These Benefits Are Bananas

Cue “Bananas” by Gwen Stefani because these benefits are b-a-n-a-n-a-s! These delicious fruits are not only a minion’s favorite treat but are also full of a variety of ways to enhance your diet and boost your health. Eating bananas can provide you with the advantages of supporting digestive health, supporting heart health, and many more. Here are a few reasons why you should incorporate bananas into your diet and the many benefits you’ll get by doing this!

 

Let’s first take a look into why you should begin integrating bananas into your diet. From a nutritional standpoint, “bananas are a rich source of carbs,” which is perfect to assist in building a nutritious meal for yourself that includes carbs, vegetables, and protein (Arnarson, 2019). Bananas contain “ several vitamins and minerals, [such as] potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C” (Arnarson, 2019). Let’s break this down a bit more. The benefits of potassium in bananas “can lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels and benefit heart health” (Arnarson, 2019). Vitamin B6 “is a water-soluble vitamin found naturally in many foods,” with the recommended daily intake for “adults 19 years and older is 100 mg” (“The Nutrition Source”, 2019). Luckily eating “One medium-sized banana can provide up to 33% of the Daily Value (DV) of this vitamin” (Arnarson, 2019)! Lastly, along with many other fruits, bananas are a rich source of Vitamin C (Arnarson, 2019). A bonus to bananas is that they are always in season! 

 

Moving on from nutrition, these fruits’ list of health benefits is almost never-ending. Here are a few to give you a better look into these advantages:

 

1. Helps your Heart’s Health
   1. Going back to the benefit of bananas having potassium, this “mineral promotes heart health and normal blood pressure,” demonstrating yet again that integrating this fruit into your diet is a fantastic idea (Warwick, 2020). Luckily, potassium isn’t the only mineral within a banana, as they also have fiber and folate, a vitamin that “is important in red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth and function” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2021). Fiber is a big draw to bananas since having “a high fiber diet [can] lower risk of cardiovascular disease than a low fiber diet” (Warwick, 2020). 
2. Blood sugar
   1. While many people are typically concerned with the amount of sugar contained in fruits, “Bananas have a relatively low glycemic index (GI) of 42–58, depending on their ripeness. The GI is a measure of how quickly carbs in food enter your bloodstream and raise blood sugar,” which is yet another reason why incorporating these fruits into your diet will be extremely beneficial for your health (Arnarson, 2019)! For those with diabetes, it is “recommended [to] eat bananas and other fruit as they contain fiber,” which- as mentioned in the previous point- will lower blood sugar levels (Warwick, 2020). 
3. Digestion
   1. Bananas are also a great food to consume when you’re under the weather. If you have an upset stomach, bananas are a great food to have since they can replenish the minerals and vitamins being lost due to your upset stomach (Warwick, 2020). These fruits are also amazing to help heal your gut, as they have “prebiotic nutrients, [which] support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria” (Arnarson, 2019). 

 

Some ideas for implementing bananas into your meals are through smoothies, using them as a topping for oatmeal, banana bread, or on some toast with honey! If you’re not the biggest fan of bananas, sneaking them into your smoothies or bread will definitely help with making sure you’re getting all of the nutrients they provide without the worry of tasting them. Have fun and get creative with some recipes! 

 

Sources:

Arnarson, A. (2019, May 7). Bananas 101: Nutrition facts and health benefits. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/bananas

 

Boston, 677 Huntington Avenue & Ma 02115 +1495‑1000. (2019, June 4). Vitamin b6. The Nutrition Source. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-b6/

 

Folate(Folic acid). (2021, February 23). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-folate/art-20364625 

 Warwick, K. W. (2020, January 13). Bananas: Health benefits,