This controversial banana: is it good or bad?

Composition and calorie content

Calories 89 kcal

• Fat:
  0.3 g
• Proteins:
  1.1 g
• Carbohydrates:
  22.8 g
• Water:
  75 g
• Ash:
  0.8 g
• Fiber:
  2.6 g

Full chemical composition ➤

Other important connections:

• Phytosterols

  — 16 mg (29% of RDA)

  Read also:  Banana with milk in a blender for weight loss
• Purines

  — 11 mg (8.3% of RDA)

• Oxalic acid

  — 0.7 mg (0.2% of RDA)

What are the general benefits of bananas for the body?

The benefits of bananas for the body are very great.

There are many reasons why bananas should be eaten regularly, namely:

• 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 quick satiety, so it can be safely used as a tasty and healthy snack between main meals.
• Bananas promote the rapid removal of alcohol breakdown products from the body. Therefore, they can be consumed after a feast and during 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.
• Banana pulp contains substances that can improve memory and increase performance.
• 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 for diseases of the digestive system, for example, 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, which helps replenish electrolytes. At the same time, the pulp of the fruit will not irritate the already inflamed intestines, and pectin fibers quickly absorb moisture, which helps reduce the processes of seething in the intestines. Moreover, banana is the only fruit that doctors allow to be eaten for diarrhea.
• Bananas are good for people with stomach ulcers. The fruits contain substances that help destroy bacteria that cause ulceration of the digestive mucosa. In addition, the fruit stimulates the production of mucus, which is necessary to cover the ulcer.
• Banana is a product that quickly replenishes energy losses. Therefore, the fruits must be consumed by people engaged in heavy physical labor.
• Bananas are an excellent remedy for constipation. They promote gentle cleansing of the intestines due to their high content of pectin, fiber and dietary fiber. Together, these substances enhance intestinal motility, but do so gently and imperceptibly.
• People with flatulence and bloating should include bananas in their diet.
• Bananas act as natural probiotics, as they create a breeding ground for beneficial bacteria in the intestines.
• Bananas help balance 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, since these fruits normalize the water-salt balance in the body, while simultaneously saturating it with potassium and magnesium. Therefore, including bananas in the menu is an excellent prevention of hypertensive crisis and other diseases that occur at the peak of high blood pressure.
• Bananas are excellent helpers in the fight against smoking. Recent research suggests that including bananas in your daily diet helps you overcome the “addiction barrier” faster.

Who can and who can't eat bananas. Benefits and harms

Banana is one of the most popular and healthy fruits in the world. It is nourishing, tasty and instantly gives a boost of energy, writes l24.lt.

When we eat bananas, we get vitamins C and E, as well as vitamin B6, which is responsible for maintaining blood glucose levels and helping to calm the nervous system. And thanks to the iron contained in bananas, you can increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood.

If you still need reasons to include bananas in your diet, read the list of benefits below.

According to nutritionists, the chemical composition of bananas is so harmonious and balanced that it is difficult to replicate both in nature and in artificial conditions.

Regular but moderate consumption of bananas will benefit your health, and here's why:

• due to the potassium and magnesium content, bananas have a positive effect on the state of the cardiovascular system, nourish and saturate brain cells with oxygen, and normalize the water-salt balance;
• Due to the same potassium and magnesium, actively consuming bananas helps you quit smoking faster; through these microelements, the body more easily overcomes the so-called “addiction barrier”;
• due to the high content of B vitamins and tryptophans, bananas help overcome nervous tension, relieve stress, and suppress an outburst of anger;
• 1-2 bananas a day will provide an excellent mood, since the same tryptophans from bananas are converted into the joy hormone serotonin in the human body;
• due to its high iron content, banana is useful for the formation of hemoglobin in the blood;
• the fiber in bananas helps eliminate dysfunction in the gastrointestinal tract;
• bananas are recommended during the recovery period for lesions of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and digestive tract;
• the content of natural sugars in a banana makes this fruit a source of quick energy, which means that a serving of bananas is indicated for increased fatigue and high physical and intellectual stress;
• Bananas are good for the health and beauty of the skin; their pulp is often used as a basis for nourishing masks.

