Banana: Nutritional Facts And Benefits
January 23, 2020 | by Yashaswi Pathakamuri | Posted in Nutrition Facts
Banana is an edible fruit, botanically a berry, produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa, that are native to Southeast Asia and grown in many of the warmer areas of the world. This article tells you about the nutritional facts and benefits of banana.
Bananas exists in many sizes and types. Their color usually ranges from green to yellow, but some varieties are red. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called “plantains”, distinguishing them from dessert bananas.
The USDA recommends that adults eat about two cups of fruit a day, or about two bananas. If you eat dozens of bananas every day, there may be a risk of excessively high vitamin and mineral levels.
Bananas contain two main types of fiber:
Pectin: Decreases in ripen banana.
Resistant starch: Found in unripe banana. Unripe banana improves insulin sensitivity.
Benefits:
There are incredible benefits of banana. It is very essential to include banana in your diet.
- High Fibre Content.
- Heart Health.
- Improves digestive health.
- Powerhouse of Nutrients.
- High Source Of Potassium.
- Blood Pressure.
- Helps Fight Anaemia.
- Contains nutrients that moderate blood sugar level.
- Helps in weight loss.
- Contains powerful anti oxidants.
- Improves kidney health.
- Instant energy booster.
- makes you feel more full.
Nutritional Values:
Bananas are a healthy source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various antioxidants and phytonutrients. 100g of medium sized banana contains 75% of moisture content.
| Nutrients | Amount per 100g |
| Calories | 110.66 Kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 24.95 g |
| Protein | 1.25 g |
| Fat | 0.32 g |
| Fiber | 2.21 g |
| Potassium | 362 mg |
| Magnesium | 30.22 mg |
| Calcium | 6.77 mg |
| Beta carotene | 53.06 mcg |
Carbs:
Bananas are a rich source of carbs, which occur mainly as starch in unripe bananas and sugars in ripe bananas. During ripening, the starch is converted into sugars and ends up being less than 1% when the banana is fully ripe. The main component of unripe bananas is starch. Green bananas contain up to 80% starch measured in dry weight
The most common types of sugars in ripe bananas are sucrose, fructose, and glucose.
Fiber:
Bananas are also a good source of other types of fiber, such as pectin. Some of the pectin in bananas is water-soluble. A medium sized banana has about 3g of fiber.
When bananas ripen, the proportion of water-soluble pectin increases, which is one of the main reasons why bananas turn soft as they age.Both pectin and resistant starch moderate the rise in blood sugar after a meal.
Bananas are fairly rich in fiber and resistant starch, which may feed your friendly gut bacteria and safeguard against colon cancer.
Vitamins And Minerals:
Bananas are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, especially potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.
Potassium: Bananas are a good source of potassium. A diet high in potassium can lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels and benefits heart health.
Vitamin B6: Bananas are high in vitamin B6. One medium-sized banana can provide up to 33% of the Daily Value (DV) of this vitamin.
Vitamin C: Like most fruit, bananas are a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues.
Magnesium: Bananas are rich in magnesium. One large banana contains 37 mg, or 9% of the RDI.