Banana is an exotic fruit which, for centuries, has been an essential part of the diet of the people in the Asian region. It is a very nutritious fruit that has found its way into the lives of many people around the world.
According to nutritionists, eating four bananas a week can help to keep you in top shape. Here are four reasons why:
1. It is low in calories
Every single banana contains 11 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber and around 108 calories. Its fiber content helps to keep your digestive system clean and healthy. It also to helps to keep your sugar levels low.
2. It helps to lower blood pressure
Bananas are rich in potassium which can help to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is a killer which should be avoided. It can also lead to other serious complications such as atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.
3. It prevents weakening of your bones
Aside from its favorable effect on your blood pressure, the potassium in bananas also helps to prevent the weakening of your bones. It is actually calcium which provides nourishment to your bones, but it is the intake of bananas that prevents the loss of calcium due to high sodium intake.
By eating bananas regularly, the calcium you get from regular foods remain in your body. It will work to keep your bones healthy.
4. It helps to maximize your body’s absorption of nutrients
Bananas are rich in fructooligosaccharide (FOS). This substance, along with insulin, promotes the nourishment of good bacteria in the colon where vitamins and digestive enzymes are manufactured.
5. It helps to nourish your digestive tract
Bananas can actively reduce discomfort due to constipation or diarrhea. Its high potassium content can restore electrolytes which your body loses due to diarrhea.
Bananas can also work effectively to relieve constipation because it contains pectin, a complex carbohydrate which helps to bring back your digestive tract to normal.
6. It helps to protect the health of your stomach
Bananas help your stomach in its production of mucus to protect itself from stomach acids. It also helps to protect your stomach from bacteria that cause ulcers.
7. It helps to prevent kidney cancer
According to a study conducted by the Internal Journal of Cancer, the probability of developing kidney cancer is reduced by about 50 percent by eating at least four bananas a week.
8. Bananas are rich in Vitamin B6
About 34 percent of your required daily allowance of Vitamin B6 is contained in every single banana.
Vitamin B6 is a potent anti-inflammatory substance that helps to prevent cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes and obesity. It also helps to maintain the nourishment of your lymphoid glands which facilitates the production of white blood cells that help the body fight infections.
Vitamin B6 also plays a big role in the normal functioning of your nervous system.
Live on a healthy and delicious diet. Make one banana a day part of your life.
