4) Ensures good bowel health
Bananas carry a high content of fiber which makes it highly effective natural way of of preventing constipation. In fact, bananas are known to be much safer and more effective than laxatives or other chemical substances used for that purpose.
5) Ideal for weight loss
High in vitamins and minerals and low in carbohydrates and fat content, bananas are an ideal fruit for those aiming at weight loss. With 4 to 6 ounces of bananas containing only 140 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates and almost no fat content, it satiates your appetite, at the same helping you lose weight.
Other Benefits
- Helps you to quit smoking by calming the withdrawal stress your body and mind go through using powerful combinations of vitamins and minerals like A1, C, B6, B12, potassium and magnesium
- Banana peels reduce the irritation and itching associated with mosquito bites
- Reduces the pain and discomfort you get from ulcers and acidity
- Helps ease menstrual discomfort
- Helps ease pain from minor burns
- Strengthens bones and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
- Reduces risk of kidney stones
- Promotes better eye sight
- Helps ease depression, owing to the ingredient tryptophan and serotonin, both mood lifting chemicals
We just recently discovered delicious recipe that we would like to share with you:
- 2 frozen ripe bananas (peel them before you freeze them!), cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons creamy organic peanut butter
- 2 cups Almond Milk (can also use hemp or coconut milk)
- 1/2 teaspoon raw ground vanilla powder
- 1/4 cup raw Cacao powder
Just blend all the ingredients in Vitamix and enjoy!
Let us know how you like it.
References
http://www.livestrong.com/article/494209-nutritional-benefits-of-bananas/
http://www.lifescript.com/food/articles/0/14_banana_health_benefits_you_might_not_know_about.aspx
http://adrienne2.hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Eating-Bananas
http://healthmad.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-bananas/
http://www.symptomfind.com/nutrition-supplements/banana-health-benefits/
