Bananas are one of nature’s great snack foods,
but did you know just how good for you they are
and how many different and unusual uses they can
have? Ahead are 10 banana health benefits for
more energy, better health and even improving the
way you look and feel.
1. Potassium-Bananas are among the most convenient food
sources of potassium. This mineral is essential for
maintaining proper heart function and regulating
normal blood pressure.
Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of
potassium rich foods like bananas in lowering high
blood pressure.
So much so that the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) allows the banana industry
to make official claims (much like they would a
pharmaceutical drug) of their ability to reduce the
risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Further research by the New England Journal of
Medicine suggests eating bananas regularly in
your diet can cut your risk of having a stroke by
up to 40%.
The potassium in bananas is also beneficial for
your kidneys and bones. A good potassium intake
suppresses calcium excretion in the urine that can
lead to painful kidney stones .
This suppression of calcium loss also reduces your
risk of developing osteoporosis and brittle bones.
A banana or two a day can have some serious
health benefits.
2. More Energy-Even with the proliferation of brightly colored
‘sports’ drinks, ‘energy’ bars and ‘electrolyte’ gels
(these are loaded with unhealthy chemicals and
coloring by the way) you often see athletes eating
bananas just before and even during sports.
Watching tennis for instance, it’s not uncommon
to see the players snacking on a bit of banana in
between games. If a banana can keep a
professional tennis player going, it’s got to rank
pretty well in the high-quality energy source
stakes.
Personally, I find the combination of natural
sugars, balanced with the soluble fiber and
potassium, to provide a good stable energy when
eaten half an hour before gym or a run.
I’ve experimented with this – running or weights
with, or without a banana – and seem to
consistently do better when I have one before
training.
Some people are worried about bananas spiking
blood sugar, but tests show they actually have a
glycemic index of around 52, with 24 g of available
carbs (lower the less ripe they are).
That’s a glycemic load in the vicinity of 12 which
isn’t considered that high. These figures will
obviously vary depending on variety and ripeness.
Bananas make a great snack at work when your
energy is lagging and while they might not be the
most obvious weight loss food, they are only
about 100 calories and can satisfy those sweet
cravings.
So if you can replace candy bars and other junk
foods with bananas, you might just have a really
important step towards losing weight. As an added
bonus your energy will be much more steady and
consistent.
3. Helps Digestion-
Bananas are a great source of dietary fiber that
most of us don’t get nearly enough of. Fiber helps
the food you eat move smoothly through the
digestive tract and improves elimination.
A couple of bananas may be a healthier choice
than laxatives to treat occasional constipation.
Turning to another important element of digestion,
bananas are rich in fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS
for short thankfully). FOS is known as a prebiotic
since it feeds the important friendly bacteria in the
digestive tract that help us absorb nutrients more
efficiently.
Bananas are also known to help relieve
the symptoms of heartburn. So once again, try
reaching for the natural cure with banana rather
than antacids (though if this page gets shared
around too much the makers of Metamucil and
Mylanta and not going to be happy!).
4. Good for Ulcers-
Eating bananas regularly may help protect against
stomach ulcers. Compounds in bananas seem to
create a thicker protective barrier in the stomach
against hydrochloric acid.
Bananas also contain protease inhibitors that work
to eliminate certain bacteria in the stomach
implicated as a major cause of stomach ulcers.
5. High in Vitamin B6-
Bananas are particularly high in vitamin B6. This
vitamin is important for creating hemoglobin for
healthy blood.
B6 is also involved in maintaining proper blood
sugar levels, synthesizing and breaking down
amino acids and producing antibodies for a
stronger immune response in your body.
Just one banana has a full fifth of your
recommended daily intake of vitamin B6. And they
taste much better than vitamin pills too!
6. Vitamins and Minerals-
Alongside the high levels of potassium and vitamin
B6 already mentioned, bananas also have good
levels of vitamin C, magnesium and manganese.
They are also a source of most of the other B
vitamins and smaller amounts of trace minerals
like iodine, iron, selenium and zinc.
7. Skin Conditions-
Even the skins of this amazing fruit have their
uses. Banana skins have been used externally to
treat skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
The freshly peeled inside of the banana skin is
gently rubbed over the affected area and the
residue left on. This might be better done on a day
indoors or before bed to avoid the banana smell
when out and about.
Note too that in the case of psoriasis there
apparently may be some further reddening initially,
but this should improve after a few days of
use. Patch test on a small area first if you have
any concerns. It also usually take several weeks to
get the full effects from this treatment.
