Banana Health Benefits And Facts For Weight Loss

Do you know, you are missing out on a world of nutrients just because of a rumour that banana makes you fat!?

You may also get the question of whether one can have a banana while following a weight loss plan?

Yes...It can help you lose weight too!

Ok back to banana nutrition benefits!

You might have known that bananas being rich in potassium but they are a powerhouse of other nutrients too!!

1 Medium-sized banana contains

• 25% of the daily value of vitamin B6,
• 16% of the daily requirement of manganese,
• 12% of your fibre and potassium needs per day, 
• 10% of copper and biotin requirements.

What Vitamins and Minerals are in a Banana? Some Banana Nutrition Facts

1 medium-sized banana nutrition facts.  It fulfils the following daily requirements of trace vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin C – 11%
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – 3%
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – 7%
• Vitamin B3 (niacin) – 5%
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) – 8%
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) – 25%
• Folate – 6%
• Choline – 2%
• Biotin – 10%
• Manganese – 16%
• Potassium – 12%
• Copper – 10%
• Iron – 4%
• Zinc – 2%
• Selenium – 2%

In addition, 1 medium banana also gives you:

• Around 100 calories
• 0 gram of fat
• 2 grams of protein
• 3 grams of fibre

Banana Nutrition Health Benefits

But before you simply nod to that fact, let us understand the banana nutrition facts and health benefits.

1.  Helps in weight loss

We have elaborated on the nutrition in 1 medium-sized banana enough.

You know they are hardly the high-calorie monster that they are made out to be.
Although they taste sweet when ripe, bananas are still categorised as a low GI food. Surprised?

2. Keeps Heart young

A part of the banana nutrition is that it helps keep that heart young! They do so in 3 ways:

One: Because of the potassium. Potassium is known to reduce blood pressure which means protection against atherosclerosis or plaque deposition in the arteries.
Two: Due to the Fibre. A medium sized banana gives 3 grams of fibre and this increases to almost 4 in a large one. 1/3rd of it is soluble fibre, the kind which prevents deposition of a waxy substance in the arteries that block blood flow!
Three: Due to the presence of a special fat. Although bananas have negligible fat content, the trace amounts are present in the form of sterols.

3. Digestive Health ahoy

By now you would have memorised the fibre content in bananas but there is a unique beauty to it.

Bananas have a high content of pectin, a complicated kind of fibre which is partly water soluble (imagine the ones that form a gel in the stomach) and partly insoluble.

As bananas ripen, the water-soluble part of the fibre increases (hence the mushy touch of a ripe banana).

4. Assists Athlete

Banana is nature provided the fuel! Where else will you find a mix of balanced micronutrient and low glycemic index profile, convenience (easy to carry), and affordability!

A study among distance cyclists found that having half a banana every 15 minutes of a 3-hour race is equivalent to the mineral and carb profile in a sports beverage.

5. Acts as Anti-Aging Agent

It is no wonder that many beauty regimens include a banana mask! That is because bananas are a good source of vitamin C making it an ideal anti-wrinkle food.

6. Boosts up the Mood

Feeling down and low? Have a banana before you reach out to that tub of ice cream.

Not only the sugar content but the presence of tryptophan helps in alleviating the worst of the moods. So chop some bananas and add them to your cereal.

7. Natural Sleeping Pill

Having trouble falling asleep? Try a banana! The potassium and magnesium in bananas help relax muscles whereas the tryptophan gets converted to the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin!

Try eating a banana 2 hours before you sleep if you have trouble sleeping!

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READ MORE: Banana Health Benefits And Facts For Weight Loss