Why You Should Eat One Banana Every Day
10 minutes read.
Bananas come in different varieties, ranging from green, yellow, red, and pink. The variety that turns from green to yellow as it ripens is the most common type found in many parts of the world.
Bananas contain many essential nutrients and may benefit weight loss, digestion, and heart health
Bananas are an excellent source of B vitamins, needed to increase energy production and reduce your stress levels.
Bananas also contain tryptophan, an amino acid needed for serotonin production, the hormone that makes you feel good.
This article reveals to you reasons you should always incorporate bananas into your diet.
Here’s Why you should eat one banana every day:
1. May improve kidney health
Potassium is vital for healthy kidney function and blood pressure regulation.
As great dietary sources of potassium, bananas could be especially beneficial when it comes to keeping your kidneys healthy.
One study including over 5,000 people with early-stage chronic kidney disease linked potassium to lower blood pressure and a slower progression of kidney disease.
On the other hand, some people with late-stage kidney disease or who are on dialysis need to restrict their potassium intake. If you fall into one of these categories, speak with your healthcare team before increasing your potassium intake.
2. May Moderate Blood Sugar Levels
Bananas are rich in soluble fiber. During digestion, soluble fiber dissolves in liquid to form a gel. It’s also what gives bananas their sponge-like texture
Unripe bananas also contain resistant starch, which isn’t digested by your body.
Together, these two types of fiber may moderate your blood sugar levels after meals. Plus, they may help regulate your appetite by slowing the emptying of your stomach.
This means that despite their higher carbohydrate content, bananas won’t cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.
However, while people with diabetes can enjoy bananas, it’s not recommended to enjoy a large portion in one sitting.
3. Rich In Vital Nutrients
Bananas contain a fair amount of fiber and several antioxidants. One regular-medium banana (126 grams) is said to contain:
- Calories: 112
- Fat: 0 grams
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbs: 29 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Vitamin C: 12% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Riboflavin: 7% of the DV
- Folate: 6% of the DV
- Niacin: 5% of the DV
- Copper: 11% of the DV
- Potassium: 10% of the DV
- Magnesium: 8% of the DV
One banana provides about 112 calories and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. They hold little protein and no fat.
The carbohydrate in green, unripe bananas are mostly in the form of starch and resistant starch — a type of indigestible fiber.
Insoluble fiber food move through your digestive system, promoting regularity and helping prevent constipation.
As the fruit ripens, its flavor becomes sweeter while its fiber content drops.
4. Increases The Testosterone Level (sperm count)
Being jam-packed with a nutrient called potassium, bananas can help improve the production of the testosterone hormone in men.
It is a male sex hormone that plays a vital role in improving your sex drive and helping you last longer in bed.
Bananas are rich in vitamins A, B1, and C, which help your body produce healthy sperm cells and increase sperm count. Folate is a type of B vitamins (B9) found in bananas you should include in your diet daily. It helps build healthy red blood cells.
Bananas promote the production of healthier sperm and help increase sperm productivity. Further, it contains Bromelain, an enzyme that boosts sperm health.
One animal study showed how effective bromelain could help promote sperm count and quality. However human studies are needed.
Bromelain has used extracted and used to remedy many diseases including skin damage from sunburn.
Dietary fiber has been linked to many health benefits, including improved digestion. One medium-sized banana provides about 3 grams of fiber.
Resistant starch, the type of fiber found in unripe bananas, is prebiotic. Prebiotics escapes digestion and end up in your large intestine, where they become food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
What’s more, pectin — a fiber found in both ripe and unripe bananas — may help prevent constipation and soften stools.
Some test-tube studies even propose that pectin may help protect against colon cancer, although research in humans is still needed to confirm this benefit.
6. May Support Stress Recovery
Bananas are sometimes referred to as the perfect food for athletes.
This is largely due to their content of easily digested carbs, as well as the minerals potassium and magnesium, both of which act as electrolytes.
You lose electrolytes through your sweat during vigorous exercise. Resupplying your body with potassium and magnesium after sweating, for example by eating a banana, may reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness.
However, specific research on the effects of bananas on exercise performance, cramping, and exercise recovery is lacking.
Nevertheless, bananas provide excellent nutrition before, during, and after exercise.