Banana peel treatments are even used to heal
warts. You rub a small piece of banana peel over
the wart and then tightly tape it there overnight for
at least a week, possibly several, changing it to a
new one each night.
People in online forums have reported good results
with these simple treatments, though results with
natural cures can be varied. I’d be really interested
to hear from anyone who’s tried any of them for
themselves.
8. A Cancer Fighter?
Recent Japanese animal research linked bananas
that are fully ripe (with the dark spots) to
production of a compound called
tumor necrosis factor (TNF–a). This compound is
a cytokine which is believed to have the potential
to increase white blood cell count, thus enhancing
your immunity and combating cancerous cell
changes.
Personally, I don’t put too much stock in animal
studies. Regardless, increasing overall fruit
consumption in your diet has been consistently
linked to a lower risk of dcancers
9. Improving your Mood and
Reducing Stress
:-)Bananas are a good source of the amino acid
tryptophan which your body converts to serotonin.
Amongst many other things, proper serotonin
levels help improve your mood, reduce stress and
enhance your general outlook and happiness
levels. It also helps regulate good sleep patterns.
Tryptophan is considered an essential amino acid
because the only way your body gets it is through
your diet. Bananas, while certainly not the highest
source out there, are one of the easiest ways to
get a little more tryptophan. Another reason why
bananas make such a great snack for those
stressed out at work.
10. A Hangover Cure-
Bananas are a great hangover food for mornings
when you’ve overdone it a bit the night before. A
couple of bananas in a blender with ice, some
berries and coconut milk or organic cow’s or
goat’s milk makes a really good recovery drink.
Just about all the other health benefits already
discussed come into play here. Of course the
better solution is not to drink so much the night
before. But just in case, it’s good to have some
bananas around for the next morning.
As I tend to get mine in bulk and don’t always
finish them before they get too ripe, I like to chop
up any excess ones on their last legs and put
them in a container in the freezer. These are great
to drop straight from the freezer into the blender
instead of ice cubes for brilliant creamy smoothies.
but did you know just how good for you they are
and how many different and unusual uses they can
have? Ahead are 10 banana health benefits for
more energy, better health and even improving the
way you look and feel.
sources of potassium. This mineral is essential for
maintaining proper heart function and regulating
normal blood pressure.
Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of
potassium rich foods like bananas in lowering high
blood pressure.
So much so that the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) allows the banana industry
to make official claims (much like they would a
pharmaceutical drug) of their ability to reduce the
risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Further research by the New England Journal of
Medicine suggests eating bananas regularly in
your diet can cut your risk of having a stroke by
up to 40%.
The potassium in bananas is also beneficial for
your kidneys and bones. A good potassium intake
suppresses calcium excretion in the urine that can
lead to painful kidney stones .
This suppression of calcium loss also reduces your
risk of developing osteoporosis and brittle bones.
A banana or two a day can have some serious
health benefits.
‘sports’ drinks, ‘energy’ bars and ‘electrolyte’ gels
(these are loaded with unhealthy chemicals and
coloring by the way) you often see athletes eating
bananas just before and even during sports.
Watching tennis for instance, it’s not uncommon
to see the players snacking on a bit of banana in
between games. If a banana can keep a
professional tennis player going, it’s got to rank
pretty well in the high-quality energy source
stakes.
Personally, I find the combination of natural
sugars, balanced with the soluble fiber and
potassium, to provide a good stable energy when
eaten half an hour before gym or a run.
I’ve experimented with this – running or weights
with, or without a banana – and seem to
consistently do better when I have one before
training.
Some people are worried about bananas spiking
blood sugar, but tests show they actually have a
glycemic index of around 52, with 24 g of available
carbs (lower the less ripe they are).
That’s a glycemic load in the vicinity of 12 which
isn’t considered that high. These figures will
obviously vary depending on variety and ripeness.
Bananas make a great snack at work when your
energy is lagging and while they might not be the
most obvious weight loss food, they are only
about 100 calories and can satisfy those sweet
cravings.
So if you can replace candy bars and other junk
foods with bananas, you might just have a really
important step towards losing weight. As an added
bonus your energy will be much more steady and
consistent.
3. Helps Digestion-
Bananas are a great source of dietary fiber that
most of us don’t get nearly enough of. Fiber helps
the food you eat move smoothly through the
digestive tract and improves elimination.
