Bananas are not just any fruit, but they're superfoods packed with nutrition to keep you going all day long. Whether you're accustomed to grabbing a banana on the go, or your dietician has recommended it to you to fulfill your potassium deficiency, leaving out bananas from your diet is a mistake you'll regret sooner or later. Want to learn more about this genuinely fantastic food item?
Here are some facts that'll blow your mind!
1. Keeping Cardiovascular Diseases at Bay
Bananas are rich in the mineral potassium. Potassium is required for the regular electrical activity of the heart, which regulates its pumping. It also helps in keeping the electrical impulses flowing throughout the body.
In addition to having a high quantity of potassium, bananas also have sodium in low doses. This combination is excellent and prevents your blood pressure from rising. In this way, bananas significantly reduce the risk of some significant cardiovascular diseases and complications.
A study in the U.S. successfully proved that by reducing the risk of stiffness in arteries and hardening in the aorta, the largest artery of the body, bananas play a significant role in preventing stroke and heart attacks.
2. They're a Natural Sleeping Pill
Many experts advise eating bananas regularly if you're having some difficulties and take time to fall asleep. Due to the high vitamin B6 content of bananas, it helps put you to a peaceful sleep.
Sometimes, sleeplessness can be due to muscles that are exhausted, stressed out, or strained. The magnesium in the bananas works wonders in relaxing these muscles. This additional benefit makes falling asleep more effortless than it would have been otherwise.
3. Cancer and Diabetes Fighter
Diabetes and cancer are amongst the deadliest maladies nowadays, and many people lose their near and dear ones to these diseases. It is vital to use every bit of firepower there is in your arsenal to protect yourself from these.
The same vitamin B6 that helps in sleeping also prevents the risk of type 2 diabetes. Some Swedish experts conducted a study in which they proved that bananas help lower your chances of getting cancer. In the experiment, women who ate 4-6 bananas in about a week had less than a 50 percent chance of getting kidney cancer.
4. They're Herbs, Not Fruits
Typically, fruit trees bear fruits in their respective seasons. Banana is one of those few fruits that isn't grown on a tree. The banana tree is, actually, a herb and not a tree. It has a stem that is succulent instead of a traditional woody stem. Banana herb is the largest flowering herb plant in the world.
5. They Have Radioactive Properties
Bananas are unique in many ways. But an interesting fact regarding bananas is that they are one of the most radioactive food items. The potassium loaded in the bananas decays and shows natural radioactivity.
But it's still not radioactive enough to cause any harmful effects. You'll have to eat 274 bananas each day for straight seven years for the radioactive activity to mess you up significantly.
Or, to put it in another way, you'll have to eat 10 million bananas at once to die because of the radiation. To give an estimate of how insignificant this radioactivity is when it comes to everyday health, eating 43 bananas in a small amount of time can lead to heart problems, muscle weakness, and temporary paralysis. These are symptoms of a condition called hyperkalemia, which is due to excessive intake of potassium.
6. They're Serotonin Producers
Hormones control every emotion. If you're feeling low, your body isn't producing enough serotonin. This hormone communicates with the brain and is responsible for helping out with depression and anxiety and balancing other moods.
When produced in adequate amounts, it induces the feeling of well-being and happiness. Bananas are the only fruit capable of influencing the production and secretion of serotonin.
Bananas contain an amino acid called tryptophan. It is, actually, this tryptophan in the diet that helps make this happy hormone. Many doctors encourage those patients who complain about depression and a low mood to eat bananas frequently.
7. The Symbolism of Banana ‘Hearts'
When a banana herb matures, it stops growing new leaves and produces a flower spike called the heart of a plant. Under normal circumstances, a banana herb only has a single heart. But in 2005, a banana herb in the Philippines produced five hearts. The hosts were overjoyed by it and considered it a sign of good fortune.
8. Retrieving Stolen Items with Bananas
A thief in Mumbai stole a gold chain. When the police started chasing him, he swallowed the gold chain, thinking he'd get away with it. But once he was caught, he was forced to eat 48 bananas.
It was a very unusual method, no doubt, but in this case, it proved to be quite an effective one. The high fiber content of bananas helps regulate regular bowel movements. Once the thief defecated, the gold chain was retrieved and returned to the rightful owner. Hopefully, it was cleaned up first.
