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Bananas are not only delicious food, but also extremely healthy, although quite high-calorie. 100 g of fresh bananas contain about 200 kcal, and in dried fruits this figure reaches almost 300. However, the high calorie content of bananas is no reason to exclude them from the menu. Indeed, these yellow palm gifts contain a whole range of various vitamins: ascorbic acid, B vitamins, vitamin PP, as well as carotene, enzymes and various trace elements. Banana is a valuable source of potassium and fiber.
Bananas are native to Southeast Asia. Interestingly, from a botanical point of view, a banana is a berry. Bananas are an ancient food crop and are eaten all over the world. The fruits are eaten fresh and are also used to prepare various dishes. Bananas are fried, boiled, baked, canned, made into flour, syrups, wines, marmalade, consumed with or without peel. It is noteworthy that in Ecuador these fruits are the main source of nutrition for the population. In just one year, each Ecuadorian consumes about 73 kg of bananas, while in Burundi this figure reaches 189,4 kg. It turns out that bananas grow in Russia too. You can meet them in the Sochi region. However, they do not reach such maturity that they can be eaten.
Scientists have calculated that a person who eats 4 bananas a day, 100% covers the body’s need for potassium and magnesium. But it’s not a secret for anyone that these two trace elements are necessary for the normal functioning of the heart muscle.
Recent scientific evidence proves that bananas are fruits that need to be consumed to prevent atherosclerosis and normalize vision. It is very useful to eat bananas for people in the recovery period after an illness. Unlike many food products, bananas are allowed for patients with various pathologies of the digestive tract.
The pulp of bananas has a delicate structure, so they are allowed for children to eat. Fruits can be included in the child’s menu already in the first year of life. It is recommended to start introducing such complementary foods into the diet of infants starting from 10-12 months. Bananas have a soft texture and sweet taste, so all kids eat them with pleasure.
Composition and calorie content
Vitamins (in 100 g): | Quantity | %RDN |
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) | 0,37 mg | 19% |
Vitamin B7 (Biotin) | 4-8 μg | 12% |
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) | 8,7 mg | 10% |
Minerals (in 100 g): | Quantity | %RDN |
Bor | 372 mcg | 531% |
Silicon | 77 mg | 257% |
Rubidium | 63 mcg | 63% |
potassium | 358 mg | 14% |
Manganese | 270 mcg | 14% |
Full chemical composition ➤
Other important connections:
Phytosterols — 16 mg (29% of RDI)
Purine — 11 mg (8,3% of RDI)
Oxalic acid — 0,7 mg (0,2% of RDI)
What are the general benefits of bananas for the body?
The benefits of bananas for the body are very high.
There are many reasons why bananas should be eaten regularly, including:
These fruits are natural antidepressants. After eating them, the body begins to produce serotonin. It’s no secret that this hormone is otherwise called the hormone of happiness. Therefore, bananas are useful to eat daily for people prone to depression and stress.
Banana promotes rapid satiety, so it can be safely used as a tasty and healthy snack between main meals.
Bananas contribute to the speedy removal of alcohol decay products from the body. Therefore, they can be consumed after the feast and during the holidays.
Bananas saturate the body with potassium, vitamins B and C. All these substances have a positive effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
The pulp of bananas contains substances that can improve memory and increase efficiency.
Bananas have a lot of fiber, but it is soft and does not irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. Therefore, bananas can be consumed even with diseases of the digestive system, for example, with gastritis.
Bananas contain a beneficial amino acid called tryptophan. It works like a natural sleeping pill. Therefore, bananas should be eaten by people prone to insomnia.
Bananas are good for diarrhea. These fruits contain a large amount of potassium, due to which the replenishment of electrolyte reserves occurs. At the same time, the pulp of the fruit will not irritate the already inflamed intestines, and the pectin fibers quickly absorb moisture, which helps to reduce the processes of seething in the intestines. Moreover, a banana is the only fruit that doctors allow to eat with diarrhea.
Bananas are good for people with stomach ulcers. The fruits contain substances that contribute to the destruction of bacteria that provoke ulceration of the mucous membrane of the digestive organs. In addition, the fruit stimulates the production of mucus, which is necessary in order to envelop the ulcer.
Banana is a product that quickly replenishes energy losses. Therefore, the fruits must be consumed by people engaged in hard physical labor.
Bananas are an excellent remedy for constipation. They contribute to the gentle cleansing of the intestines due to the high content of pectin, fiber and dietary fiber. Together, these substances increase intestinal motility, but do it gently and imperceptibly.
Bananas should be included in your diet for people with flatulence and bloating.
Bananas act as natural probiotics, as they create a breeding ground in the gut for beneficial bacteria to thrive.
Bananas help to balance the hormonal levels, which is especially important for women during PMS.
With the help of bananas, you can increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, as this fruit contains an impressive amount of iron.
Bananas, due to their unique composition, can strengthen the overall immunity of the body.
It is useful to eat them for people with high blood pressure, as these fruits normalize the water-salt balance in the body, simultaneously saturating it with potassium and magnesium. Therefore, the inclusion of bananas in the menu is an excellent prevention of a hypertensive crisis and other diseases that occur at the peak of high blood pressure.
Bananas are great helpers in the fight against smoking. Recent research suggests that incorporating bananas into your daily diet can help you overcome the “addiction barrier” faster.
