We’ve written about bananas several times… They are great for slicing and adding to cereals, making into smoothies, putting in bread and muffins and even eating plain. Because they are fruit, they must be healthy – but how healthy?
This seemingly insignificant fruit is an incredible source of essential vitamins and minerals. With it, you can fight disease, sleep better and keep your body healthy and strong. Take a look at 10 amazing things bananas can do for you.
1. Fight insomnia
Bananas are an excellent source of tryptophan. According to WebMD, try eating one in the evening if you’re struggling with sleep. If you like peanut butter, you can spread a little on a banana for an added boost of tryptophan.
2. Regulate Your Stomach
WebMD says bananas also contain prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are food for probiotics, helping your stomach keep alive and well those good bacteria that are needed for proper digestion.
3. Replace sports drinks
According to Harvard Medical School, because bananas are a great source of carbs, potassium, manganese and magnesium (to name a few), they are actually better for athletes than sports drinks for replacing nutrients burned during exercise. Because bananas don’t have added sugar and are rich in antioxidants, they should be considered an effective alternative to sports drinks.
4. Fight Heart Disease
The antioxidants available in bananas are directly linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. It is recommended to add bananas into your diet.
5. Source of nutrition
According to FOOD, bananas are a powerhouse of nutrition, containing “Potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and B6.” This fruit is almost better than a multivitamin.
6. Regulate Diabetes
Green bananas contain a large source of resistant starch, which helps diabetics to be more sensitive to their insulin. The greener the banana, the higher the amount of resistant starch the banana has. However, a word of caution, because all of this works is not yet fully understood because it has not been sufficiently studied. Talk to your doctor if you want to try green bananas.
7. Reduce Cramps
The potassium contained in a banana may be just what you need to reduce the cramps you experience with PMS or after a long workout. If you also have a problem with bloating during PMS, the vitamin B6 contained in bananas has an effect on that as well.
8. May improve digestive health
Dietary fiber is known to help improve digestion, and an average banana has 3 grams of fiber. Bananas, especially the greener ones, will land in your large intestine as result of its high resistant starch concentration. This means bananas can help improve gut health.
9. May aid in weight loss
Greener bananas contain more resistant starch. Resistant starch is an indigestible carb which means you will feel more full after eating them. This can help in weight loss. Plus, the average banana only has 100 calories. This isn’t a lot and eating a banana can help reduce your appetite.
10. May improve kidney health
Potassium is key in maintaining a healthy kidney, and bananas are potassium-rich. One long-term study followed women over a 13 year period. It found that those who ate bananas regularly (2 to 3 times a week) were 33% less likely to develop kidney disease.
With so many wonderful benefits, find ways to add this yellow fruit to your diet. You can go a little bananas for bananas at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Source: home.remedydaily.com, therealhealthything.com