If you have more of a sweet-tooth, bananas are a fantastic late-night snack choice.They are full of important nutrients like potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fiber, and have benefits for digestion, and weight loss.
Bananas contain high amounts of fiber. If you choose bananas that are greenish (not fully ripe), then they are also high in resistant starch. Fiber and resistant starch may help you feel full and less hungry, which leads to a reduction in calorie intake
Here are scientific research that support health benefits of bananas
Bananas are also a great source of tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid that can make you sleepy. It is converted into the sleep hormone melatonin, helping you get a good night’s sleep (10). Remember, people who do not sleep enough tend to be much more overweight than those who do (4). Perhaps best of all, each banana contains only 100 calories and doesn’t leave any mess to clean up.
1. Bananas May Have Benefits for Exercise
Bananas are often referred to as the perfect food for athletes, largely due to their mineral content and easily digested carbs.
Eating bananas may help reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness, which affect up to 95% of the general population.
The reason for the cramps is basically unknown, but a popular theory blames a mixture of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
However, studies have provided mixed findings about bananas and muscle cramps. Some find them helpful, while others find no effects.
That being said, bananas have been shown to provide excellent nutrition before, during and after endurance exercise.
2. Bananas Contain Nutrients That Moderate Blood Sugar Levels
Bananas are rich in a fiber called pectin, which gives the flesh its structural form.
Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fiber and escapes digestion.
Both pectin and resistant starch may moderate blood sugar levels after meals, and reduce appetite by slowing stomach emptying.
Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index, which is a measure (from 0–100) of how quickly foods increase blood sugar levels.
The glycemic value of unripe bananas is about 30, while ripe bananas rank at about 60. The average value of all bananas is 51.
This means that bananas should not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in healthy individuals.
However, this may not apply to diabetics, which should probably avoid eating lots of well-ripened bananas and monitor their blood sugars carefully when they do.
3. Bananas May Improve Digestive Health
Dietary fiber has been linked to many health benefits, including improved digestion.
A medium-sized banana contains about 3 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good fiber source.
Bananas contain mainly two types of fiber:
- Pectin: Decreases as the banana ripens.
- Resistant starch: Found in unripe bananas.
Resistant starch escapes digestion and ends up in our large intestine, where it becomes food for the beneficial gut bacteria.
Additionally, some cell studies propose that pectin may help protect against colon cancer.
4. Bananas May Help With Weight Loss
No study has directly tested the effects of bananas on weight loss. However, bananas do have several features that should make them a weight loss friendly food.
For starters, bananas contain relatively few calories. An average banana contains just over 100 calories, yet it is also very nutritious and filling.
They are also rich in fiber. Eating more fiber from fruit and vegetables has repeatedly been linked with lower body weight and weight loss.
Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to be very filling and may reduce your appetite.
5. Bananas May Improve Kidney Health
Potassium is essential for blood pressure control and healthy kidney function.
As a good dietary source of potassium, bananas may be especially beneficial for maintaining healthy kidneys.
One study in women showed that over 13 years, those who ate bananas 2–3 times per week were 33% less likely to develop kidney disease.
Other studies have found that those who eat bananas 4–6 times a week are almost 50% less likely to develop kidney disease, compared to people who don’t eat bananas.
6. Bananas Contain Many Important Nutrients
Bananas are among the most popular fruits on earth.
Native to Southeast Asia, they are now grown in many warmer parts of the world.
There are many types of bananas available, which vary in color, size and shape. The most common type is the yellow banana, which is green when unripe.
Bananas contain a fair amount of fiber, as well as several antioxidants. One medium-sized banana (118 grams) also contains:
- Potassium: 9% of the RDI.
- Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI.
- Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI.
- Magnesium: 8% of the RDI.
- Copper: 10% of the RDI.
- Manganese: 14% of the RDI.
- Net carbs: 24 grams.
- Fiber: 3.1 grams.
- Protein: 1.3 grams.
- Fat: 0.4 grams.
Each banana contains only about 105 calories, and consists almost exclusively of water and carbs. Bananas contain very little protein and almost no fat.
The carbs in unripe (green) bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose and sucrose).
