Banana Health Facts Makes More than Monkeys Happy!
Banana health facts go far beyond the fact that bananas are high in potassium. Learn more facts about bananas and try the recipe for a strawberry-banana smoothie here.
Banana Trivia: The banana plant is actually a large herb and its flowers are edible too, just like its popular fruit.The banana needs no formal introduction. Bananas are well known and enjoyed by many people around the world whether they're on a raw diet or not. One of the most well known banana health facts is that bananas are one of the best sources of the mineral potassium. An average banana contains 467 mg of potassium.
So what is potassium good for?--Maintains muscle functions
--Helps with metabolism
--Aids in supplying oxygen to the brain
--Helps to regulate fluid levels in the body--Protects nerve cells
--Maintains functions of the heart
--Assists the kidneys in the removal of wastes
--Alleviates depression
Here are some vitamin banana health facts. Bananas are almost a complete B complex vitamin pill.
Bananas contain thiamine B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (folic acid) and just a bit of B5 (pantothenic acid) and B12 (cobalamin).
More banana health facts: bananas are rich in minerals including copper, chromium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.
Bananas are also more nutritious than apples. You've heard that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Well move over apples— bananas are better!
Compared to apples, the banana contains five times the vitamin A and iron, four times the protein, three times the phosphorus, and twice as much as all the other vitamins and minerals, including fiber, that the two fruits have in common.
Bananas have been known to help alleviate many physical aliments. Here are some interesting banana health facts related to specific medical conditions.
Anemia- Bananas are high in vitamin B6 which helps your body make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein that carries oxygen from the lungs to your cells. Low hemoglobin levels result in anemia.
Bone Health - Bananas help your body absorb calcium and build stronger bones.
Brain Food - The potassium in bananas helps to boost your brain power. One high school provided bananas to students before and during exams to help them think more clearly.
Blood Pressure - The potassium in bananas helps to keep your blood pressure regulated.
Colon Health- Bananas are high in fiber, helping to restore and maintain normal bowel function.
They are also rich in a prebiotic substance which, in turn, nourishes probiotic bacteria in the colon.
Probiotic bacteria improves our ability to absorb nutrients and protect against harmful microorganisms. These probiotic bacteria protect against colon cancer.
Digestive Disorders - Eat a banana or two regularly. Bananas help in both constipation and diarrhea since they help maintain normal colon functions. They are rich in both fiber and water-absorbing pectin which produces bulk.
Depression- If you use just a bit of your imagination, you will notice that bananas are in the shape of a smile. Bananas are good for depression. Popular drugs like Prozac, which adjusts the level of serotonin in your brain and Ritalin that helps in the regulation of Dopamine, can be achieved by bananas which naturally do both and taste better! But bananas also contain tryptophan that your body converts to the needed serotonin and dopamine which makes you naturally feel good.
Energy Booster- Bananas contain three natural sugars: Sucrose, glucose and fructose with fiber. If you find your energy lagging, have a banana.
Eyesight - Eating fruit like bananas may protect your eyesight. Eat at least three servings of fruit daily (You will get two in the strawberry-banana smoothing recipe below) to help protect against age-related macular degeneration.
Kidney Health- Bananas may protect against kidney cancer. Bananas contain high amounts of a specific phenolic compounds, antioxidant that protect against kidney caner.
Smoking Cession Help- The high levels of B vitamins contained in bananas help you to recover from nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
Stomach ulcers- Bananas are a great antacid that helps to protect against stomach ulcers. Bananas help to activate cells that protect the stomach lining so that the produce a thicker mucus barrier that protects it against stomach acid. Banana also have protease inhibitors to help eliminate bacteria in the stomach that causes ulcers.
Strokes- Some scientific studies seem to indicate that eating bananas on a regular basis can cut your risk of stroke by 40 %.
Weight Loss- There are about 90 calories in a medium-sized banana. Further use of banana as a weight loss aid are seen in the Banana Diet described below.
The Banana Diet
Want to incorporate the Banana Diet with your raw food lifestyle? This popular diet originated in Japan and is quite simple. Eat a banana first thing in the morning with a glass of room temperature water. Then you can eat just about anything else you want during the day except for sweets and alcohol. Eat your last meal of the day before 8 p.m. and go to bed before midnight.
My Strawberry-Banana Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients:
7 large strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 banana
2 tablespoons of raw honeyor raw agave syrup
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
1 ½ cups of raw milk,kefir,yogurt,cashew milk or almond milk
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately. Makes 1 generous serving or two large servings.
Banana Cream Pie
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
½ cup of almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours
½ cup of pecans, soaked for at least 4 hours
½ cup of sunflower or pumpkin seeds, soaked for at least 4 hours
2 tablespoons of flax seed seed or sesame seed oil
4 dates, pits removed
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of raw sea salt
For the Filling:
1 cup of cashews,soaked 4 hours
1 cup of water
a dash of sea salt
½ teaspoon of raw honey
2 ripe bananas
Directions:
Drain and discard the soak water from the nuts and seeds. Process all of the crust ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Press into an 8 inch pie plate and refrigerate while making the filling.
Discard the soak water from the cashews. Using a food processor or blender, process the water, cashews, salt and honey until creamy. Slice the bananas and place them in the prepared crust. Pour the cashew “pudding” on top. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon, carob, fresh orange slices, fresh banana slices or even edible flowers.