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20 Unbelievable Things Bananas Can Do For You!
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If you only think of an ice cream treat or a warm slice of a moist dessert bread when you hear the word “banana,” then you have a lot to learn about this super food and all of its hidden health benefits! Bananas are one of the most popular edible fruits in the world. And did you know that botanically it is actually a berry? Even though bananas are grown miles away, mainly in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Ecuador, Honduras, and Colombia, they are easily accessible in the US and found in just about any grocery store.
The delicious fruits are inexpensive and can go from being a nutritious and easily transportable snack that doesn’t need refrigeration to a delicious creamed pie or yummy pancakes. No matter how you prefer consuming your bananas, you will want to add them to your diet on a regular basis when you see how they can heal what may concern you.
1. Helps keep your blood sugar levels even
If you eat a couple of bananas before you exercise, you will have more energy and your blood sugar will remain level.
2. Eliminates depression
Bananas are rich in tryptophan, and when it turns over to serotonin, it will put you in a great mood.
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3. Strengthens your blood
This fruit can make your blood strong. With the extra iron they contain they will keep you from becoming anaemic.
4. Reduces your chances of a stroke and heart attack
Bananas have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a proven way to lower your chances of stroke and heart attack, because they are high in potassium, but have a low salt content.
5. Can help many digestive issues
Eating bananas can keep you from becoming constipated, give you relief from acid reflux, and soothe your stomach, putting back electrolytes you may have lost after having diarrhoea.
6. Improves your sleep
Bananas contain tryptophan, which is a “precursor for melatonin.” It will help you to relax and get a restful sleep if you eat a banana before going to bed.
7. Releases excess fluids
Because they are a good source of potassium, they are able to eliminate fluid retention.
8. Cuts down on a bloated belly
A study conducted showed that women who ate two bananas a day before a meal as a snack for 60 days lowered the amount of bloat they had on their bellies by 50 percent.
9. Flattens your stomach
Each banana has 12 mg of choline, a form that vitamin B blasts fat and works right on the genes that cause your abdomen to store fat.
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10. Curbs your cravings
When you reach for a banana in between meals, you are less likely indulge in junk food so you will cut down on your chances of binging.
11. Assists in decreasing your bad cholesterol
The Journal of Nutrition found that bananas contain phytosterols, which reduce your LDL or bad cholesterol.
12. Reduces your chances of infection
Bananas are rich in vitamin C, which has been recognized for fighting infections.
13. Helps to lean your muscles
Bananas are a good food to eat if you work out regularly. Because they are rich in magnesium, they help your muscles relax and contract and help with protein synthesis, all of which help contribute to lean muscle mass.
14. Cuts down on your chances of developing tumors
Another element that can be found in bananas is delphinidin, an antioxidant that helps reduce your risk of getting tumors. Bananas can keep them from growing and multiplying.
15. Reduces the development of macular degeneration
These fruits are full of a number of vitamins and minerals, and two of them that are particularly good for your skin and your eyes are vitamins C and A. Bananas also contain lutein, which helps cut down on your chances of getting macular degeneration.
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16. It is just an easy way to detoxify
If you’re looking for a simple way to detoxify your body, look no further than eating a good old banana. Bananas have pectin and fiber, which attaches itself to compounds that are toxic and lead the toxins out of the body through the urine.
17. Helps ease withdrawal from smoking
If you have been trying to stop smoking, you may want to reach for a banana instead of a cigarette. Bananas contain high amounts of B vitamins, magnesium, and potassium, which all help cut down any effects from withdrawal and make your recovery time go by faster.
18. A good way to lose weight
If you are trying to drop a few pounds, bananas are a good food to add to your diet. They only have around 100 calories, and they are high in fiber, which makes you feel full longer.
19. Improves insulin sensitivity
Insulin resistance is a major factor in Type 2 diabetes and can be reduced by foods that are forms of resistant starch. Studies have shown that taking in 15-30 grams of this type of starch each day can help improve the insulin sensitivity by up to 50 percent in around four weeks. Bananas that are not ripe contain a good amount of resistant starch.
20. Helps keep your kidneys healthy
The potassium in bananas helps to keep your kidneys functioning properly. A study showed that over a 13-year period, a woman who consumed 2-3 bananas every week cut the risks of developing kidney problems by 33 percent. Another study showed that by eating bananas up to 6 times each week cut the risk by 50 percent.
READ ALSO: Healthy Banana Bread Recipe Video
Well… Monkeys love bananas, and slipping on the peel has been known to make everyone laugh, but just remember that this simple fruit is so much more than monkey food and comedy and can help better your life in many ways.
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