Bananas are
one of the favorite fruit of many people in the world. That's good news because
bananas are rich in nutrients and offer a wide variety of health benefits. For
example, did you know that bananas could actually help you feel happy, or the
smell of bananas could act as an appetite suppressant?
The smell of
bananas may suppress appetite
According to
a study conducted at the smell and taste treatment and Research Foundation in
Chicago, smelling certain foods when you have hunger can fool the brain to
think that in reality it has eaten them. One of those foods is banana.
Bananas can
improve athletic performance
A recent
study found that the average consumption of a banana every 15 minutes during a
time trial cycling test was as effective as drinking a sports drink every 15
minutes. If you do physical exercises regularly, bananas are a great choice to
feed your muscles while providing the antioxidants and other nutrients lacking
sports drinks.
A medium
banana has 110 calories and 30 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber. In
addition to fiber, bananas contain resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate
that helps you feel full longer. A banana may have 2-3 grams of resistant
starch. Bananas are a great pre-workout food if eaten 1 hour before your
workout
In general,
oranges and strawberries come to mind when thinking about vitamin C, but a
portion of banana provides 15 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin C.
Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals. It
also helps produce collagen that keeps the muscles, bones and other tissues
together. If you need more reasons, vitamin C helps maintain healthy blood
vessels and is needed to absorb an optimum iron and folic acid.
Bananas
contain 20 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 helps the
body to produce non-essential amino acids to create healthy cells. It also
helps to produce insulin, hemoglobin, and antibodies that help fight
infections.
Bananas are
easy to digest and considered non-irritating to the stomach and the upper
gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, as part of a diet of bananas, rice and toast
- that is a plan that Dietitians used when patients have acute diarrhea.
Bananas are also one of the first fruits that are given to young children when
they begin to eat solid foods.
A medium
banana has 422 mg potassium and is sodium-free. The high ratio of potassium to
sodium helps to neutralize the effects of sodium increase in blood pressure.
Several studies show that those who have diets rich in potassium are less
likely to have high blood pressure and they have reduced the risk of stroke.
Adults need 4,700 milligrams of potassium per day, making it a medium-sized
banana provides nearly 10 percent of the daily requirement.
A small
banana provides 27 mg of magnesium, which can help boost the mood. Men and
women need 420 mg and 320 mg of magnesium per day, respectively. Low levels of
this mineral are linked to depression, anxiety, irritability and other mood
disorders. Since many of us don't have enough magnesium in our diet, consider a
banana as a good option.
Trick to
ripen bananas quickly at home
Here is a
Council to make them mature faster. Place bananas in a paper bag with an Apple,
pear or tomato. The ethylene gas emitted by these fruits accelerates the
process of ripening of bananas.