Bananas, unfortunately, are not one of the fruits that are completely free of contraindications. Potential harms from overusing bananas include:

• Banana removes fluid from the body and promotes blood thickening;
• an increase in blood viscosity with a subsequent decrease in blood flow to individual organs or parts of the body;
• the above fact is unfavorable for persons with varicose veins and for men with erection problems;
• for similar reasons, it is undesirable to eat bananas for patients with thrombophlebitis, coronary heart disease and anyone else who has increased blood clotting;
• For some people, bananas can cause bloating, and therefore their consumption is not recommended for people with irritable bowel syndrome;
• Bananas are not recommended for people with increased body weight, as they are high in calories; This fruit should not so much be excluded from the diet as it should be consumed to a minimum or in accordance with the diet developed by a physician.

Author: l24.lt

Benefits of bananas for men

The benefit of bananas for men primarily lies in increasing potency, because it is not without reason that this fruit is shaped like the male genital organ. Regular consumption of bananas allows you to have a longer and more stable erection. This is especially true for older men who want to maintain excellent sexual shape.

Bananas also have an effect on sperm quality. Thanks to their use, the number of sperm increases, they become more active and mobile, which means the chances of successful fertilization increase. Therefore, men planning to have a child 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 eating bananas to have a good effect on male potency, the fruits must be chosen correctly. Preference should be given 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.

For a man, a banana is a valuable food product that must be present in his diet. Moreover, the fruits are useful both fresh and in various dishes.

Video: what happens if you eat bananas every day?

Benefit

The beneficial properties of tropical delicacies are due to the following factors.

• First, carbohydrate-rich bananas are an excellent source of energy.
• Secondly, this fruit is an excellent natural source of potassium. Just three bananas can satisfy the daily requirement of this mineral, ensuring excellent functioning of the heart and blood vessels. It is recommended to include them in the diet for everyone who suffers from ailments such as arrhythmia and hypertension. Another indisputable fact in favor of eating bananas is that their high potassium content helps lower blood pressure.
• Thirdly, bananas are a natural source of iron, which saturates the blood and is responsible for improving hematopoietic functions. Of course, in advanced cases, it is unlikely that it will be possible to cure anemia by eating bananas, but you can prevent its development by regularly including bananas in your daily diet.
• Fourthly, the tropical fruit is rich in magnesium, which helps reduce the body’s susceptibility to the development of stress and prevent its occurrence. Eating bananas is especially important during seasonal vitamin deficiency. It perfectly helps to cope with the first signs of autumn depression, when the nervous system is most susceptible to stressful situations.
• Fifthly, bananas are a food that is called gentle on the gastrointestinal tract, in particular the stomach. The plant fibers contained in the tropical fruit do not cause irritation to the mucous membrane, do not irritate the stomach and have a beneficial effect on it. It is also noted that this fruit helps the body get rid of excess fluid, and also provides excellent conditions for accelerated digestion of food.
• Sixthly, the high fiber content in bananas is extremely beneficial for the body. This property of the fruit is used by people who suffer from intestinal obstruction. Still, the gentle laxative effect is an undeniable advantage of regular use of the product.
• Seventh, bananas are rich in ephedrine. How is it shown? Their regular inclusion in the diet helps improve the functioning of the central nervous system, increase the body’s performance and have a positive effect on a person’s emotionality.

Experts have also noted that bananas are rich in substances that are similar in structure to happiness hormones. Fans of this tropical fruit note a surge of strength and increased cheerfulness, which are certainly associated with regular consumption of bananas. The product helps improve your mood and tune in to active mental activity.

Bananas and their features

The benefits of bananas for women

Bananas are very useful for pregnant women. Eating these fruits stimulates the production of oxytocin. This hormone promotes the normal course of pregnancy and also enhances the production of breast milk.

In addition, bananas are a real storehouse of vitamins and microelements, so with their help you can saturate the body of a pregnant woman and a developing child with useful substances. You can eat bananas to reduce the severity of toxicosis, as they normalize digestion and muffle the feeling of nausea. Bananas rarely provoke allergic reactions, which is very important for pregnant women.

All women, without exception, should eat bananas during menstruation, as they help ease muscle cramps. This fruit will be useful for women engaged in heavy mental and physical labor. You can include fruits in your diet to lift your mood and get rid of depression.

