No introduction is needed for bananas. It is known as “the fruit of the wise”. The origin of the word banana has come from the Arab word “banan,” which means finger. The most interesting fact is that it is not a tree, but a very large herb plant! Buddhist Pali mentioned in literature that the origin of bananas took place in Malaysia around 4,000 years ago. From there, they spread throughout the Philippines and India, where in 327 B.C. Alexander the Great’s army recorded them being grown. Bananas were introduced to Africa by Arabian traders and discovered there in 1482 A.D. by Portuguese explorers who took them to the Americas, the place where the majority of bananas are now produced. Americans first tasted Bananas in 1804.

Despite that fact that bananas like a hot climate, they are grown in Iceland too. Due to rapid transport in the 20th century and growth of refrigeration bananas have become widely available.  Today, bananas grow in most tropical and subtropical regions with the main commercial producers including Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil.

These wonderful sweet bananas with firm and creamy flesh come prepackaged in their own yellow jackets and are available for harvest throughout the year. It can easily be peeled and eaten as it is. Just as the lily and the orchid, banana plant also grows 10 to 26 feet. The cluster of fruits contain anywhere from 50 to 150 bananas with individual fruits grouped in bunches, known as “hands,” containing 10 to 25 bananas. An average American spends more than 28 pounds on bananas.

As per studies published in the September 8, 2003 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine also confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as bananas, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years, during which time 1,843 cases of coronary heart disease (CHD) and 3,762 cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) were diagnosed. People eating the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had 12% less CHD and 11% less CVD compared to those eating the least, 5 grams daily. Those eating the most water-soluble dietary fiber fared even better with a 15% reduction in risk of CHD and a 10% risk reduction in CVD.

Banana Nutrition Facts:

Banana contains minerals and vitamins that are necessary for our body. Banana has also dietary fiber and phytonutrients. So, banana is the perfect power food for human body. It is rich in potassium. It also contains other minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus in large quantities. It is also rich in fibers making it a useful laxative and good for easing constipation. : It is rich in vitamin C. It also contains other vitamins such as vitamin A, and Vitamin B, especially folate. Bananas are ideal and have a high-energy value, which makes people to increase its use and also it helps to replenish potassium that is lost during bouts of vomiting and diarrhea.

Calorie Content of Banana:

Banana contains about 90 to 93 calories per 100 g. This energy is easily absorbed by the body and hence to gain weight 3-4 bananas can be eaten daily, especially with milk. At the same time, banana is useful for loosing weight. Since it has only 90 calories per 100 g (butter has about 700 calories per 100 g), banana reduces your calorie intake and thus helps in weight loss. Overweight people, should of course, stop eating banana chips to lose weight.

Health Benefits of Bananas:

Relieve Stress: High potassium levels in bananas help normalize the heartbeat and regulate the body’s water balance. During stress, our body’s potassium levels tend to be rapidly depleted: eating bananas is a healthy way to rebalance them without using drugs.

Help Depression: Tryptophan, an aminoacid found in bananas, can be converted to serotonin, leading to improved mood. Also, serotonin has a good influence on brain cells related to sexual desire and function, appetite, sleep, memory and learning, temperature regulation, and some social behaviour.

Reduce Blood Pressure and Stroke Risk: Bananas are high in potassium – a large banana has about 487 mg and is very low in sodium, 1 mg, which makes it a perfect ratio for preventing high blood pressure. The US Food and Drug Administration have allowed the banana industry to make official claims that bananas have an ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and strokes. Eating bananas as part of your regular diet reduces the risk of stroke by 40%, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Prevent Anaemia: Bananas have a high iron content, which helps the body to form haemoglobin – the common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency.

Natural Remedy for Heartburn: Ripe bananas can be your heartburn home remedies, as they act as an antacid by helping your stomach lining to produce mucus, which creates a barrier for stomach acid. Having said that, unripe bananas (the skin is bright yellow or has green specs on the skin) have high acid content and starches that haven’t yet been converted to sugar and can be difficult to digest therefore should be avoided during heartburn as they can worsen your condition.

