How Much Fiber In A Banana?
Bananas are an irreplaceable fruit in our daily life. It is delicious, convenient, and inexpensive fresh fruit. When it comes to favorite fruits, many of you may opt for bananas. Not only the taste makes it a better choice, but also the nutritional facts contained in the fruit.
That’s why people consider bananas as an iconic golden fruit. Banana is one of the best healthy choices that has several health benefits. The article discusses nutritional facts about bananas and the health benefits of this fruit.
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The Fiber-rich Fruit – How Much Fiber Can You Find In A Banana?
The scientific name for bananas is Musa. It belongs to the Musaceae family of flowering tropical plants. The native place of bananas is south Asia and is grown in many of the warmer areas of the world.
The distinctive feature of the fruit is, the banana is clustered at the top of the plant. Bananas are of various types and it is widely sold in the United States and Europe. It usually ranges from green to yellow. Some types appear in red color.
Nutritional Information About Banana
Bananas are a great source of several nutrients. It contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Potassium, Fiber, etc. they do not contain high fat or protein.
Is Banana High In Fiber?
As aforementioned, bananas are a good source of fiber such as pectin. It is incredibly healthy for the body. One medium size of banana contains around 3.1 grams of fiber.
The high fiber content in bananas helps to prevent and relieve constipation. Pectin is a type of soluble fiber that absorbs water. It helps in bowel movements. Doctors recommend that high fiber intake is beneficial for constipated patients.
What are the health benefits of Bananas?
- Support heart health
Banana is an excellent source that contains potassium. The mineral is important for your heart health. Potassium helps to manage high blood pressure. It’s important to include fruits like bananas and grapes. It helps to increase your potassium intake. A potassium-rich diet helps to manage cardiovascular health diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
Some of the research studies prove that eating plenty of potassium-based foods reduces the risk of heart disease. In addition, Magnesium is also beneficial for your heart health. The deficiency of potassium and magnesium leads to several health problems such as increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, etc. Therefore, it is essential to include bananas in your diet for a healthy heart.
- Great source of antioxidants
As you all know that fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of antioxidants. Bananas are the best choice among the fruits. Bananas contain several antioxidants such as flavonoids and amines.
Antioxidants have several health problems. It helps to protect the cells against free radicals. Antioxidants are beneficial for your healthy eyes, and brain health. It reduces oxidative stress and protects from premature aging, cancer, anxiety, depression, etc.
- Improves kidney health
As aforementioned, potassium is vital for both heart health and healthy kidney function. Eating bananas on a regular basis helps to keep your kidney healthy. A study showed that people with early-stage chronic kidney disease linked potassium to lower blood pressure as well.
- Improve digestion
Bananas play an essential role in digestive health. The rich fiber content in the banana helps to reduce cholesterol levels and blood sugar. Fiber is classified into two types. Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.
Soluble fiber helps to manage cholesterol levels in the body. On the other hand, insoluble fiber helps in intestinal movements.
- Support bone health
Bananas are an excellent source of calcium. Calcium is a vital nutrient that helps to strengthen your bones. Bananas contain fructooligosaccharides. It helps to enhance the ability of the body to absorb calcium. It also supports your dental health too.
- Support eye health
As aforementioned, bananas are rich in several vitamins like Vitamin A, E, and Lutein. Bananas contain carotenoids. The compound is converted into Vitamin A. It is a precursor for your eye health. Vitamin A helps to protect the cornea and is essential for good vision. Eating a banana daily is likely to boost eye health and prevent sight issues.
- Good for your skin
Bananas contain a good amount of manganese. One medium-sized banana serves approximately 13% of the daily manganese that you need. It helps to make collagen and protect the skin from free radical damage.
- Give you energy
Bananas are a great source of energy. The fruit is mainly eaten by athletes, especially children. The fruit can be used as breakfast and midday snacks. The fruit contains three natural sugars named sucrose, fructose, and glucose. The sugar gives adequate energy to your body.
How to Store Bananas?
You don’t need to refrigerate green bananas. Keep it at room temperature for ripening and remove it from direct sunlight. The easiest method for ripening the bananas is to place them in a brown paper bag or place them near the ripe fruit.
Keeping bananas in a plastic bag may disrupt normal ripening and promote rotting. Fully ripe bananas can be kept in the refrigerator. But keep remembering that it should be stored in a sealed produce drawer. The refrigerated bananas can last up to one week without any changes in flavor.
How to serve Bananas?
A Banana is a delicious fruit that can be served mostly with dessert, fruit salads, icecreams, juice, etc. Here are a few tips to serve bananas.
