Powerful Reasons Why You Should Eat Bananas

Bananas are rich in pectin, a type of fiber that gives the flesh its spongy structural form.

Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fiber and escapes digestion.

Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure from 0–100  of how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels.

The GI value of unripe bananas is about 30, while ripe bananas rank at about 60. The average value of all bananas is 51.

This means that bananas should not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.

However, this may not apply to people with type 2 diabetes, who should probably avoid eating a lot of well-ripened bananas  and monitor their blood sugar carefully if they do.

Dietary fiber has been linked to many health benefits, including improved digestion.

A medium-sized banana has about 3 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good fiber source.

Bananas contain two main types of fiber:

• Pectin: Decreases as the banana ripens.
• Resistant starch: Found in unripe bananas.

Resistant starch escapes digestion and ends up in your large intestine, where it becomes food for the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

Additionally, some test-tube studies propose that pectin may help protect against colon cancer.

• No study has directly tested the effects of bananas on weight loss. However, bananas do have several attributes that should make them a weight-loss-friendly-food.
• For starters, bananas have relatively few calories. An average banana has just over 100 calories yet it is also very nutritious and filling.
• Eating more fiber from vegetables and fruits like bananas has repeatedly been linked to lower body weight and weight loss.
• Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to be very filling and may reduce your appetite.

• Protect against muscle cramps during workouts and night time leg cramps by eating a banana.
• Counteract calcium loss during urination and build strong bones by supplementing with a banana.
• Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation.
• Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6.
• Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas.
• High in potassium and low in salt, bananas are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke.

Eating Bananas For Digestion

• Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body.
• Bananas act as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the bowel. They also produce digestive enzymes to assist in absorbing nutrients.
• Constipated? High fiber in bananas can help normalize bowel motility.
• Got the runs? Bananas are soothing to the digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes after diarrhea.
• Bananas are a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.
• Bananas are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids.

For Natural Healing From A Simple Banana

• Eating bananas will help prevent kidney cancer, protects the eyes against macular degeneration and builds strong bones by increasing calcium absorption.
• Bananas make you smarter and help with learning by making you more alert. Eat a banana before an exam to benefit from the high levels of potassium.
• Bananas are high in antioxidants, providing protection from free radicals and chronic disease.
• Eating a banana between meals helps stabilize blood sugar and reduce nausea from morning sickness.
• Rub a bug bite or hives with the inside of the banana peel to relieve itching and irritation.
• Control blood sugar and avoid binging between meals by eating a banana.
• Eating a banana can lower the body temperature and cool you during a fever or on a hot day.
• The natural mood-enhancer tryptophan helps to relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
• Quitting smoking? Bananas contain high levels of B-vitamins as well as potassium and magnesium to speed recovery from the effects of withdrawal.
• Remove a wart by placing the inside of a piece of banana peel against the wart and taping it in place.
• Rub the inside of a banana peel on your leather shoes or handbag and polish with a dry cloth for a quick shine.