Gastritis and Ulcers: Ripe bananas are considered the most effective home remedy for gastritis and peptic ulcers. It is recommended to consume 7-8 bananas on daily basis for fast recovery. Bananas help to reduce acidity and irritation in the stomach lining and contain protease inhibitors that help eliminate bacteria in the stomach that have been stated as a primary cause of ulcers.

Constipation and Diarrhoea: High fiber content in bananas helps to restore a normal bowel function. Also they contain pectin, a soluble fiber (hydrocolloid) that helps to normalize movement through the digestive tract.

Healthy Kidney: Research published in the International Journal of Cancer has shown that, over a long timeframe (13.4 years), women eating more than 2.5 servings of fruits and vegetable per day cut their risk of kidney cancer by 40%. Among the fruits, bananas were especially protective. Women eating bananas 4-6 times a week reduce their risk of developing the disease by 50% compared to those who did not eat this fruit.

Healthy Bones: Enjoying bananas frequently can help improve your body’s ability to absorb calcium. Green bananas contain indigestible (to humans) short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that are a favorite food of the cells that make up the lining of the intestines. When these cells are well-nourished and healthy, the body’s ability to absorb nutrients such as calcium increases dramatically.

Help to Stop Smoking: Banana nutrients such as vitamin B6, B12, potassium and magnesium help the body recover from the effect of nicotine withdrawal.

Protect Your Eyesight: Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

Besides just a tasty fruit, the skin of a banana contains esterified fatty acids, which can be used as a skin lotion. Modern research, says that it will help people to solve their skin problem. If it is used on red, scaly patches of psoriasis it will provide a natural relief. Exorex lotion is a patented lotion created from the isolation of the esterified fatty acids and is sold commercially.
Mainly there are two varieties of bananas, the fruit or sweet banana and the plantain. The fruit banana is eaten raw out of hand when it turns yellow and develops a juicy sweetness with a soft, smooth, creamy, yet firm pulp. The plantain, a cooking banana, is also referred to as the meal, vegetable or horse banana. Plantains have lower water content, making them drier and starchier than fruit bananas.

Bananas and plantains are today grown in every humid tropical region and constitute the 4th largest fruit crop of the world, following the grape, citrus fruits and the apple. World production is estimated to be 28 million tons—65% from Latin America, 27 % from Southeast Asia, and 7 % from Africa. One-fifth of the crop is exported to Europe, Canada, the United States and Japan as fresh fruit. India is the leading banana producer in Asia. The crop from 400,000 acres (161,878 ha) is entirely for domestic consumption. Indonesia produces over 2 million tons annually, the Philippines about 1/2 million tons, exporting mostly to Japan. Taiwan raises over 1/2 million tons for export. Tropical Africa (principally the Ivory Coast and Somalia) grows nearly 9 million tons of bananas each year and exports large quantities to Europe.

Bananas are also very beneficial for athletes and so they consume it before they compete. It helps them keep a high level of energy throughout their workout or competitive event. If you watch tennis, you’ll notice a lot of players snack on bananas between games. All the top tennis players, Federer, Nadal, they’ve all eaten bananas between their games. Similarly bananas are very good for babies too and are often used as the first solid food given to infants. They contain almost no fat, are easy to digest and very few babies are allergic to them.

But at the same time bananas are high in sugar, so they should not be eaten if one has blood sugar problems. Also it should not be consumed on an empty stomach; instead it should be combined with a bit of protein so that it may help to normalize the insulin response caused by the sugar in the banana. Green-tipped bananas are better for health than over-ripe bananas. Bananas have become so popular that rainforests are often destroyed to make way for banana plantations.

Lastly the banana nutrition facts conclude that this is a powerful fruit that should be in your diet everyday. They provide a remarkable nutritional source of energy and they are available year round.