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Gong Bananas
Chef Sharon
Is the Wprld Going Bananas?
Bananas are America's favorite fresh fruit. Per capita consumption per year averages about 11 pounds. They're popular world wide too. According to the Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations, 114 metric tons of bananas were produced worldwide in 2017.
Besides being sweet, flavorful, and available almost anywhere, bananas deliver considerable amounts of nutrition to those who consume them. They are most noted for being a high fiber food at 3 grams per banana, contributing 25% of the daily requirement for Vitamin B6, yielding 16% of the daily Vitamin C requirement, and 13% of the daily requirement for potasium.
According to Laura Flores, a nutritionist in San Diego interviewed by Live Science, "Bananas are known to reduce swelling, protect against developing Type 2 diabetes, aid in weight loss, strengthen the nervous system and help with production of white blood cells . . .”
Live Science also noted in their article, “Bananas: Health Benefits, Risks, and Nutrition Facts,” . . . . “research has shown that the levels of nutrients rise in bananas as they ripen. Bananas with dark spots were eight times more effective in enhancing the power of white blood cells than green-skin bananas, according to a 2009 study published in Food Science and Technology Research. White blood cells fight infections from bacteria, fungi, viruses and other pathogens.”
In his book, The World's Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan reports that the low glycemic carbohydrates uniquely combined with vitamins and minerals in the banana, enabled it to be as effective in keeping energy levels steady as a processed sports beverage, when one-half a banana was consumed every 15 minutes by cyclists during a three-hour race.
An old saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Perhaps a banana a day wouldn't be such a bad idea either!
Besides being sweet, flavorful, and available almost anywhere, bananas deliver considerable amounts of nutrition to those who consume them. They are most noted for being a high fiber food at 3 grams per banana, contributing 25% of the daily requirement for Vitamin B6, yielding 16% of the daily Vitamin C requirement, and 13% of the daily requirement for potasium.
According to Laura Flores, a nutritionist in San Diego interviewed by Live Science, "Bananas are known to reduce swelling, protect against developing Type 2 diabetes, aid in weight loss, strengthen the nervous system and help with production of white blood cells . . .”
Live Science also noted in their article, “Bananas: Health Benefits, Risks, and Nutrition Facts,” . . . . “research has shown that the levels of nutrients rise in bananas as they ripen. Bananas with dark spots were eight times more effective in enhancing the power of white blood cells than green-skin bananas, according to a 2009 study published in Food Science and Technology Research. White blood cells fight infections from bacteria, fungi, viruses and other pathogens.”
In his book, The World's Healthiest Foods, George Mateljan reports that the low glycemic carbohydrates uniquely combined with vitamins and minerals in the banana, enabled it to be as effective in keeping energy levels steady as a processed sports beverage, when one-half a banana was consumed every 15 minutes by cyclists during a three-hour race.
An old saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Perhaps a banana a day wouldn't be such a bad idea either!
