Bananas contain a lot of potassium, which works as an electrolyte and a nutrient.
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Bananas have many health benefits due to their high potassium and fiber content.
Potassium helps balance sodium levels in your body, which regulates blood pressure and may lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Eating bananas can also help with weight loss because they contain pectin and resistant starch, which can help you feel fuller for longer.
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Bananas have long been a lunchbox and a staple for brown bags. And it’s not just because it is an easily transportable food. They are also nutritious and beneficial for your heart, blood sugar, digestion, etc.
Here are five health benefits of eating bananas.
Bananas are very nutritious
A single medium banana provides 110 calories without fat. It also provides the following:
Protein: 1 gram
Carbohydrates: 28 grams
Sugars: 15 grams (of natural origin)
Fiber: 3 grams
Potassium: 450 mg
Magnesium: 32 mg
Vitamin C: 10.3 mg
Vitamin B6: 0.4 mg
“Bananas are well known for their potassium content, but there are other vitamins and minerals that deserve some attention as well. Bananas provide an important source of B6 and fiber, which play a vital role in important functions of the body. body like cholesterol reduction and balance. mood, “says Lisa Richards, Certified Nutrition Consultant.
In fact, just one banana can give you 9% of your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDI) of potassium and 8% of magnesium. When it comes to vitamin C, a banana might not be the first food that comes to mind. But the fruit provides around 11% of your RDI.
Bananas May Help Regulate Blood Sugar
The idea that people with prediabetes or diabetes should avoid eating sweet fruits is a myth, as long as you stick to your carb needs. This is about half a Cavendish, which is the most ubiquitous type of banana.
This is because bananas, which contain pectin and resistant starch, may actually help lower blood sugar. Richards says these soluble fibers work in concert with each other by increasing feelings of fullness, preventing overeating, and slowing the rate of digestion.
In addition, the glycemic index (GI) of a banana is 30 to 60, depending on maturity. The glycemic index measures how the carbohydrates in food will affect blood sugar, on a scale of 0 to 100. “The lower the GI, the less likely the food is to spike quickly,” says Richards. For a lower GI, eat greener fruits.
“The key is to match the source of carbohydrates with protein and fat. Otherwise blood sugar will rise and then fall, ”says Monica Auslander Moreno, MS, RDN, senior dietitian at Essence Nutrition of Miami. She suggests combining high-carb bananas with eggs, yogurt, or peanut butter.
Bananas May Support Heart Health
Potassium is a double threat. While most people think of it as a mineral, it also works as an electrolyte. Electrolytes play a key role in regulating muscle contraction. “Because the heart is a muscle,” says Moreno, “potassium and heart health are very closely related.”
Potassium can also help balance sodium levels. Potassium, which monitors fluid inside cells, has a push-pull relationship with sodium, which controls fluid outside of cells. Too little potassium and too much sodium means more fluid and more blood volume in the bloodstream. This increases blood pressure with an additional risk of heart attack and stroke.
A 2017 review found that potassium supplements lowered blood pressure in people with hypertension or high blood pressure. Due to research on potassium and high blood pressure, the FDA has approved the following health claim: “Diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and that are low in sodium may reduce the risk of hypertension.” arterial and stroke. The analysis noted that bananas are particularly high in potassium.
Bananas Can Help Lose Weight
Moreno says the banana has become “very stigmatized in diet culture” because of its carbohydrate content. “People slander them. But we don’t have any weight problems because of the bananas.”
In fact, the fruit could help you feel fuller faster. The combination of pectin and resistant starch delays stomach emptying, causing you to eat fewer calories, says Richards.
Green bananas are best for this, because when a banana ripens or ages, it loses pectin. In addition, the greener the banana, the more resistant starch it contains. When you eat them with a balanced diet, Moreno says, carbohydrates help you make more serotonin, which helps regulate your metabolism and energy levels. Keep in mind, however, that green bananas have more fiber and can cause gas, bloating, and constipation.
These satiety and weight stabilization results were confirmed in a 2019 review. It concluded that green bananas, whether consumed as fresh fruit pulp, cooked or dried and pounded into flour to be used as baking product, make you feel full. Due to their high fiber content, researchers also hypothesized that green bananas might help prevent or cure intestinal disease, lower blood cholesterol, and prevent intestinal cancer.
Bananas are good for digestive health
When it comes to gut health, bananas give and take. Green or greener bananas can promote constipation, “because of the higher amount of resistant starch and pectin,” says Richards, which slows down the digestive process in your stomach.
Still, ripe bananas can help you in the bathroom if you’re having trouble in this area. “Less resistant starch and more fiber can displace the stool,” says Moreno. The fiber is soluble, drawing in water, which facilitates the passage of the stool.
Bananas also contain insoluble fiber: insoluble fiber absorbs and processes nutrients, while soluble fiber creates soft mass for the body to flush out toxins from the digestive system.
However, too many ripe bananas can then cause diarrhea, a common complaint in babies who often start eating with mashed very ripe bananas.
Takeaway from the insider
Although eating too many bananas can cause constipation or diarrhea, depending on how mature they are, it is safe to eat bananas. Bananas not only help with gut health, but they can also support your weight loss efforts, promote heart health, and lower your blood sugar.
