Introduction
Let's talk bananas, a fruit loved by so many, from children to the elderly ones. The sweet taste and soft texture have made bananas a staple fruit in almost every household. Our sweet fleshy fruit has a lot of juicy facts waiting to be unleashed but let's briefly visit the health benefits of bananas.
Nutritional benefits of bananas
Bananas are not only delicious but are also rich in nutrients making them a healthy choice. One medium-sized banana contains around 422 milligrams of potassium, which is vital for regulating blood pressure and keeping your heart healthy. Bananas are also a great source of other essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Apart from minerals, bananas are rich in vitamins like B6, vitamin C, and folic acid. They are also rich in fibre which is essential for maintaining a healthy digestive system (read more on fibre here). So all these nutrients in bananas make them a recommended fruit for certain conditions like diarrhea. It also regulates fluid levels in the body and the presence of vitamins and certain proteins suggests the presence of antioxidants which boost the immune system. Now, we can get to the interesting part!
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Interesting facts about bananas
Bananas are a mistake of nature
Bananas are a delicious mistake of nature, clones in fact! The bananas we eat are not natural, they are totally unoriginal, they are hybrids, and they are sterile that's why they have no seeds. Without going into the science stuff here is the explanation, the true banana species exist and they have big, hard inedible seeds, they were still eaten though but the seeds were avoided. One ancient farmer wanted to have these two species on his farm and transferred one of the specie from its habitat to the other specie habitat and boom! our bananas came into the scene. God bless that sweet farmer because now we can eat the whole Banana and not worry about those black dots we see in the middle which used to be those big inedible seeds.
Bananas are fragile
Bananas as we know it are not planted by seeds, rather we plant their suckers which are new shoots from an existing plant. This is a weakness because if a disease that wipes out this specie we have now comes up, they cease to exist. For example, the Panama disease and its effect on the Gros michel species, the Gros michel species were a rave and everybody's favourite before they were wiped out by that horrifying disease!
Plantains are bananas
Plantains are a longer, bigger, and fleshier form of bananas but they are still bananas. Bananas we cook are called plantains, we enjoy plantains whether unripe, boiled, fried, roasted or even as swallow when eating soups. We cook plantains because they are more starchy than the bananas we know and while there are true plantains, the term "plantain" refers to banana cultivars which are often eaten after cooking.
Banana plants do not have trunk
Bananas are not planted by their seeds, rather they are planted by their suckers which are new shoots from an existing plant. The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant in the world, reaching up to 25 feet in height! The stem is not a true trunk but is made up of tightly packed rolled leaf sheaths
Bananas around the world
Bananas are a worldwide treat. Almost all bananas traded worldwide come from tropical nations in Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Ecuador, the world's largest banana producer, exports an estimated 5.5 million tonnes annually, that is a lot! In Africa, Uganda is one of the largest producers of bananas. Other countries that produce bananas include the Philippines, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Honduras, and India.
Banana peels as moisturizers
This fruit peel did not want to be left out, who would have thought something we usually discard without a second thought could be so useful? Banana peels nourish our skin and hair, and they have gained massive popularity in recent times as a natural cost-effective beauty remedy. The high mineral and vitamin content of the peel makes it a great moisturizer and can improve the radiance of your skin. Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on your scalp and hair can help treat brittle hair.
Bananas and spiders
Another fruit that repels an insect, bananas actually repel spiders because they contain a chemical called dopamine which is thought to be a natural insecticide. Some people even use dried banana peels to get rid of spiderwebs on their walls. So before you start pleading the blood of Jesus when you walk through a spider web, use a dry banana peel, not everything is spiritual!
World records for the largest banana peel
Believe it or not, there is an actual world record for peeling a banana with your feet! The record is 118.53 seconds, held by Ashrita Furman from New York. If you think that's crazy there is also a record for the longest banana peel, which is 7.5 meters long! It was created by Stephane Brouat from France.
As a banana lover, think about that farmer who brought them about and pay your respects. Remember to also consume them in moderation to avoid any potential danger like high blood potassium levels. Happy banana-eating!