“This is perhaps what has made some suspect that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was really a banana.”
~Jane Grigson, Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book
Is a banana a healthy food or just a silly curved fruit wrapped in its own convenient packaging? Scientists and medical researchers say bananas have profound health benefits, and some risks. This easy recipe will show you how to incorporate more bananas into your diet.
Some scientists believe the banana may have been the world’s first fruit. What if the “forbidden fruit” offered by Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden was a banana, not an apple. Now that is food for thought!
Some of the less known health benefits of the banana are its ability to lower the risks of cancer, asthma, blood pressure, and muscle cramps by increasing potassium intake and improving heart health. They also promote regularity and may reduce diarrhea in adults and children.
Who has not suffered from that during long vacations or short trips? Changes in schedules, water, and foods can play havoc with digestion. Large quantities of electrolytes like potassium are lost during diarrhea which may cause weakness.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, fewer than 2% of US adults meet the daily 4700 mg recommendation of potassium.
Imagine eating one banana from the local fruit stand or grocery store to solve both problems.
How important is it to eat just one banana a day?
Research by Mark Houston, MD, MS, an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School and Director of the Hypertension Institute at St Thomas Hospital in Tennessee shows the fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 content in bananas all support heart health. One medium banana provides about 3 grams of fiber.
Another study conducted by the Imperial College of London found that children who ate one banana per day had a 34% less chance of developing asthma.
And finally, a study by researchers at the University of Brazil and published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reveals that a new gluten-free pasta, derived from the flour of green bananas is a healthy substitute for celiac disease patients.
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