Still remember your parents asking you to eat bananas whenever you have an upset stomach? You have probably asked yourself, “why bananas?”.. You may also be wondering why many people include bananas in their daily dietary intake. Banana is a well-loved fruit. It’s readily available almost anywhere in the world. We love its colors as well as its taste. As an added bonus, Bananas give us 10-12% of our daily fiber needs.
According to Ritika Samaddar, regional head, dietetics, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, New Delhi says, “One medium banana delivers just 100 calories and is loaded with a particular kind of fiber called resistant starch (RS), which not just fills you up, but also keeps those damaging cravings away, boosts your metabolism, and keeps constipation at bay too.”
Some of the vitamins bananas contain are vitamin B6, which help produce red blood cells and vitamin C, an important vitamin group that supports brain health. Vitamin C also produces serotonin, known as “happy chemical”.
Pratima Mishra, clinical nutritionist, Columbia Asia Hospital, Ahmedabad say “Bananas are a happy fruit as they have tryptophan, which gets converted into serotonin in the body, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.”
So, if in case you are stressed and grumpy, worry not. Bananas are your happy and healthy alternatives to chocolates that give you natural sugars like sucrose, fructose and glucose that can liven up your day.
Bananas varies from unripe, ripe or fully brown bananas and choosing what’s best for your will depend on your health needs and preference. Here are some quick tips for you.
Underripe banana
- less sugar
- good for people with diabetes
Over ripe bananas
- easier to digest
- better for people with indigestion problem
Fully brown bananas
- full of antioxidants
One word of caution though: We need to take into consideration bananas have high potassium content and will not be good for people with medical conditions.
To know which specific medical conditions to look out for or for any health concerns, you can always talk to Medgate’s doctors, available for you 24/7.