“Whenever I suggest a friend to have bananas as a part of their diet for breakfast or as evening snack, their immediate response would be “Bananas are Fattening, I will gain more weight”.
Most of the Indians suffer from the misconception that bananas lead to weight gain, and hence stop consuming bananas when they diet.
But in reality, the banana diet is extremely healthy and if you do not consume them, you are missing out on healthy nutrients.
Infact bananas contain a large amount of an insoluble carbohydrate called “resistant starch”. Resistant starch has been credited with various weight management benefits, including the ability to initiate fat burning.
Bananas also contain enzymes that assist in digestion, speeding it up and thus reducing the amount of time the intestines need to work to digest food, resulting in a metabolism more suited to losing weight. These enzymes only exist if the bananas are eaten in their raw state.
Another reason why most of Indians consider Banana as fattening is because they eat them at their peak ripened stage.
The sugar content in the bananas is very high then. So it doubles or triples the daily intake of sugar needed for the body. Banana should never be consumed when it is fully ripened . If you see the black dots on the skin of the banana, it means its not fit for eating,you may use it any recipes which requires soft ripened bananas. In the above picture stages 5 and 6 are ideal.
Tips:
Avoid buying Bananas in bulk or try to get them in different stages so that you can have yellow ones the same day and save the green ones for next day or so. To ripen a banana faster, it should be put in a brown paper bag with an apple, tomato or a ripened banana overnight.
Bananas are energy-dense and rich in electrolytes. They contain starch, which boosts your energy. It makes for a great pre-workout snack for people who indulge in body building and weight training. You tend to lose a lot of electrolytes during workouts in the form of sweat, and bananas help you regain those electrolytes. They also soothe intestinal problems, bowel syndromes and post-menopausal problems .
Bananas are not only a good source of B vitamins , they also contain Vit C, A and High levels of Potassium. Potassium is known to significantly lower the risk of high blood pressure and related disease like heart attack and strokes
Health benefits of eating banana
- healthy bowels
- good source of dietary fiber
- cardiovascular health
- protection from strokes
- protection from ulcers
- improve blood pressure
- can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives
- boost energy
- help reduce water retention
My friends call me a total health freak as I always end up talking and advising others how to stay healthy. I love to cook and likewise eat healthy. This blog has all the tips you need to lose weight and recipes which helps you acheive that goal.