Bananas and Their Health Benefits

Bananas are popular fruits that are available in grocery stores all year long and not just in the summertime as some fruits are. They are delicious and quite inexpensive, and many times they are on sale. Even when they are not on sale, they are quite affordable.

Bananas are convenient snacks for adults and for kids that come in different colors, shapes, and sizes. Besides satisfying a person's craving for a snack, bananas have a number of health benefits.

Nutritional Value of Bananas

One medium-sized banana contains only 105 calories and almost no protein and fat. It also contains some fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, biotin, copper, manganese, and potassium. Therefore, the body gets a lot of what it needs when an individual eats just one banana.

Bananas Are Good For Certain Diseases

Bananas, like most other fruits and vegetables, contain several types of antioxidants that contribute to the reduced risk of some diseases. The American Diabetes Association reports that a person can eat bananas even if he suffers from diabetes. Eating bananas can promote good kidney health. Research shows that eating a banana several times a week may reduce the risk of kidney disease by up to 50 percent. Potassium and magnesium in bananas are essential for good heart health.

Bananas are Good for Athletes

Because of the mineral content in bananas, they are good for athletes because they help reduce muscle cramps and soreness. Eating a banana before, during or after exercise will also help with endurance.

Bananas May Help with Weight Loss

Bananas have so few calories that they may help with weight loss. That is good news for people who need help in that area. Bananas are very nutritious and filling because of the fiber. That keeps people from grabbing unhealthy snacks when they are hungry.

Unripe bananas have resistant starch that keeps you full and curbs your appetite. The greener the banana, the higher its resistant content that will keep you full long after you have finished eating a banana.

How to Add Bananas to Your Diet

You do not have to limit bananas to just snacks. They are so versatile that they can be used in other ways.

• Add bananas to your breakfast cereals.
• Mix them with yogurt.
• Put bananas in your smoothies.
• Use bananas instead of sugar in your baking.
• Some people eat sandwiches made with bananas, peanut butter, and bacon.

Bananas are so easy to add to your diet, but do you know the correct way to peel a banana? According to research, most people peel a banana the wrong way. Some people even believe a monkey peels the fruit the proper way.

Now that you know how to peel a banana, let's learn how to keep them longer than just a few days.

How to Keep Bananas Fresh Longer

Within days of purchasing bananas and taking them home from the store, you might notice they are changing colors and getting soft. There are some things you can do if you do not plan to use the bananas right away.

• First of all, buy bananas green because they will ripen in a few days from purchase.
• If you want them to ripen right away, put them in a brown paper bag. They will soon be ripe, or you can buy them already ripe if you plan to use them soon.
• Most people don't want to use bananas right away. Putting ripe bananas in the refrigerator will help them stay fresh for a few days.
• Storing ripe bananas in the refrigerator will cause the skin to turn brown. The inside is still good, but the outside won't look anything like the fruit you purchased just a few days ago.
• If you put green bananas in the refrigerator while they are unripe, they will turn hard and won't get ripe at all.