This blog is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s! From their naturally sweet flavor to their accessibility, bananas are a popular and well-loved fruit across the world. In today’s blog, we’re going to discuss all the benefits of bananas you may not be familiar with (hint: did you know that bananas can reduce bloating, fight cancer, and increase energy levels all at the same time?!), as well as explore some healthy and delicious recipes that incorporate this tasty fruit!
Healthy Hint: The riper the banana, the more nutrients it has, but unripe bananas are more beneficial for gut health since they contain prebiotics!
Benefits of Bananas
The list of health benefits provided by bananas is extensive, but let’s just have a quick peek, shall we?
Help fend off diseases
Bananas are rich in three different types of carotenoids — provitamin A carotenoids, beta-carotene, and alpha-carotene — all of which convert into vitamin A in the body and have been shown to protect against chronic diseases such as certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
Bloat be gone
Did you know that a recent study found that women who ate a banana twice daily as a pre-meal snack for 60 days reduced their belly bloat by 50%?! This is because bananas contain prebiotics and fructooligosaccharides which increase the bloat-fighting bacteria in the stomach. But keep in mind that if you have digestive issues or dysbiosis, the prebiotics in bananas could make your symptoms worse.
Healthy Hint: Fructooligosaccharides also ferment in the digestive tract, enhancing the body’s ability to absorb calcium, promoting good bone health.
Sugar as a source of energy
A major health benefit of eating a banana is its ability to transform into energy in the body. Bananas are rich in glucose, the most easily digestible source of sugar. So, before you go into the gym for your workout or hit that spin class, grab a banana, and get that energy flowing! Otherwise, though, it’s best to pair your banana with a healthy fat source. For many, bananas cause a blood glucose spikethat inevitably leads to an energy crash and if frequent, can lead to chronic health issues. By pairing carbohydrates with healthy fat, you can slow their absorption and blunt any blood sugar spike.
Detoxify your body
In addition to creating energy for your body, bananas can also simultaneously act as a natural detoxifier. On top of being rich in glucose, bananas can also be rich in pectin, which is a gelatin-like fiber that sticks to toxic compounds in the blood and flushes them out of the body through the urine.
Healthy Hint: Like we mentioned above, to be sure your blood sugar levels stay balanced while eating a sugar-rich fruit like banana, you can consume protein or a source of healthy fat with your banana. This will ensure the absorption of the banana’s sugar into your bloodstream isn’t rapid and unstable.
Big on B6
Bananas contain significant amounts of vitamin B6 which are important to the function of a variety of functions including heart health, immune health, digestive health, and nervous system function.
Healthy Banana Recipes
Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
With significantly less sodium than box pancake mixes, and the natural sweetness of bananas, these pancakes are sure to be a hit at your next brunch with friends or family breakfast!
Cinnamon-Spiced Bananas
A quick and simple snack for the whole family, and a great way to incorporate more servings of fruit into your diet!
Baked Banana Chips
Have overripe bananas, but don’t want to make any more banana bread? These baked banana chips couldn’t be any easier to make, and add a perfect crunch to a parfait, or ice cream treat.
Vegan Banana Creme Brûlee
The baking of the banana custard really intensifies the banana flavor in this creme brûlee, which we can’t say we’re upset about!
Avocado Banana Cacao Mousse
Tie in those healthy fats, via the avocado, to slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream as we mentioned in our healthy hint above!
Another Banana Pancake Recipe
From our very own Snap Kitchen archives, these banana pancakes are meant for a breakfast of champions!
Are You B-A-N-A-N-A-S Yet?
Now that you know just how many health benefits bananas can bring to your diet, besides a hearty amount of potassium, which healthy banana recipe are you going to try first?
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