Why a banana a day can keep the doctor away?

Yes you caught it right, today banana is only muddled with a monkey meal, and however it should possess a high caliber in our diet than just that. Bananas are cultivated all around the sub-continent, especially in India which is the largest producer of bananas in the whole world followed by China and Philippines. In Pakistan it is mainly growth in Sindh where the conditions for it are favorable. There is a great saying that:

“Our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food.”

This quote fits just right on this exemplary fruit as bananas are extremely healthy and delicious. There are numerous benefits of eating bananas as they are a healthy source of carbohydrate, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various antioxidants and phytonutrients.

BENEFITS OF BANANA:

·      CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH:

Bananas are a good dietary source of potassium and magnesium, two nutrients which are essential for heart health. Normal sized banana contains 400mg of potassium and also small amounts of magnesium. Researchers have also concluded that eating potassium rich foods reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease by 27%. Bananas contain about 4% of fat which also includes sterols like sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol. These sterols actually block the absorption of cholesterol and help us to reduce cholesterol levels in blood. 

·       HELPS IN DIGESTION:

There is nothing more painful than being chained to the toilet during diarrhea, but then we are told to eat bananas by our elders and everyone would have heard of this household wisdom and there is a reason for it. But there is a key difference, riped bananas help with constipation while unripe bananas can tackle diarrhea. Green or unripe bananas have a high content of indigestible pectin which on reaching the colon is fermented by bacteria into short chain fatty acids which then stimulate the absorption of salt and water in the colon making the stool firmer so if you are having loose motions then go for it and bananas will bring you magic.

·       A PERFECT FITNESS FUEL:

The fitness experts say that a smart weight loss plan includes a regular exercise and with it a perfect diet plan and they couldn’t agree more with banana, which contains high amounts of carbohydrates, particularly rich in glucose. Glucose is a sugar which instantly gives us energy and quickly replenishes the amount of energy lost during the workout. Some of you may have seen athletes eating bananas especially tennis players during the break in a session. It always came as a surprise for me but then when I did my research I found that eating bananas can be their game changing strategy because they are rich in potassium which optimizes their athletic performance, prevents muscle cramps and maintains a potassium-sodium balance in the body, provides instant energy, moreover they are an excellent source of GABA or Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid that has the ability to calm your mind.

·        BANANA LEAVES:

In certain areas of India mostly South India has a tradition to serve food on banana leaves which is truly remarkable because the leaves contain certain anti-oxidants like polyphenols or Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that battles free radicals and is exceptionally good to prevent cancer. Moreover the leaves serve an anti-bacterial action which makes the food pretty much hygienic. Many countries have started to manufacture plates made of banana leaves after witnessing its numerous advantages.

·      POWERHOUSE OF NUTRIENTS:

A 100gm banana contains a high amount of carbohydrates followed by proteins and fats. They also contain about 17 types of both essential and non-essential amino acids and not only that but they also have vitamins such as Vitamin A,D,E,K and also the water soluble vitamins as vitamin C and Bs (B1,B2,B3,B5,B6,B12) followed by Folate and Choline. Minerals such as potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium are also present. So it will not be wrong to say that bananas come as a complete package.

·      THE GOLDEN BANANAS:

It is a sad reality still today that about 250 million pre-school children are having troubles with vitamin A deficiency and an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 vitamin A deficient children become blind and with half of them dying every year (Vitamin A protects the membranes surrounding our eyes and its deficiency creates night blindness). The situation needs to be tackled with serious attention as every 7 out of 10 children in India are vitamin A deficient but it is compared to nothing against the situation in Africa where 70% of the countries are facing this crisis. Therefore scientists from the Queensland University of Technology in Australia have developed a new banana known as “The Golden Banana” which contains high amounts of vitamin A as compared to other bananas. They will be first cultivated in Uganda by 2021.

Now wrapping it all up we can easily consider bananas to be more alluring and beneficial as compared to other fruits especially apples as it contains a total jam packed of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. So the crown should be set on the banana rather than giving a false bulge to apples.

_Syed Hamza Ali

The writer is a solicitous undergraduate student at University of Karachi in the field of Food Science and Technology who firmly believes to provide the world with some promising healthcare solutions for the sustenance of a healthy life which we all deserve or tend to achieve.