Here, Have Some Bananas
You’ll never go wrong with bananas, regardless of their color.
Are you buying bananas? What kind —yellow, green, or red?
Coming from a tropical country that boasts of at least twelve varieties of bananas — of different colors, sizes, shapes, tastes, and culinary destinations - I know it could take you a little more time to choose.
It’s not really surprising when a guy goes screaming “Am going bananas!”>:( when asked by the wife to buy a bunch for her fave dish — “chicken pochero” or “Arroz ala Cubana”. Or simply, plain fried bananas or banana Q.
Same wholeness, but different effects.
Bananas are versatile plants
Are you aware that the whole banana tree, and not just the fruits, is useful and beneficial?
The banana flowers and the white fleshy portion inside the trunk can be turned into savory salads or nutritious dishes.
The huge banana leaves, cut into size and heat over low fire, serve as excellent food wrappers. Steaming cooked rice smells and tastes good when wrapped in banana leaves! They are also used as wraps for native delicacies like rice, cassava, or yam cakes.
In many parts of my country, fiestas are grand eating events. Tables are placed end to end and lined with cleaned and heated whole banana leaves. Everyone stands along both sides of the long table and partakes of the sumptuous, multiethnic foods spread.
It’s so much fun- eating with your hands- with talk, laughter, and music blaring behind your ears. Try it! After the feast and the frolic, no worries about washing plates and utensils!
In the olden days, when vacuum cleaners and floor polishers were not yet in vogue (at least, in my part of the world), children enjoyed play and house chores at the same time, with dried banana leaves.
The smaller child would sit on the leaves, hold on tightly to the rib, while the bigger child holds the stem and pulls it all over the floor. A great, fun way of keeping the floors clean and shiny!
And, of course, you know that the banana fiber or hemp is made into ropes or indigenous fabric that has gladly invaded high fashion. Check it out here and other related sites.
Bananas are Affordable and Available all Year Round
Unlike other fruits that are plentiful only at certain seasons of the year, and thus relatively rare and pricy at other times, bananas are grown and harvested year-round.
You can buy it in wet markets, supermarkets, groceries, small variety stores, and even from sidewalk vendors — all at cheaper prices! Or you can buy fresh bananas online.
Gone were the days, though, when we just scout around the neighborhood and pick ripe fruits from banana tree clumps sprouting all over the place.
Bananas Pack a Ton of Health Benefits and Nutrition
Best of all, bananas are proven in many studies to pack lots of health benefits and nutrition. Some even consider bananas as a “superfood”. Here are some reasons why:
1. Bananas are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, such as vitamin A, B6, and C, manganese, potassium, folate, magnesium, and riboflavin. Feeling a bit off? Munch on a banana. These fruits abound with vitamin B6, that when combined with its essential amino acid, helps boost the production of serotonin, a “feel-good hormone.” So, you can relax and smile.
Do you love your heart? Am sure you do. Then, as suggested by experts, eat a banana daily. The potassium in bananas lowers and regulates blood pressure, significantly helping reduce the risk for heart ailments.
Bananas also have plenty of powerful antioxidants that can reduce the risk of acquiring degenerative and chronic diseases. It is a powerful immune system booster and makes skin clearer and healthier, and hair, shinier and thicker.
And for pregnant women, bananas are said to contribute to the baby’s development through nutrients that help in creating cells.
2. Bananas are energy boosters: One day my brother collapsed on the floor and could hardly stand up and walk. His knees wobbled for lack of strength - a no-no for a roving security guard in a train station. He was rushed to a nearby clinic, but two hours later, he was back to duty! No medicines needed, he said. Just a power boost — so he gobbled up a few not-so ripe yellow bananas, and he was good to go!
It’s one food you can quickly put inside your bag for a quick snack (yes, so easy and hygienic since it comes with its own yellow, green or red built-in wrapper) to deliver full-energy, fat-free, and cholesterol-free goodness!
3. Bananas are fiber-rich food. Because bananas are packed with dietary fiber, your digestive tract stays healthy. Your intestines can say ‘thank you’ as bowel movement becomes easier and smoother. The skin also contains pre-biotics that make gut bacteria healthy.
For weight watchers, do you know that bananas have a kind of resistant starch that reduces appetite, and because it’s super filling, you don’t eat much? Good news, right?
My Last Banana Tips
So, after ingesting all these amazing banana facts, which do you prefer- yellow or green or red banana?
Well, the studies show that all kinds of bananas are similarly powerhouses of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients. But there are some special facts you may still want to know.
- Red bananas have plenty of beta carotene, vitamin A and lutein that promote eye health and reduce the risk for age-related macular degeneration. AMD is an incurable eye disease and is a leading cause of blindness.
- Green bananas, while texture-and taste-wise are less attractive than the yellows, have more pectin and resistant starch that score higher for satiety and fullness. Green bananas are cheaper, too!
- Lastly, if you want less sugar from your dessert, grab an unripe or a not-so-ripe banana. Because the riper it becomes, the sweeter it goes.
So, friend, shuck off that sugar! And take in those vitamins and minerals. And be the ‘top banana’ in your team!
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