Ella
The best way to describe a banana is as conveniently wrapped. Most of us see them as the ideal fruit to eat in the office or take with us on a car journey. But, what are the true health benefits of bananas, and are we getting enough of them?
Some women who diet like to think that they are bad for you. However, the opposite is true. A proper ripe banana will help speed up your digestion and assimilate easily with other foods and even bread. Not all fruits can be baked well in bread, but bananas certainly can. When you bake with bananas, you can cut down on the amount of sugar you use. So, what is so special about bananas?
1. Low Calories, High Potassium
Bananas are actually very low in calories, but what they are rich in is potassium. Potassium is a vital mineral that many of us do not get enough of, and we should look out for it in our diet. This humble trace mineral will help to regulate blood pressure, improve nerve and muscle function. It can be found in other foods as well, but bananas are a vital source.
Many sportsmen and women eat a lot of bananas before they start training. They know that potassium will help them to train for longer and build stronger muscles. A ripe banana is easy to digest, and if you suffer from high blood pressure, you should try to eat at least two bananas per day on an empty stomach.
2. Bananas For your Stomach
Many people with peptic ulcers, or stomach problems, say that they get relief when they eat bananas. It is known that they stimulate cell and mucus production in the stomach, which helps to line the stomach. It has been suggested that bananas are just as effective as many of the drugs you can take to protect the stomach lining.
The Brat diet has been used successfully worldwide to help children and young adults who suffer from stomach problems. It is a simple diet that can be used for a few days to calm diarrhea and slow down an overactive bowel. It consists of bananas, rice, apple-sauce, and toast. For some reason, these four simple ingredients seem to have the desired effect.
3. Bananas for Energy
The best time to eat bananas could be in the morning. They are very rich in fruit sugar and can release energy quickly into your bloodstream. This explains why so many of us like to add them to our morning diet and perhaps even slice them on our cereal in the morning. A healthy breakfast would be oat porridge, a sliced banana, apple sauce, and some almond milk—one of the best energy sources to go to work or school on in the morning.
If you feel that you are tired in the morning and need an extra energy boost, you should perhaps look at a couple of magical combinations. Not only will they warm you up, but they will give a better start to the day than that extra cup of coffee.
4. Smooth Operators
Bananas are often referred to as smooth operators because they can help you to start the day in the right kind of way. Bananas are best not mixed with other fruits as the body will make use of their goodness much better in this way. We love smoothies in our homes, and all our favorite smoothies are made with bananas. Here are a couple of recipes that are real pick-me-up morning tonics.
- Recipe One: Mix one banana, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, a tablespoon of apple sauce, and a glass of almond milk. Blend for about three minutes, and you will have the perfect banana smoothie.
- Recipe Two: Mix one banana, a bit of grated root ginger, and a glass of almond milk. Blend for about two minutes; this is the perfect winter warmer for cold mornings.
Conclusion
Bananas are perfect little yellow shapes of nutritional perfection that can wake us up and help us sleep when baked into an oat biscuit. We should all get to know bananas better and make them our go-to fruit. The health benefits of bananas should be celebrated, not ignored.
