Banana & It's Incredible Benefits

Bananas are very common fruits in the world. It is cultivated mostly in Tropical countries. The Largest producer of Banana is India and China. Banana is not a tree, but It is a herb (non-woody). Bananas are berries & almost all modern edible Bananas are seedless (Parthenocarpy-Also called Virgin fruit or Production of fruit without fertilization. Parthenocarpy makes the fruit seedless. Each Banana is twin of another Banana (similar to cloning) because they are sterile, they are not grown from seeds.

They are heart friendly, and it is universally recognized as a source of instant energy (With more Potassium than Sodium) so, it can be more effective than sports drinks.

Lot of dishes can be made by use of ripe Banana, and unripe Banana (Plantain) e.g. Banana milk shake, Pudding, Ice cream, Kofta, Banana chips, pakoras and Cake etc.

Banana leaves are often used as ecologically friendly disposable food containers or as plates and cup. Banana leaves are used in cooking method like botok.

Banana fibre is also used in the production of  paper.
Banana peel may have capability to extract heavy metal's contamination from river water. According to research adsorption capacity was in the order of  Pb>Ni>Zn>Cu>Co. Banana peel can remove Arsenic from contaminated water. Galacturonic acid with Carboxyl functions could make pectin substances a strong metal absorbent in aqueous solutions. Banana peel is good source of pectin and galacturonic acid is main component of pectin.


Types of Banana
A lot of varieties of Banana occurs but few varieties are given below which are available in market.
1- Baby Banana
2-Cavendish (Most common type)
3- Red Banana
4- Plantains (Unripe Banana)

Scientific Name 
Musa acuminata

Origin

Southeast Asia (Papua New Guinea, Indomalaya and Australia).

Nutritional value
Amount - 1 Medium size Banana
Calories 105-110 kcal
Potassium 450 mg (Highly rich)
Vitamin B6  0.4 mg
Vitamin C 10.3 mg
Magnesium  32 mg
Manganese
Fiber  3 gm (Highly rich)

Health Benefits of Banana

Depression and Mood (Tryptophan and Vitamin is helpful)

Banana is helpful in overcoming Depression due to rich in Tryptophan. Tryptophan is the precursor to the brain neurotransmitter Serotonin. Here is a ray diagram which explain that how vitamin B6 and Tryptophan help to make Serotonin (Make you happy) and Melatonin (Require for healthy sleep pattern).     

                   L-Tryptophan → 5-Hydroxy-L-Tryptophan → Serotonin →→→ Melatonin

                                                                     ↑            

                                                      Pyridoxal phosphate (Vitamin B6) 

Serotonin is helpful in overcoming depression, Anxiety and Insomnia. Serotonin does not just make you happy but it's actually the precursor to melatonin which helps to maintain regular healthy sleep pattern.

Magnesium helps to relax muscles

Magnesium helps to regulate muscle contractions. It naturally competes with Calcium, which is essential for generating muscles contractions. When Calcium enters muscle cells, it stimulates the muscle fibers to contract. Magnesium counters this effect, helping these cells to relax. 

If our body does not have enough Mg to compete with Ca, our muscles may contract too much, causing cramps or spasms.

                                                 

Good for digestion (Fiber is helpful) 

Banana s are high in resistant starch (These starch which is not digested in the small intestine but passes to large bowel). Green or unripe banana has resistant starch. This Resistant Starch (RS) passes into colon where it is fermented by bacteria into short chain fatty acids. These short chain fatty acids are necessary to gut health. So, Diarrhea can treat by Banana. It also protects against damage to the mucosal lining and improve peptic ulcers. Banana is a BRAT (Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) diet.

Good for bone

Prebiotic fiber is a non-digestible part of foods like Banana. This food goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon. This fermentation process feeds beneficial bacteria colonies (including Probiotic bacteria) and helps to increase the no. of desirable bacteria in our digestive system that is associated with better health and enhance the body's ability to absorb calcium.

Cancer (Antioxidant is helpful)

Banana is helpful in preventing cancer because of their high levels of antioxidant (Gallocatechin, Dopamine). Antioxidant are substances that inhibit the oxidation process and act as a protective agent. They protect the body from the damaging effects of free radicals (By products of body's chemical processes). Free radicals can modify the structure of DNA which can cause of cancer & tumor.

Diabetes

Diabetic patient needs highly fiber rich food. One medium size Banana contains 3g of fiber. So, these fibers can help slow the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. As possible, diabetic patient should eat green or unripe Banana because ripe Banana has less resistant starch.

Banana may also help prevent gestational diabetes (due to hormonal changes during pregnancy or Insulin resistant hormone).                                                                           

Cardiovascular health (Potassium is helpful)

Banana is excellent source of potassium. Potassium is a vital mineral and electrolyte in the body that carries small electrical charge. These charges cause nerve cell to send out signals for the heart to beat regularly, and muscles to contract. An imbalance in diet of too little potassium and too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure. Excessive sodium can lead to a buildup of fluid in the blood and this excessive fluid placing pressure on the walls of blood vessels (Arteries) and causing damage. Potassium helps the body of flush out extra sodium in the urine and moderate tension in the blood vessel walls. They are a DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.

Harmful effects of Banana

You can make a good relationship with food by conscious eating. Eating Bananas in moderate the amount, there are no significant side effects, but eating in excess may trigger sleepiness, hyperkalemia, constipation (due to unripe banana), Diabetes (due to ripe banana), excessive fiber may cause digestive problem.

According to USDA recommendation, Adult should eat two Banana a day or two cup fruits a day.

High potassium food such as Banana should be consumed in moderation or consult  your Dr. when taking medicines that prevent or treat disorders of cardiovascular system (such as high blood pressure, angina (chest pain), irregular heartbeat, heart failure, blood clots, and high cholesterol) because what you eat and drink can affect the way your medicines work.