A Banana A Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

#1 Introduction:

What lies underneath that bright yellow peel? An abundance of nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and functioning at its best!

Turns out, the humble banana is more important for your health than you may have realized, so take a lesson from those energetic apes. Here's why.

Are you getting enough vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and fiber? You won't have to worry about it any longer by just eating a banana a day. The yellow fruit is loaded with the essential minerals you require to function daily. And there are so many more benefits that the jungle fruit has to offer.

Whether you pair bananas with peanut butter (the king of rock and roll's favorite!), slice some up in your cereal or have them solo, you're doing wonders for your overall health.

#2 Benefits underneath the peel

It seems like there isn't something that a banana can't do or help with, from digestion to heart health, to even boosting your mood, the list is almost endless. Here are some benefits that will make you run out and grab a bundle at your local grocer.

#3 Your heart’s best friend

Called the potassium super-fruit, bananas are a sure-shot and proven source of lowering blood pressure and protecting against heart attack and stroke. For maintenance of blood pressure, not only do doctors recommend a low sodium intake but a high potassium consumption. This combined with fibre, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas are all ideal for sound heart health.

A December 2013 study published in Today's Dietitian examined potassium's role in reducing death by ischemic heart disease. Participants of the study who consumed 4,069 mg of potassium (the amount found in about nine bananas) had a significant 49 percent lower risk of death by ischemic heart disease compared to the participant group who only had 1,000 mg.

Potassium has also been linked to reducing risks of stroke, preserving muscle mass and bone density, and the reduction in the formation of kidney stones.

#4 Boost your mood

Stressed, anxious or just grumpy, bananas have a positive effect on your mood. Bananas contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan, which is an essential amino acid that your body does not naturally create but must be taken in through diet. Tryptophan helps create serotonin, the feel-good hormone known to give you a good night's rest as well as stabilize your mood.

Potassium, which helps regulate the heartbeat, is also useful in calming feelings of stress; stress reduces the body's potassium level. B6 from banana combats feelings of irritability as it regulates blood sugar levels. Studies have noted that a drop in glucose levels can put you on edge and cause bursts of anger.

Bananas are also high in antioxidants. They can prevent muscle cramps caused by exercise or that occur during sleep, and help with anemia, thanks to the iron found in them.

No matter the ailment, it seems that a banana is the way to go for essential nutrients your body needs. They're easy to transport, don't leave much of a mess and will keep you energized, uplifted and powering through your busy days.

Next time you head out for a walk or reach for your car keys to leave the house, grab a banana first for overall health benefits.

#5 Morning Sickness:

If you're pregnant, enjoy a banana a day. Snacking on bananas between meals helps keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

#6 Your tummy’s trouble-shooter

The pectin and digestive enzymes in a banana aids digestion and gently flush out toxins and heavy metals from the body. Come loose motions or constipation, a banana will do the trick. Not only do bananas sooth an aggravated digestive tract and help restore electrolytes. As a natural prebiotic and antacid, bananas help foster friendly bacteria in the bowel and soothe stomach ulcers, heart burn and reflux.

#7 A diet food

If you're watching your weight and still crave a sugar rush, turn to the sweetness of a banana. This low-calorie fruit also contains soluble fibre that helps slow your digestion which makes you feel satiated so you gorge less.

#8 Stress buster

A sufficient potassium intake can help you regulate your heartbeat. This in turn helps send enough oxygen to your brain, maintain your water balance throughout the body and keep an ideal metabolic rate in check. All this in turn helps you feel less stress.

#9 Anti-Aging:

Bananas can stimulates the production of collagen in your body, which helps keep the skin firm and elastic slowing the process of the appearance of wrinkles.

#10 PMS:

Bananas are loaded with vitamin B6 which helps regulate blood glucose levels. Low glucose levels can affect your mood.

#11 Depression:

Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

#12 An eye full

Being a primary source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, bananas help to maintain the structures that bring light into the cornea so that your sense of sight is more effective.

Apart from these stunning assets, bananas are great for overall health as the vitamin C in bananas can help prevent the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer and its high fibre lowers the risk of colorectal cancer. Its iron content can help the anaemic as it stimulates the production of haemoglobin and its ability to counteract calcium loss during urination helps build strong bones. Eating a banana can even lower the body temperature on a hot day and cool you during a fever.

#13 Heartburn:

If you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana. They contain a natural antacid and can sooth your pain and bring relief.Do you need any more reasons to eat a banana a day? Okay, here is one more. They're delicious! Enjoy one today.

#14 Strokes:

According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%

Categories

More