Since bananas promote quick satiety, they can be eaten even by those representatives of the fairer sex who are on a diet and trying to lose weight. But it is necessary to observe the measure.

What are the benefits of dried bananas?

Dried bananas are no less beneficial for human health than fresh bananas, however, the calorie content of such products is higher. 100 g of dried bananas contain about 346 kcal. Therefore, people with excess body weight should avoid using the product. It is not recommended to include dried bananas in the menu of patients with diabetes.

You can offer dried bananas to children as an alternative to chocolate and candy. This dessert will definitely please your child and will also benefit the body. After all, the vitamins and minerals contained in fresh bananas do not disappear from dried fruits.

Dried bananas are an excellent source of potassium. Eating them helps normalize the condition of the heart and blood vessels. The fruits are beneficial for nails, hair, and skin. Dried bananas are a source of energy and strength. With their help you can get rid of depression and cheer up. Dried bananas very rarely provoke allergic reactions.

It is useful to eat dried fruits from bananas for people prone to constipation and anemia. This product can be included in the menu for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The fruits contain a lot of ascorbic acid, which helps the body in the fight against infectious diseases.

For people involved in active sports or heavy physical labor, dried bananas will quickly replenish energy reserves. Eating them helps normalize blood pressure.

Cooks actively use dried bananas in various dishes. Fruits are added to porridges, they are used to decorate cakes, pastries and other sweets.

Bananas are easy to dry at home. For this purpose, you will need to purchase ripe fruits, wash them, peel them and cut them into thin slices. Then the bananas are placed on a baking sheet, previously covered with parchment, and sent to the oven. The drying temperature should be about 50 °C, but no more. Cooking time for bananas is 3 hours. The oven door should be left ajar to allow air flow and allow the temperature to be adjusted.

After the required time has passed, the bananas are cooled and placed in glass jars for storage. Such fruits can be eaten in their pure form, or can be added to various dishes.

Potassium and other minerals

Fresh bananas are an excellent source of potassium. 100 g of fruit supplies the body with about 360 mg of this substance. Potassium is an important component of all cells and body fluids. It helps control heart rate and lowers blood pressure by counteracting the harmful effects of excess sodium. An excess of this substance in the human body is usually caused by a passion for salty foods. Bananas also contain other minerals: copper, magnesium and manganese. Magnesium is essential for strengthening bones and protecting the heart muscle. Manganese is used to produce the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Copper is involved in the creation of red blood cells.

Do boiled bananas retain their beneficial properties?

Bananas are eaten not only fresh, but also subjected to heat treatment, such as boiling. After exposure of fruits to high temperatures, they become sweeter, but lose some of their vitamins. Boiled bananas retain dietary fiber, fiber, and pectin, which makes it possible to normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, boiled bananas are a source of energy.

People with diabetes can consume boiled bananas in very limited quantities, so as not to provoke a spike in insulin in the body.

Are green bananas healthy?

Green bananas are not unripe fruits, but special varieties, the so-called “plantains” or “plantains”. Before eating, such bananas need to be exposed to high temperatures - fried or boiled. They can be cooked in sugar syrup, stewed and blanched. After heat treatment, green bananas are better digestible.

Small green bananas are considered to be the healthiest for the body. This variety is called "vegetable". Such fruits help regulate blood pressure and are a means of preventing hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Green bananas have a high potassium content, which protects the nervous and cardiovascular systems from external damage. Eating green bananas is beneficial for the musculoskeletal system, as they do not interfere with the excretion of calcium from the body. Green fruits can be eaten against the background of stomach ulcers, constipation and diarrhea.

What are the dangers of eating bananas?

However, it is worth considering contraindications for their use. Bananas take an extremely long time to digest, so if you eat bananas before meals, there is a high probability of bloating, as well as various unpleasant sensations. For this reason, you should not eat these fruits on an empty stomach, or drink water or drinks after them.

Doctors do not recommend eating bananas for those who have suffered heart attacks or strokes and for people suffering from varicose veins or thrombophlebitis. This is due to the fact that these fruits thicken the blood and increase its viscosity. Therefore, the likelihood of thrombosis of arteries and veins increases significantly.