A couple of bananas may be a healthier choice
than laxatives to treat occasional constipation.
Turning to another important element of digestion,
bananas are rich in fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS
for short thankfully). FOS is known as a prebiotic
since it feeds the important friendly bacteria in the
digestive tract that help us absorb nutrients more
efficiently.
Bananas are also known to help relieve
the symptoms of heartburn. So once again, try
reaching for the natural cure with banana rather
than antacids (though if this page gets shared
around too much the makers of Metamucil and
Mylanta and not going to be happy!).
4. Good for Ulcers-
Eating bananas regularly may help protect against
stomach ulcers. Compounds in bananas seem to
create a thicker protective barrier in the stomach
against hydrochloric acid.
Bananas also contain protease inhibitors that work
to eliminate certain bacteria in the stomach
implicated as a major cause of stomach ulcers.
5. High in Vitamin B6-
Bananas are particularly high in vitamin B6. This
vitamin is important for creating hemoglobin for
healthy blood.
B6 is also involved in maintaining proper blood
sugar levels, synthesizing and breaking down
amino acids and producing antibodies for a
stronger immune response in your body.
Just one banana has a full fifth of your
recommended daily intake of vitamin B6. And they
taste much better than vitamin pills too!
6. Vitamins and Minerals-
Alongside the high levels of potassium and vitamin
B6 already mentioned, bananas also have good
levels of vitamin C, magnesium and manganese.
They are also a source of most of the other B
vitamins and smaller amounts of trace minerals
like iodine, iron, selenium and zinc.
Even the skins of this amazing fruit have their
uses. Banana skins have been used externally to
treat skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
The freshly peeled inside of the banana skin is
gently rubbed over the affected area and the
residue left on. This might be better done on a day
indoors or before bed to avoid the banana smell
when out and about.
Note too that in the case of psoriasis there
apparently may be some further reddening initially,
but this should improve after a few days of
use. Patch test on a small area first if you have
any concerns. It also usually take several weeks to
get the full effects from this treatment.
Banana peel treatments are even used to heal
warts. You rub a small piece of banana peel over
the wart and then tightly tape it there overnight for
at least a week, possibly several, changing it to a
new one each night.
People in online forums have reported good results
with these simple treatments, though results with
natural cures can be varied. I’d be really interested
to hear from anyone who’s tried any of them for
themselves.
8. A Cancer Fighter?
Recent Japanese animal research linked bananas
that are fully ripe (with the dark spots) to
production of a compound called
tumor necrosis factor (TNF–a). This compound is
a cytokine which is believed to have the potential
to increase white blood cell count, thus enhancing
your immunity and combating cancerous cell
changes.
Personally, I don’t put too much stock in animal
studies. Regardless, increasing overall fruit
consumption in your diet has been consistently
linked to a lower risk of dcancers
9. Improving your Mood and
Reducing Stress
:-)Bananas are a good source of the amino acid
tryptophan which your body converts to serotonin.
Amongst many other things, proper serotonin
levels help improve your mood, reduce stress and
enhance your general outlook and happiness
levels. It also helps regulate good sleep patterns.
Tryptophan is considered an essential amino acid
because the only way your body gets it is through
your diet. Bananas, while certainly not the highest
source out there, are one of the easiest ways to
get a little more tryptophan. Another reason why
bananas make such a great snack for those
stressed out at work.
10. A Hangover Cure-
Bananas are a great hangover food for mornings
when you’ve overdone it a bit the night before. A
couple of bananas in a blender with ice, some
berries and coconut milk or organic cow’s or
goat’s milk makes a really good recovery drink.
Just about all the other health benefits already
discussed come into play here. Of course the
better solution is not to drink so much the night
before. But just in case, it’s good to have some
bananas around for the next morning.
As I tend to get mine in bulk and don’t always
finish them before they get too ripe, I like to chop
up any excess ones on their last legs and put
them in a container in the freezer. These are great
to drop straight from the freezer into the blender
instead of ice cubes for brilliant creamy smoothies.
Conclusion
"So there you have 10 good reasons to pick up a
bunch of bananas the next time you’re out
shopping. While pesticides aren’t considered a
significant problem with bananas, fair trade fruits
are worth looking for if you can find them.
How do you like to eat your bananas? Alone or
mixed with other foods like on top of a healthy
muesli or blended up in a smoothie? I be
interested to hear any ideas or suggestions you
might have for more beneficial ways to enjoy
bananas."
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