Bananas, one of the world’s most popular fruits, aren’t given enough credit by most of us. Most everyone knows that they are delicious, but did you know that they are incredibly healthy as well? Aside from being full of vitamins and nutrients, the banana health benefits extend to aiding with weight loss, promoting balanced blood levels, and aiding in positive mental health.
The best part is, you can experience banana health benefits in a number of ways. You won’t have to eat plain bananas each time you want to experience the benefits, because you can eat them paired with something else, baked into delicious desserts, or topped on your favorite treats. The options truly are limitless.
So, whether you eat a couple of bananas plain each day, or if you have them with something else to switch it up a little, the banana health benefits give you a reason to eat at least one banana every day. Luckily, this beneficial fruit is delicious as well, making it easy to incorporate into your daily diet.
Reasons to Eat Banana Every Day
1. They contain a large amount of Vitamin B6.
You will find about one-fourth of the daily recommended value of Vitamin B6 in just one of these fruits. This vitamin offers many benefits to your body including aiding in the production of red blood cells, metabolizing carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids, removing chemicals from your liver and kidneys, and aiding in the maintenance of a healthy nervous system. Another perk of Vitamin B6 is that it is extremely useful for pregnant women and the unborn baby’s development.
2. Bananas offer a decent amount of Vitamin C.
One of these fruits contains nearly 10% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C. This is important because Vitamin C protects your body from cell and tissue damage, helps you absorb iron more efficiently, aids in the production of collagen (which holds your skin, bones, and body together), and aids in the production of serotonin (which is directly related to your sleep cycle, mood, and stress levels).
3. They contain manganese.
Manganese is beneficial for skin health, protecting your skin against damage from free radicals. By eating just one piece of fruit, you will consume around 13% of the daily recommended value of manganese.
4. You will be increasing your potassium intake.
Potassium is necessary for good heart health and normal blood pressure levels. One piece of fruit contains about 10% of the daily recommended values of potassium, boosting your levels by that much for each piece of fruit you consume. Another benefit of potassium is that it is low in sodium, which aids in maintaining healthy blood pressure.
5. Bananas contain a high amount of fiber.
From one of these fruits, you will consume more than 10% of the daily recommended value of fiber. This fiber helps your body maintain healthy blood sugar levels, and it will aid in getting rid of cholesterol.
Another benefit of fiber consumption is that it adds weight and softness to your stools, which makes it easier to pass a bowel movement. With this being the case, it will help with improving your gut health.
6. They contain resistant starch.
This reason may not be well-known to many, but it is helpful to your body. Bananas contain this starch that doesn’t digest in the small intestine, which allows it to pass through to the large intestine. This causes you to feel full for a longer period of time, essentially aiding in weight loss techniques.
7. Bananas can make you feel more energetic.
This fruit contains three sugars which are all-natural. These sugars include sucrose, fructose, and glucose. With this being the case, you may feel more energetic after eating bananas, but you won’t consume the fat and cholesterol found in other sources of sugar.
8. They are low in calories.
One piece of this fruit contains around 100 calories, making it a low-calorie snack or breakfast side. Since bananas also keep you feeling full longer, you will find yourself snacking less often. This makes them the perfect food to snack on if you are trying to lose weight.
9. Bananas can ease muscle cramps and soreness.
The perfect snack for athletes and bodybuilders, bananas can minimize the pain caused by exercise-related muscle cramps. This is believed to be because of the high mineral content of bananas and the fact that they are full of easily-digested carbohydrates.
10. They are an all-natural antacid.
Bananas contain antacid properties, making them a natural alternative to medicine such as Tums. They can offer almost instant relief from acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.
Ways to Eat Banana Every Day
Use bananas in place of egg in baking recipes.
For each egg, you could use half a mashed banana. So, if a recipe calls for two eggs, you could mash up one whole fruit and put it in the recipe instead.
Make chocolate-covered fruit pops.
Cut bananas and other fruit in half and slide them onto the tip of a popsicle stick. Put them in the freezer, and then melt chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, dip the fruit into the chocolate. Place the chocolate-covered fruit on parchment paper and then put it back into the freezer until the chocolate completely hardens.
Eat this fruit alongside your breakfast.
Bananas pair well with almost any breakfast you choose. From cereal or toast to pancakes or waffles, a piece of fruit will taste delicious with it.
Slice bananas and put them in your yogurt or cereal.
This childhood favorite way to eat cereal. It’s as good as you remembered!
Make a fruit kabob.
Choose a few of your favorite fruits, slice them up, and slide them on a skewer. Eat this as a breakfast or snack, and enjoy the banana health benefits alongside your other favorite fruits.
Put this fruit in your smoothie.
When preparing your favorite smoothie in the morning, put one in your blender with the other ingredients.
Slice one up and put it on your dessert.
Turn something that isn’t so healthy into a treat with at least a decent amount of nutrients. Slicing up bananas and putting them on top of ice cream or another dessert offers a delicious but nutritious add-on.
Make banana bread.
Find your favorite recipe and whip some up for everyone to enjoy. It is the perfect way to add bananas into your diet. You could even throw in some nuts to give it some additional nutrients and flavor.
Cut it up and eat it with peanut butter.
You can dip the fruit into your peanut butter, making this a protein-packed snack.
Tips to Remember about Bananas
The more you know about bananas, the easier it will be to incorporate them into your diet each day. You likely won’t be going to the grocery store to buy them each day, so there are some tips to remember before getting started.
- When buying them by the dozen, choose slightly firm bananas. These will last up to five days without spoiling.
- Inspect the fruit for soft or brown spots. These ones will spoil quickly.
- Do not refrigerate this fruit.
- Do not throw bananas out if they begin to turn slightly brown. This is the perfect time to use them in bread.
The Risk
While there are no common risks of eating bananas on a daily basis, it is still important to eat them in moderation. A couple of bananas a day won’t hurt you, but if you go overboard and eat a large number of bananas at once, you will likely get a headache.
This headache would be caused by the amino acids present in the fruit, which are known to dilate blood vessels. It’ll first give you a headache, and then you will become exhausted. The exhaustion is linked to a high level of tryptophan and magnesium found in the fruit.
The magnesium really is a good nutrient but, when consumed in large amounts, it can cause you to relax a little too much, resulting in wanting to sleep. As with everything in life, too much isn’t always a good thing.
Final Thoughts On Reasons to Eat Banana Every Day
Bananas are an incredible fruit, packed full of nutrients and offering limitless benefits to you. Not only are they delicious and easy to come by, but you can also eat them in many different ways. The banana health benefits are too good to pass up.
You can count on this fruit to provide essential vitamins and other nutrients, and you can also count on it to make you feel full longer and even feel a little more energetic. Bananas can also reduce the feelings of heartburn and work as a treatment for muscle cramps and soreness. The best part is, there are so many different ways you can consume a banana, so you’ll never get tired of this fruit.
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