There has been lots of controversy over exactly how healthy a banana is. I’ll dig more into this subject and even give you some comparisons to other foods and see how they stack up. Lots of people include bananas as part of their diet and there’s even one popular diet out there talks about eating 30 bananas a day! Take a look at this wonder fruit and see how it can help you lose weight.
Comparing Apples to Bananas oh my!
I created the following table that shows how bananas stack up against the apple which is another popular fruit. I also included a serving of RibEye steak and a vegetable, white cabbage (raw). Take a look at the difference between the apple and banana and you’ll see they are not much different. Although both fruits have different vitamins and minerals they are almost alike in terms of calories and sugars. Here is the table below:
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Benefits of Eating Bananas
There are many benefits to eating healthy foods and bananas are just one of those foods. I’ve outlined ten benefits that you get from eating this delicious fruit.
Get An Energy Boost from Bananas
Bananas can give you that boost of energy before a workout or during a mid-morning break. Since they contain 3 natural sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) your body gets a boost after eating a banana. In fact, just two bananas can give you the energy to workout for 90 minutes.
Bananas Have Potassium
A typical banana contains 422mg of potassium. And the benefits of potassium for the body affect many different areas. It can help with cramps including menstrual cramps. Bananas also have Vitamin B6 which can help with PMS as well. Potassium is also good for heart health.
Leads to Regular Bowel Movements
Although this may be a not-so-desirable subject, it’s worth mentioning. Bananas contain fiber and of course fiber is great for the digestive tract and keeps things moving along.
Has Amino Acids that can aid in Helping Depression
Have you ever seen a person who is eating a banana split appear unhappy? Neither have I. But seriously, bananas contain the amino acid tryptophan, which is a type of protein that the body then converts into serotonin.The chemical serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is connected with depression. When serotonin levels are low and person is more depressed and when serotonin levels are up your mood will likely increase and you’ll likely feel happier.
Rich in Iron
We aren’t just talking about pumping iron here. Bananas are rich in iron and the benefits of more iron in your daily diet are huge, especially if you work out often. Iron helps get oxygen where it needs to be in the body and without the proper amounts of iron in our bodies we may feel weak or unable to concentrate.
Low in Calories compared to sugary snacks
Although bananas are not as low in calories as many vegetables it is lower in calories than many of the snacks that are out there. Even low calorie snacks are often 100 calories so that puts a banana right in the ballpark with those snacks
Bananas Have Fiber
I’ve mentioned it before but I’ll include it again. Banana have fiber in them and that fiber has many health benefits. Lots of people take fiber supplements each day. Maybe consider eating a banana or two.
Has Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates can give the body a boost of energy and depending on what sort of diet you’re on they can really be helpful (carb diet, Atkins, etc). The carbs in bananas can also give you a great wake me up if you’re feeling sleepy.
Fat and Cholesterol Not Included
If you’re attempting to lose weight or get your cholesterol down then bananas are a great food. They don’t contain any fat or cholesterol. The vitamins and minerals you get from them can be extremely helpful however.
When Should you eat bananas for the most benefits?
Although just eating bananas is great there is a time and place for everything. Have you ever purchased bananas from the grocery store and they were still a little green? I always thought that getting the greenest bananas possible was the best idea but it’s not. In fact, the much more helpful to your digestive system if you eat a banana that is ripe. It should be yellow in color with some brown spots.
I hope this wraps up the question that seems to be on everyone’s mind since they started promoting the banner ads with the banana as an unhealthy diet food.
If you have comments or questions please be sure to comment below and let me know what you think. I’d be glad to peel one back with you and discuss it 😉
