Bananas - 5 Super Amazing Benefits of It!

Dt. Geeta Shenoy 90% (15 ratings)

Registered Dietician, Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics

Dietitian/Nutritionist, mumbai  •  28 years experience

Nature has blessed us with some amazing and magical foods. Forget pills or supplements, these foods can give all that you crave for in life, a well-shaped body, a healthy mind and heart and a lot more. It is important for us to identify these foods and make them a part of our regular diet.

Believe it or not, bananas are one of these magical foods. This is a fantastic fruit, available in the markets throughout the year and is pocket-friendly too. From potassium to vitamin B6, it is packed with the goodness of essential nutrients. The best part about this fruit is you can consume it in different ways. Besides eating it alone, you can make delicious sweet dishes and milk-shakes out of it. 

• Each banana (118gm) contains only about 105 calories, and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs.
• Bananas contain very little protein and almost no fat.
• The carbs in unripe (green) bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose).
• A medium-sized banana contains about 3 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good fiber source.

Bananas contain mainly two types of fiber: 

1. Pectin: Decreases as the banana ripens. 
2. Resistant starch: Found in unripe bananas. 

Resistant starch escapes digestion and ends up in our large intestine, where it becomes food for the beneficial gut bacteria. Additionally, some cell studies propose that pectin may help protect against colon cancer. Bananas contain several types of potent antioxidants, including dopamine and catechins. These antioxidants have been linked to many health benefits, such as a reduced risk of heart disease and degenerative diseases. Bananas are often referred to as the perfect food for athletes, largely due to their mineral content and easily digested carbs. Eating bananas may help reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness, which affect up to 95% of the general population. Bananas are also one of the most convenient snack foods. You can add them to breakfast yogurt, cereal or smoothie. You can even use them instead of sugar in your baking and cooking. Furthermore, bananas rarely contain any pesticides or pollutants, due to their thick protective peel. Bananas are incredibly easy to eat and transport. They are usually well-tolerated and easily digested, and simply have to be peeled and eaten. 

1. Keeps you smart and slim: It acts as a perfect energy booster. You get ample amount of calories by consuming a banana. A single banana can give you 100 to 110 calories instantly. Interestingly, it doesn’t add too much carb or fat to your overall diet. A medium-sized banana is most likely to contain about 30 grams of useful carbs and 3 to 4 grams of fiber. It is rich in resistant starch—a kind of carbohydrate that takes longer time for digestion, burning more calories.
2. Takes care of your muscles: Bananas are rich in minerals like magnesium and potassium. It prevents and protects us from developing cramps in the muscles. It enhances the process of muscle relaxation too.
3. Keeps a tab on your blood pressure: It is an ideal fruit for people with high blood pressure. It is because of the fact that bananas are rich in potassium. This mineral does wonder in reducing blood pressure. One gets about 400-450 mg of potassium (with no traces of sodium) from a single banana.
4. Get gorgeous with a glowing skin: It is not just the citrus fruits that fulfil your body’s requirement of Vitamin C. Bananas are also a rich source of Vitamin C. This nutrient is essential for a healthy skin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system of our body.
5. Good for your stomach: Bananas are helpful in taking care of your stomach. They keep you away from gastric problems or disorders. Say thanks to the fructooligosaccharides (FOS) present in them. FOS acts as a probiotic substance, enhancing the growth of useful bacterias in human intestine. Consequently, eating a banana prevents you from gastric diseases. Further, bananas contain pectin which helps in beating constipation.