Bananas are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world, it has a good nutritional punch which makes it good for our health . Most people believes bananas are fruits but recent studies have shown that bananas are more of herbs than fruit that we think it is and we all know herbs are medicinal and good for health so is a banana. According to museumvictoria.com "A herb is a plant whose stem does not contain any woody tissue. Banana “trees” are therefore not trees. They are herbaceous plants and should perhaps be called banana herbs . So to answer this question a banana is both a fruit and a herb . Most scientists and philosophers believes it may have been the world's first fruitDan Koppel is an author he wrote in his book "Banana : The fate of the fruit that changed the world" he traces the banana back to the garden of Eden, where he believes banana was the forbidden fruit God warned Adam & Eve not to eat (not the apple)
Health Benefits of Bananas
Below are the possible health benefits that comes with consuming bananas. This benefits were confirmed after high quality studies and various experiments carried out
*Blood pressure - banana contain potassium, increasing potassium intake is very important cos of it's vasodilation effect which means they widen the veins and reduce blood pressure . Also note that high potassium intake is associated with 20% decreased risk of dying from all causes of hypertension and blood diseases,
* Asthma - studies shows that children who ate at least one banana a day had 34% less chance of developing Asthma
* Cancer - just like consuming oranges and orange juices in the first two years of life may reduce the risk of childhood leukemia. Banana is also as useful as using orange or orange juices. It is a good source of vitamin c which helps to combat the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer. Also high fibre intake from fruits like vegetables and bananas lowers the risk of colorectal cancer
* Heart health - high potassium intake helps to reduce the risk of Stroke,protection against loss of. Muscle mass, preservation of bone mineral density and reduces the formation of kidney stones. It also helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases due to its high content of fibre, potassium, vitamin C &B6
* Treating diarrhea - banana and other bland foods like apple sauce are usually recommended for diarrhea treatment, potassium are usually lost in large quantities during bouts of diarrhea thereby making the affected person feel weak, what banana does is to promote the regularity and replenishing of potassium
* Preserving memory& Boosting mood - bananas contain Tryptophan an amino acid. Studies suggest both compounds play a very good role in preserving one's memory and boosting mood
* Bananas also helps in weight loss and reduces obesity
Nutritional profile
* vitamin B6 ............ 5mg
* manganese........... 3mg
* vitamin C .............. 9mg
* potassium ............. 450mg
* Fibre ..................... 3g
* protein................... 1g
* magnesium............ 34mg
*flolate ..................... 25.0mcg
* riboflavin ............... 1mg
* Niacin .................... 8mg
* vitamin A ............... 8mh
* Iron........................ 3mg
Other health benefits include
- helps to overcome depression due to high level of tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin (the happy mood brain neurotransmitter)
- eat bananas before strenuous work to serve as energy boost and to protect against muscle cramps
- it strengthens blood and relieve anemia with added irons
- bananas makes you smarter and helps with learning by making you more alert. It is advisable to eat banana before exams
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