Bananas also contain a large amount of sugar, so people suffering from diabetes should avoid eating them. Don't eat green bananas; they contain insoluble starch that your body can't process.

If we take into account all the contraindications for eating bananas, we can say that this is a very healthy and tasty product. It is important to choose them correctly.

How can banana peels be useful?

Banana peels may be beneficial for human health. It contains the same vitamins and microelements as the fruit itself, but the peel is an absolutely non-calorie product. It contains carotenoids and polyphenols, which speed up metabolic processes in the body. It also contains serotonin to improve mood and lutein to prevent cataracts.

However, many suppliers, in order to prevent banana spoilage, treat the peel with various chemicals that can be harmful to the human body. Therefore, before using banana peels, they must be properly processed.

You can use the peel as follows:

• Prepare a decoction of banana peels. It must be placed in boiling water for 10 minutes, then remove the broth from the heat and cool. The peel must be discarded, and the resulting broth can be added to any juices, compotes or smoothies. This will make your favorite drinks more fortified.
• The peel can be used to whiten tooth enamel. To this end, after each brushing of your teeth, you need to wipe their surface with the soft side of a banana peel. This will help get rid of stains on your teeth enamel, and will also make it possible to reduce the harm from using toothpaste that contains various chemical compounds. In addition, the peel contains minerals that will be beneficial for teeth.
• You can use ripe banana peel to improve the condition of your facial skin. For this purpose, you need to gently massage your face with the peel, rubbing the soft contents into the skin. It is useful to perform this massage once every 3-4 days. Banana peel will act as a soft peeling, gradually whitening the skin of the face, evening out its tone, and smoothing out fine wrinkles.
• Banana peels can help get rid of warts. To do this, you just need to wipe the growth with the soft side of the peel every day before going to bed.
• Fruit acids, minerals and vitamins contained in banana peel help eliminate minor inflammations on the skin. To do this, you just need to wipe the problem area with the soft side of the peel. This method can be used to reduce itching and inflammation from bites of various insects: mosquitoes, wasps or bees. In the same way, you can relieve skin irritation after shaving.
• Laying a banana peel on the bottom of the pan and then frying the meat on it will make it soft and juicy. In addition, the product will not burn or spoil. Naturally, before using the peel, you need to wash it well.

Why is it healthy to eat banana with milk and kefir?

You can often hear information that bananas should not be combined with dairy products, in particular milk and kefir. In fact, such a combination can actually provoke bloating, indigestion and fermentation processes in the intestines, especially if a person already has diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

However, there is a diet that is based specifically on the combination of milk and bananas. People who follow it are recommended to eat 1 banana 3 times a day, washed down with a glass of milk. This will cleanse the body and saturate it with beneficial microelements contained in bananas.

You should not stick to this diet for a long time. In this case, the milk should not be too fat; it is recommended to use a product with a fat content of 1.5%. At the same time, you need to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. The volume of clean water you drink per day should be at least 2 liters. It should be understood that such a diet is extremely extreme and in a short time allows you to get rid of several kilograms of weight.

Video: Is it possible to squeeze juice out of bananas?

How will cottage cheese with banana be useful?

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, you do not feel hungry for a long time. For example, there is a diet in which you only need to eat 200 g of low-fat cottage cheese and 2 bananas throughout the day.

To prepare a healthy dish, you need to mash the 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. This diet will allow you to quickly get rid of several kilograms, as well as saturate your body with useful substances. By eating cottage cheese with banana throughout the day, a person will not experience hunger, if the interval between food breaks is observed at 2-3 hours.

Banana salads

Almost all children, both very young and older, eat banana fruit salad with great pleasure. There are several types of this salad:

• Banana and yoghurt salad

To prepare it, you will need two medium-sized bananas and one small glass of any yogurt. Bananas must be peeled and cut into small cubes of the same size. Pour yogurt over the chopped bananas and stir them. Place the salad on a plate and garnish with a slice of apple.

• Fruit salad with banana.

The next type of salad with banana is simply a real storehouse of vitamins. To prepare it you will need apples, pears, kiwi and grapes. Take the amount of fruit that the child can eat at one time, or be prepared to finish the salad bit by bit - chopped vegetables very quickly lose all their beneficial properties.

