Surprising Banana Health Benefits

Surprising Banana Health Benefits 

Regulates Bowel Movements
Irregular bowel movements are an irritating health problem that can be easily solved with regular consumption of bananas.

Bananas contain a good amount of insoluble fiber that travels through the digestive tract, sweeping up waste and producing bowel movements that are soft and easy to pass.

However, eat bananas in moderation as consuming too much banana but too little water may contribute to constipation. Moreover, eating bananas that are not completely ripe may also give rise to constipation and gas.

At the same time, bananas help treat diarrhea as they contain pectin, a water-soluble fiber which acts as a gelling agent and helps absorb fluids in the intestines.

Provides Natural Energy
Bananas have a unique blend of vitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates that provide a quick supply of natural energy. In addition, bananas have a healthier blend of three natural sugars: glucose, sucrose and fructose. The combination of these sugars have great energy potential.

Bananas are one of the few fruits that contain both complex and simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates give you endurance energy and simple carbohydrates give you quick energy. Eating just two bananas will give you enough energy to exercise for 90 minutes

More Energy
Even with the proliferation of brightly colored ‘sports’ drinks, ‘energy’ bars and ‘electrolyte’ gels (these are loaded with unhealthy chemicals and coloring by the way) you often see athletes eating bananas just before and even during sports.

Watching tennis for instance, it’s not uncommon to see the players snacking on a bit of banana in between games. If a banana can keep a professional tennis player going, it’s got to rank pretty well in the high-quality energy source stakes.

Personally, I find the combination of natural sugars, balanced with the soluble fiber and potassium, to provide a good stable energy when eaten half an hour before gym or a run.
I’ve experimented with this – running or weights with, or without a banana – and seem to consistently do better when I have one before training.

Some people are worried about bananas spiking blood sugar, but tests show they actually have a glycemic index of around 52, with 24 g of available carbs (lower the less ripe they are).

That’s a glycemic load in the vicinity of 12 which isn’t considered that high. These figures will obviously vary depending on variety and ripeness.

Bananas make a great snack at work when your energy is lagging and while they might not be the most obvious weight loss food, they are only about 100 calories and can satisfy those sweet cravings.

So if you can replace candy bars and other junk foods with bananas, you might just have a really important step towards losing weight. As an added bonus your energy will be much more steady and consistent.

Boost of Vitamin C
It is usually oranges and strawberries that come to mind when think about Vitamin C, but a serving of bananas provides 15 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin C. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps neutralize damaging free radicals and helps keep systemic inflammation at bay. It also helps produce collagen that holds muscles, bones and other tissues together. And helps keep blood vessels healthy and is needed to optimally absorb iron and folate and keeps your gums healthy and aids in healing.

Blood Pressure-Lowering Potassium
A medium banana has 422 mg potassium while being sodium-free. The high potassium:sodium ratio helps to neutralize the blood-pressure raising effects of sodium in your diet. Various studies show that those who have diets rich in potassium are less likely to have high blood pressure and have reduced risk for stroke. Adults need 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day, so a medium banana provides nearly 10 percent of the daily requirement.

Fights muscle cramps
Ever worked out so hard that your muscles cramped up? Or woken up in the night because of a painful cramp in your legs?  Bananas might just be the right solution for you — it actually protects you from muscle cramps. Because of its high magnesium and potassium content, bananas are the best way to replenish the minerals in your body. It helps relax the muscles and protects you from any further episodes of leg cramps.

Beats constipation
Both the fruit and stem are rich in fibre and  pectin which helps assist bowel motility and eases out constipation. Alternatively  you can even drink the juice prepared from the banana plant stem.

Gives you a good night’s sleep
Having a banana before bed can help promote sleep. The soothing effect is due to high levels of tryptophan which gets converted to serotonin in the brain. This not only improves your mood but also makes you more alert and improves your concentration levels.

Vitamin B-6
Since B vitamins are more commonly found in animal products, it may come as a surprise that bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B-6, also called pyridoxine. One banana supplies 35 percent of your daily B-6 requirement. Your body uses vitamin B-6 to grow new cells.

Boost of Vitamin C
It is usually oranges and strawberries that come to mind when think about Vitamin C, but a serving of bananas provides 15 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin C. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps neutralize damaging free radicals and helps keep systemic inflammation at bay. It also helps produce collagen that holds muscles, bones and other tissues together. And helps keep blood vessels healthy and is needed to optimally absorb iron and folate and keeps your gums healthy and aids in healing.