Top 10 Health Benefits of Ripe Bananas

Did you know that the riper a banana is, the healthier it is for your body?
Dark patches not only boost their cancer-fighting antioxidants, but the bananas also have other
amazing benefits! If you are feeling sluggish, eat a banana for an instant energy boost.
Rich in potassium, fiber, and natural sugars, this fruit contains diverse nutrients vital for a healthy
body. These are some of the many health benefits that bananas offer you.
Read on to discover lots more!

Bananas top the list of the world’s most favored fruits and are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and
nutrients. They contain many vitamins, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and B6, which aid your
body’s proper functioning. High in antioxidants, they protect against free radicals, chronic diseases and help boost immunity to colds through Vitamin C.
Their soluble fiber slows down digestion, keeps you feeling full longer, and makes them superb for
breakfast. The high potassium content helps regulate the heartbeat, blood pressure, and maintains an alert
brain. Eating bananas will help you prevent kidney cancer, avoid blurred vision, and build strong bones.
Add banana to your cereal to add to its nutrition levels or sweeten cakes naturally using ripe bananas.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans eat more bananas than any other fruit per year,
including apples! Wonder why? A banana has approximately 105 calories and a low glycemic index (GI), making it an excellent snack. Bananas are delicious, portable, and affordable and come neatly packed in their yellow casing how convenient!

The perfect pre-workout snack, their vitamins, minerals, and easily digested carbs give you high
energy and sustain your blood sugar.
Additionally, they may help reduce muscle cramps and soreness, thus supply superb nutrition
before, during, and after endurance workouts.
Bananas consist of three natural sugars; sucrose, glucose, and fructose, which provide you with fat
and cholesterol-free energy.
How to eat them? Add them to your yogurt, smoothie, or peel and eat.

Though sweet, bananas have a low GI glycemic index (GI) hence, they don’t cause sugar spikes.
Since fiber balances the sugar content in bananas, it helps maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes can enjoy a banana too, according to the American Diabetes Association.
However, those with type 2 diabetes should limit their banana intake or carefully track their blood
sugar if they do. Bananas are rich in pectin, which may moderate your blood sugar and reduce appetite.
Eat a banana between meals to help you stabilize your blood sugar.

Bananas have two types of fiber — soluble and insoluble — besides high levels of pectin.
Soluble fiber can help to control blood sugar levels and lower cholesterol while insoluble fiber
regulates bowel function. The above helps to keep your gut healthy, pathogen-free, prevents constipation and helps relieve heartburn. Potassium helps maintain body fluid levels and regulates the movement of nutrients and waste products. Pectin helps soothe the digestive tract hence aids digestion, besides binding toxins and heavy metals from the body. Bananas also contain prebiotics, which induces the growth of probiotics— friendly gut bacteria. Research suggests that probiotics may boost digestion, reduce colds, and assist in weight loss.

The Japanese Morning Banana Diet involved eating unlimited bananas and was so popular that it
caused a banana shortage! If you are on a low-carb diet, then banana is your friend — an average banana has approximately 90 calories only.
Since they have relatively few calories, the yellow fruits are linked to lower body weight and weight loss.
Furthermore, their high soluble fiber helps keep you feeling full, thus reduces your appetite by curbing your cravings. Bananas are rich in vitamins and fiber besides being fat and cholesterol-free, which boosts your weight loss goals. Resistant starch found in newly ripened bananas helps you manage your weight since you stay full longer. If dieting, low-glycemic food will help you control hunger, avoid overeating, and help stabilize your blood sugar levels.

With a medium-sized banana containing up to 400-plus mg of potassium, bananas in your diet may
help prevent high blood pressure. High in potassium but low in salt, the FDA recognizes bananas’ ability to lower blood pressure and shield against heart attack. By blocking cholesterol absorption, they keep blood cholesterol levels low while their soluble fiber reduces the risk of heart disease.
Potassium helps to deliver oxygen to the brain, maintain a regular heartbeat, and to control blood
pressure. It helps eliminate sodium when you pass urine besides relaxing your blood vessels, which helps
lower blood pressure. Low potassium leads to a high risk of blood pressure and kidney stones, weakness, tiredness, and muscle cramps. A University of Leeds study maintains that increased consumption of foods rich in fiber can lower the risk of heart disease.

Are you feeling constipated? Eat bananas, and such stomach challenges may just become a distant
memory. Well-ripened bananas have a fiber that helps to restore and maintain regular bowel functions.
According to a 2014 Chinese study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, they improve the
passage of waste through the bowels, Thus, bananas can help you fight digestive system issues such as heartburn, constipation and stomach ulcers A running tummy, perhaps? Bananas will soothe your digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes. A natural antacid, bananas ease heartburn, indigestion as well as acid reflux and may even prevent colorectal cancer. They are a natural remedy for piles since their fiber eases the passing of stool while the laxative effect prevents strain.

Bananas’ natural ingredients and their ability to replenish the body’s vitamins make them ideal for
reducing hangover effects. The fruit calms the stomach, digests quickly and provides welcome relief.
If throwing up, a banana is the fastest way to restore potassium into your system.
Gentle on the stomach, they will also replace electrolytes lost during heavy drinking.
Bananas contain lots of magnesium, which relaxes blood vessels and eases headaches in some
people. For a quick remedy, blend a banana with plain yogurt and add some honey.

Since bananas increase mucus in the digestive tract, they help in healing or preventing stomach
ulcers. The above is according to alternative health researcher and chiropractor David Williams, D.C.
By forming a protective coating around the inner walls, they help lessen irritation in the digestive
system. Thus, they naturally promote intestinal health and defend the stomach from acids.
Since they help neutralize acidity, they’re a fantastic way to get rid of heartburn too.
Acting as a natural antacid, they quickly soothe the burn.

The irritability, cramping, and bloating that occurs every month to many women is a killjoy.
However, there’s a reason to smile, as luckily, a remedy exists. Forget the chips and chocolate and instead reach for bananas. Rich in vitamin B6 and potassium, they can stop you from retaining water and reduce bloating. Potassium helps reduce cramps before and after the menses, while iron combats fatigue linked to
PMS. Too little potassium might lead to muscle cramping — definitely not what you want when menstrual
cramps hit.

How to Eat Your Banana

For a healthy diet, enjoy your banana in any of the below ways:

• Include them in your breakfast cereal or oats
• You can freeze bananas and add to your smoothie for a delicious taste
• Replace oil and butter with a banana in your cooking
• Ripe bananas may be added to cakes or muffins to give them a yummy taste
• Peel and eat as is

The Bottom Line

Bananas are among the most loved fruits in the world and for a good reason too.
They provide many health benefits besides being readily available at a pocket-friendly cost.
Eating bananas could help lower blood pressure, boost digestion, keep your heart healthy, and
reduce digestive problems. They may even aid weight loss and are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
When compared with apples, they come up trumps as they have 5x the vitamins, 4x the protein, and
2x the carbohydrates! These incredible benefits provide you ample healthy reasons to add the delicious fruit to your daily diet!

Reference Links:

Dietary fiber intake and risk of colorectal cancer and incident and recurrent adenoma in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial – PMC

How Bananas Affect Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels – health line

What To Eat Before And After A Workout – Food Matters

Why Is Fiber Good for You? The Crunchy Truth – health line