Bananas are some of the best fruits when it comes to boosting overall health. In fact, they can influence everything from your physique to your reproductive system. Here are ten of the most compelling reasons to eat bananas on a regular basis.
Like Personal Growth on Facebook
1. They Provide You With Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is a powerful nutrient that is necessary for well-being, and just one banana will give you around 35% of your recommended daily intake. Vitamin B6 plays a role in ensuring proper nervous system function, helps your body to produce healthy new cells, and supports your lymphatic system in the production of infection-fighting white blood cells.
2. They Boost Cardiovascular Health
Bananas are packed with potassium, which is great news for your heart. Potassium is needed to keep your heart beating in a healthy rhythm, and it also helps to regulate fluid balance (which influence blood pressure levels). Those whose potassium intake helps to keep blood pressure under control have a lower risk of heart attacks and strokes.
3. They May Lower Cancer Risk
There is at least some evidence to support that those who eat bananas may be less likely to suffer from certain forms of cancer. In particular, one especially compelling study demonstrated that participant who consumed at least five bananas per week were approximately 50% less likely to be diagnosed with any form of kidney malignancy.
4. They’re Good For Your Stomach
The protease inhibitors in bananas can assist in protecting your stomach from ulcers, as they help to break down and get rid of dangerous types of bacteria that cause the majority of ulcers. In addition, banana consumption leads to increase mucus production, further insulting the stomach from damage caused by acid. The benefits don’t end there! Bananas contain FOS(fructooligosaccharide), which supports “good” bacteria in your gut and enhances your body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients.
5. They Can Assist With Weight Loss
A single banana contains an impressive 11% of your recommended daily intake of dietary fiber. Fiber plays a key role in ensuring that your blood sugar levels stay within healthy limits, providing you with a steady flow of energy instead of a brief spike. In addition, fiber promotes satiety, reducing the chances that you’ll be tempted to snack on unhealthy snacks like candy and chips. Bananas themselves contain less than 100, so you never have to feel guilty about having one when you’re hungry.
6. They Counteract Common Pregnancy Symptoms
Firstly, some women swear by bananas as a remedy for the morning sickness that is most often experienced in the early stages of pregnancy. In addition, bananas contain electrolytes that can cut down on the annoying ankle and hand swelling associated with fluid retention in pregnancy.
7. They Support Healthy Bones
The aforementioned potassium in bananas also helps to prevent fractures by keeping your bones strong. Specifically, a reasonably high intake of potassium works against your sodium intake, reducing the amount of calcium that is excreted in your urine. Since calcium is essential for the maintenance of bone health, potassium plays a useful preventative role.
8. They May Reduce Epilepsy Attacks
Bananas are one of the best fruit source of manganese, and deficiencies of manganese are closely connected with a higher incidence of epileptic seizures (as evidenced by the use of manganese supplements to treat the seizure frequency). It is speculated that this health benefit owes to manganese’s ability to dilate blood vessels, but research is ongoing.
9. They Increase Intestinal Health
If you’ve ever heard of the BRAT diet, you’ll know that bananas are a popular recommendation for those who are just starting to again after suffering a severe bout of diarrhea. The potassium in bananas is a useful electrolyte that replaces those lost in diarrhea. However, bananas can also help to relieve constipation due to the stool-softening pectin they provide, so they’re excellent at regulating bowel function regardless of your particular problem.
10. They Boost Hair And Nail Health
Finally, the biotin found in bananas can really help to improve your looks as well. Those with a biotin deficiency frequently experience noticeable hair loss and thinner, more easily breakable nails. Some people take biotin supplements for this reason, but snacking on a banana may help as well.
