Bananas are a well known tropical fruit that are long, thick-skinned, edible and yellow when ripe. It is nowadays cultivated all over the tropical and sub-tropical continents and is a basic food item in many tropical countries. It is a delicious fruit eaten after peeling off the skin.

There are different types of bananas common in the market. Creamy, rich, and sweet, bananas are a favorite food for everyone from infants to elders. Sports enthusiasts appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit. Depending on the type of banana unripe bananas are also cooked, fried or deep-fried a lot.

Bananas consist mainly of sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and fiber, which makes them ideal for an immediate and slightly prolonged source of energy. Eat at least one banana a day, they are said to contain many important things a human needs. Bananas are a good source of fiber, potassium and vitamin C. Apart from the nutritional facts in bananas it has several health benefits.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF BANANAS

1. Good for your Heart and Nerves: Bananas are one of the best sources of potassium - an essential ingredient to maintain normal blood pressure and to keep your heart and nervous system in good shape. Some studies have also linked low potassium intake to high blood pressure and increased risk of stroke. Including a banana (or two) in your diet everyday would take you a step closer towards getting your daily recommended dose of potassium.

2. Good for Healthy Bones: The potassium found in bananas may also help to promote bone health. Potassium may counteract the increased urinary calcium loss caused by those who take high-salt diets, thus helping to prevent bones from thinning out at a fast rate. Also, it minimizes the loss of calcium from the body and thereby reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

3. Good for the Kidneys: Benefits to the kidneys are again due to the high potassium content of bananas. A normal intake of potassium suppresses calcium excretion in the urine and minimizes the risk of kidney stones.

4. Bananas can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives: Bananas contain some amount of tryptophan which helps the body to produce serotonin - which has a calming effect on the brain (creates a stable mood) and acts as a mild sedative. It should be noted that the only way our our body gets it’s dose of tryptophan is through our diet - it does not produce tryptophan naturally; bananas is one of the easiest ways to get it.

5. Bananas are good for your blood: Bananas are one of the highest sources of naturally available vitamin B6, which helps the body to make hemoglobin - a crucial ingredient of your blood.

6. Bananas are good source of dietary fiber: Due to their content in fiber, they help improve laxation (smooth bowel movements). In addition, diarrhea usually depletes your body of important electrolytes (of which the most important is potassium, contained in high amounts in bananas). They also contain pectin, a soluble fiber (hydrocolloid) that can help normalize movement through the digestive tract.

7. Soothing Protection from Ulcers : Bananas have long been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage. This is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicle cases. It also helps reduce acidity and reduces irritation. Bananas stimulate the cells on the internal stomach lining to produce a thicker mucus (which protects against acid). Additionally, bananas contain protease inhibitors that help eliminate bacteria in the stomach that have been pinpointed as a primary cause of ulcers.

HOW TO SELECT AND STORE BANANAS

Bananas are usually harvested when green. In stores, you can usually find a range of colors from green to yellow, with brown spots. Your choice should be based on when you want to eat the banana: greener ones last more days, while yellow and brown-spotted bananas should be eaten in a few days.

Bananas should be quite firm, bright, and the peel should not be crushed or cut. Their stems and tips should be intact. The quality of a banana is not affected by its size, so choosing any size does not matter.

Bananas are very fragile and should be stored in a place when they will be protected from concussions. They should be stored at room temperature to allow for the ripening process to complete. Do not store them in the refrigerator when they are green, or this will irreversibly interrupt the ripening process and will decay from the inside (and it will not revert even if they are kept at room temperature afterwards). They will not ripen but will turn black in the refrigerator.

If you wish to store bananas for a long time (up to 2 months), it is possible to freeze them. To do this, simply remove the peel and sprinkle some lemon juice over the pulp to prevent discoloration; then wrap them in plastic.

Some people have sugar concerns when it comes to bananas. However, despite being referred as a “fattening” fruit, too high in sugar, a small banana only contains about 100 calories, which is not much more than a medium apple. Nor should it raise your blood glucose level too high. It is the (only) fruit that for some people can work fatting because they contain a lot of starch (more starch than sugar). Those people shouldn't eat too many bananas a day.

Just remember that everything should be done in mederation, even your eating habits. And for those people who have any heath conditions related to any nutritional constituents of bananas, they should consult a doctor.

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