No study has directly tested bananas’ effects on weight loss. However, this popular fruit does have several attributes that could make it a weight-loss-friendly food.
First, bananas have relatively few calories. The average banana has just over 100 calories, yet it’s nutritious and filling.
Eating more fiber from vegetables and fruits has repeatedly been linked to lower body weight and weight loss.
Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to be filling and reduce your appetite. If you’d like to include unripe bananas in your diet, try cooking them as you do for plantains.
8. Reduces Your Appetite And Help You Eat Less
The soluble fiber in bananas may help keep you full by adding bulk to your digestive system and slowing digestion.
Additionally, bananas are relatively low in calories for their size.
Combined, the low-calorie and high-fiber contents of bananas make them a more filling snack than other foods like processed or sugary boxed snacks.
Protein is also filling, but bananas are low in this macronutrient. So, for a hunger-fighting snack, try eating a sliced banana with protein-rich foods like yogurt or an egg, or blend a banana into a protein shake
Potassium is a mineral that’s vital for heart health, especially blood pressure management. Despite its importance, few people get enough potassium in their diet.
Conveniently, bananas are a great source of potassium, with a medium-sized banana (126 grams) providing 10% of the DV.
A potassium-rich diet can help lower your blood pressure. Plus, according to older research and animal studies, people who eat plenty of potassium have up to a 27% lower risk of heart disease.
More so, bananas contain 8% of the DV for magnesium, another mineral that’s important for heart health.
Magnesium deficiency may be linked to an increased risk of heart disease, elevated blood pressure, and high levels of fats in the blood.
As such, it’s essential that you get enough of the mineral from your diet or supplements.
10. High in antioxidants
Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of dietary antioxidants, and bananas are one of them.
They contain several types of potent antioxidants, including flavonoids and amines.
These antioxidants are linked to many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative illnesses.
They help prevent oxidative damage to your cells caused by free radicals. Without antioxidants, free radicals can build up over time and cause harm if their levels become high enough in your body.
11. Unripe Banana May Improve Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin resistance is a significant risk factor for several chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes.
Several studies reveal that regularly eating resistant starch — for example, by enjoying unripe bananas — may improve insulin sensitivity. This could make your body more responsive to this blood-sugar-regulating hormone.
However, more research investigating how the resistant starch in bananas might affect insulin sensitivity is needed.
You can enjoy unripe bananas by cooking or roasting them as you do with plantain.
12. Easy To Add To Your Diet
Bananas are not only incredibly healthy but also one of the most convenient snack foods around.
They make a great addition to yogurt, cereal, and smoothies, and they work a treat as a topping on whole grain toast with peanut butter.
You can even use them in place of sugar in your baking and cooking.
Bananas are likewise incredibly easy to eat and transport. They’re usually well tolerated and easily digested. All you need to do is peel them, and you’re good to go
Related: What are the Medicinal Benefits of papaya (pawpaw-ofuruero) Seed?
Conclusion
Banana is a staple food in many parts of the world with a variety that turns from green to brown as it ripen being the most commonly consumed.
Bananas contain many essential nutrients that your body needs daily.
Enjoying at least one banana every day may promote sperm count and help you last longer in bed. As bananas contain an indigestible start, they reduce your appetite and smoothen digestion.
It improves heart health and promotes stress recovery. Unripe bananas may regulate your blood sugar if you are diabetic. Although the ripe ones will not spike your blood sugar either if you only consume one per day.
Banana is high in antioxidant especially flavonoid which fights free radicals and protect you from cell damage.
It contains the B9 vitamin which builds red blood cells and healthy cell growth. Try to enjoy bananas with little quantity of protein like eggs, groundnuts/peanuts, yogurt, or avocados.
I hope you get the value worth your time, I appreciate the time you spend with me. Leave a comment below if you find this article helpful and don’t forget to drop your question, opinion, or criticism if any. Cheers!
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
The content provided in Living Good is for informational and educational purposes only. It’s not intended to provide medical advice or take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal doctor. All readers/viewers of this content are advised to consult their qualified health professionals regarding specific health questions. Living Good takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person(s) reading or following the information in this educational content. Viewers of this content, especially those taking prescription or over-the-counter medication, should consult their physicians before beginning any nutrition, supplement, or lifestyle program.
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