Cut the fruit into small cubes of the same size, pour yogurt over them and mix. Please note that citrus fruits should not be added to the salad to avoid the development of allergic reactions in the child. And only if you are firmly convinced that the child is not prone to food allergies, the salad can include oranges or tangerines.

Harm of bananas

Bananas can not only be beneficial, but also harmful.

There are certain diseases for which bananas should not be consumed, including:

• IBS.
• Diabetes.
• Thrombophlebitis.
• Increased blood viscosity.

Obese people should not get too carried away with bananas, as these fruits have a fairly 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, people with excess body weight need to observe moderation in consuming these fruits.

You should not eat unripe fruits, as they contain a high content of starch, which is difficult for the digestive system to process. As a result, a person will experience symptoms of bloating, and the processes of fermentation and gas formation in the intestines will intensify. Therefore, if unripe fruits were purchased, you need to wait until they ripen. Over time, the starch will turn into sugar.

As a rule, fruits lying on store shelves 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 entering the body in high doses, these chemicals can provoke various diseases, including oncology. Therefore, all fruits must be washed thoroughly before eating them.

This product should not be offered to very young children. Some doctors recommend refraining from introducing bananas into a child's diet for up to a year. This recommendation is based on the fact that eating a banana can cause bloating, upset bowel movements and diarrhea. Banana is an overseas fruit, which means that if the child’s digestive system is imperfect, it can provoke allergic reactions. Moreover, bananas are high in vitamin K. Its excess in a child’s body can lead to the development of hemolytic anemia and jaundice.

In many ways, the harm that bananas can cause depends on the method of storing and transporting the fruit. All bananas are brought to Russia unripe, and they become ripe in warehouses. To do this, they are fumigated with ethylene. This gas allows the fruit 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. Phenol is extremely toxic to the human body; even a small ingestion of it can trigger the development of cancer. Therefore, before you start peeling a banana, you need to wash it thoroughly.

People suffering from irritable bowel syndrome should not eat bananas. These fruits can further intensify unpleasant symptoms. Doctors do not allow patients who have had heart attacks, strokes, or thrombophlebitis to eat bananas. This is explained by the fact that bananas help increase blood viscosity.

Unripe bananas are harmful even to healthy people. They contain a lot of starch and have an unpleasant taste and smell. Such bananas will irritate the intestines and harm digestion.

Reaction to daily use

When addressing the issue of healthy eating, the consumption of environmentally friendly products and fruits without artificial additives is taken into account. Bananas come first on this list.

They have a high glycemic index and are not suitable for many diets. And supporters of proper nutrition are recommended to include them in their daily diet.

• Symptoms of depression go away, nerves calm down, and a person is able to restrain himself from excessive anxiety in stressful situations. This is helped by the B vitamins contained in bananas, folic acid, and tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin, a natural antidepressant. Anxiety, aggression, irritability are relieved.
• Digestion improves. The soft fiber of bananas envelops the mucous membranes of the stomach, preventing the development of gastritis, ulcerative lesions of the stomach and intestinal linings. When a person suffers from heartburn, you can eat half a banana to stop the discomfort. The richness of components in bananas stimulates digestion and protects against chronic constipation. The choline contained in bananas prevents increased gas formation and promotes fat burning.
• Anemia is cured due to the high iron content in bananas. Constantly reinforcing the body with Fe, microelements, serotonin, and endorphins improves the formation of hemoglobin, which relieves a person of anemia and strengthens the heart and blood vessels.

• Blood pressure is normalized. Bananas contribute to this, since nature has successfully balanced the sodium and potassium content in them. By regularly eating bananas, a person protects himself from dystonia, strokes, heart attacks, and hypertensive crises.
• The brain receives excellent nutrition. Research shows that bananas have a positive effect on its functions, in particular, they improve concentration, increase mental abilities, efficiency, and strengthen memory.
• Menstrual cycles are easier. Gynecologists recommend that all women suffering from negative manifestations of PMS must eat bananas every day before the start of their next period.
• Symptoms of toxicosis in the first trimester of pregnancy are alleviated if a woman eats a banana in the morning. In addition, it saturates well and relieves the symptoms of heartburn that accompanies pregnancy. Banana is a great midday snack for expectant mothers.