The benefits of bananas for men
The benefits of bananas for men primarily consist in increasing potency, because it is not without reason that this fruit resembles the male genital organ in shape. Regular consumption of bananas in food allows you to make an erection longer and more resistant. This is especially true for older men who want to maintain an excellent sexual shape.
Bananas also affect the quality of sperm. Thanks to their use, the number of spermatozoa increases, they become more active and mobile, which means that the chances of successful fertilization increase. Therefore, men who are planning to have a baby should regularly include bananas in their diet. In addition, bananas have a positive effect on male libido, as they act as a natural aphrodisiac.
In order for the use of bananas to have a good effect on male potency, the fruits must be chosen correctly. It is necessary to give preference to those fruits that have a rich yellow color and intact skin. Black spots on a banana are a sign of its ripeness, but these spots should not be large and occupy the entire surface of the fruit. Mold is a sign of spoilage of the fruit, eating such bananas is dangerous to health. The smaller the fruit, the sweeter it is.
A banana for a man is a valuable food product that must be present in his diet. Moreover, fruits are useful both fresh and in various dishes.
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What will be useful for cottage cheese with banana?
The combination of cottage cheese and bananas is often recommended to be included in the diet when following various diets. Thanks to these products, you can replenish the reserves of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals in the body. In addition, after eating cottage cheese with bananas, the feeling of hunger does not come for a long time. For example, there is a diet, following which during the day you need to eat only 200 g of fat-free cottage cheese and 2 bananas.
To prepare a healthy dish, you need to mash a banana with a fork, and rub the cottage cheese through a sieve. The resulting ingredients should be mixed, divided into portions and eaten throughout the day. Such a diet will allow you to quickly get rid of a few kilograms, as well as saturate the body with useful substances. Eating cottage cheese with a banana throughout the day, a person will not experience hunger, if the interval between food breaks is observed at 2-3 hours.
Banana harm
Bananas can not only benefit, but also harm.
There are certain diseases in which bananas should not be consumed, among them:
CHD.
Diabetes.
Thrombophlebitis.
Increased blood viscosity.
Obese people should not get too carried away with bananas, as these fruits have a rather high sugar content.
Although bananas very rarely provoke allergic reactions, allergy sufferers should also not consume them in very large quantities. In addition, the calorie content of bananas, despite all their advantages, remains quite high. Therefore, overweight people need to observe the measure in the consumption of these fruits.
You should not eat unripe fruits, as they have an increased content of starch, which is difficult for the digestive system to process. As a result, a person will experience symptoms of bloating, he will intensify the processes of fermentation and gas formation in the intestines. Therefore, if unripe fruits were purchased, you need to wait for them to ripen. Over time, the starch will turn into sugar.
As a rule, fruits lying on the shelves of stores are treated with chemicals. For this purpose, phenols E230, E231 and E232 can be used. They are used to keep food fresh for as long as possible. When ingested in high doses, these chemicals can cause various diseases, including cancer. Therefore, all fruits must be thoroughly washed before they are eaten.
Do not offer this product to very young children. Some doctors recommend refraining from introducing a banana into the diet of a child under one year old. This recommendation is based on the fact that eating a banana can cause bloating, upset stools and diarrhea. Banana is an overseas fruit, which means that if the child’s digestive system is imperfect, it can provoke allergic reactions. Moreover, the banana contains a high content of vitamin K. Its excess in the body of a child can lead to the development of hemolytic anemia and jaundice.
In many ways, the harm that bananas can cause depends on the way the fruit is stored and transported. All bananas are imported to Russia unripe, and they become ripe already in warehouses. To do this, they are fumigated with ethylene. This gas allows fruits to ripen faster, become softer and sweeter. The bananas are then treated with chemicals containing phenol. This makes it possible to increase the shelf life of already yellowed fruits. For the human body, phenol is extremely toxic, even its slight ingestion can provoke the development of cancer. Therefore, before you start peeling a banana, it must be thoroughly washed.
Bananas should not be consumed by people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. These fruits can further enhance unpleasant symptoms. Doctors do not allow bananas to be eaten by patients who have had heart attacks, strokes, or patients with thrombophlebitis. This is due to the fact that bananas contribute to increased blood viscosity.
Unripe bananas are harmful even to healthy people. They contain a lot of starch in their composition, have an unpleasant taste and smell. Such bananas will irritate the intestines and harm digestion.
How to choose bananas and how many can you eat?
To choose bananas that will bring the maximum benefit to the body, you need to pay attention to the following signs and characteristics of the fetus:
The shape of the banana should be streamlined.
The peel should be smooth and matte.
The color of the banana should be yellow. Green bananas are unripe, which means they are dangerous to eat. Such fruits should ripen, for which you can leave them in a warm place for several days.
The peel of bananas may be covered with black dots, which indicate the ripeness of the fruit. However, you need to eat such bananas as quickly as possible.
Large black spots on bananas are a sign of rot. Such fruits should not be bought.
If the banana peel has turned gray, it means that the fruit has been frozen. Gray bananas are not edible.
Don’t get too carried away with bananas. A healthy person without obesity should not consume more than 2 fruits per day. As for diabetics, the possibility of eating bananas should be discussed with the doctor.
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