9. Astounding Banana World Records
Bananas are a reason behind many of the world records that have been set.
· On the 24th of April, 2016, a marathon was conducted in London, the Virgin Money London Marathon, in which the participants were only allowed to race if they were dressed up as a fruit. Andrew Lawrence from the U.K. won that race by running 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 41 seconds while wearing a banana costume, setting up a world record of the fastest time to run a marathon in a fruit costume. The supporters and spectators started calling him “the Banana man.”
· Patrick Bertolleti, a U.S. citizen, set a world record for peeling and eating eight bananas in a single minute.
· A museum in Mecca, California, called the International Banana Club and Museum that once held the record of the most extensive artifact collection dedicated to a single fruit. It had about 17 thousand items that were related to bananas. Unfortunately, the museum had to be sold in 2010, and it no longer has banana-related artifacts.
· In the Canary Islands, a world record was set with a single bunch of bananas containing 473 bananas. The bunch weighed about 130kg.
· There's another world record that is related to bananas. Ashira Furman broke 99 bananas into two pieces in 60 seconds.
10. Banana Ketchup is a Thing
Ketchup is a condiment that is liked by many all around the world. It is made by mashing tomatoes into a concentrated paste and mixing it with water, salt, and vinegar. When ketchup was introduced to the Filipinos by the U.S., they weren't satisfied.
They decided to make a variation, and instead of using ketchup, they started using bananas, although they chose not to change the color and kept it red by using a red dye.
Whether it was due to their taste buds being more used to sweet flavor, or they just liked bananas a lot, but this version of ketchup became instantly loved by almost the entire population. Now, the Filipinos use banana ketchup with various dishes such as omelets, burgers, and french fries.
11. They're Classified as Berries Too!
If the previous fun facts haven't, this one will surely make you go wild. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are not included in the category of berries, even though they have “berry” in their names.
On the other hand, bananas, an improbable candidate, are classified as a berry. Scientifically, a berry is supposed to have a seed inside the flesh and not outside. If you're wondering why you haven't seen one, that's because commercially produced bananas have seeds that are diminished to tiny black specks.
These immature, edible seeds are so small that sometimes they go unnoticed and are incapable of growing any more prominent. Otherwise, bananas do have seeds. You can even prove this theory yourself. If you come across a banana herb with some bananas on it, pluck one and peel it to see the large seeds it has.
12. Their Name Has an Interesting History
A single banana in a bunch is called a finger. The reason behind this is probably related to the origin of the fruit's name. It is derived from the Arabic word “banana,” which translates to “finger.” It also resembles the human finger in shape. Collectively, all the fingers in a bunch are also called a hand.
With something weighing as much as a banana, it's bound to sink when immersed in water. But surprisingly, bananas, due to their density, stay afloat. The object must have a density greater than water to sink. Since fruits usually are less dense than water, bananas are an exception, so they don't sink underwater.
13. They Don't Sink Underwater
Many people also check the freshness of bananas based on how good they can float on water. There's a theory that old banana peels can only float on drinkable water that has a room temperature. Meanwhile, the bananas that are over-ripe float on water even with their peel on them.
14. They are Excellent Beauty Products
· Bananas are excellent at keeping the skin healthy. Older people have wrinkles on their dry skin, which is due to reduced collagen production. Bananas boost this production, which keeps the skin in place. Hence, eating bananas can give the skin a fresh appearance.
· There is scientific evidence to prove that banana peels help whiten the teeth. Rub the inner side of a banana peel for two minutes and after two weeks, observe the difference.
· Banana peels are incredible for dry skin on the feet.
· Banana peels are also great for hair. Mix honey and heavy cream with some mashed bananas, and you'll land yourself with a great hair conditioner.
· The insides of a banana peel can treat acne and puffy eyes and helps moisturize the skin.
15. Bananas Are Gluten-Free
Like all other fruits, bananas are also gluten-free naturally. In the early 1900s, a doctor “accidentally” prescribed bananas to a child who had celiac disease. They gave her only a few weeks to live, but when she followed the doctor's prescription and ate seven bananas a day, she was relieved of her symptoms and eventually lived.
The doctor started to believe that bananas can cure gluten intolerance, and after this “astounding discovery,” he became famous. It is reported that he treated as many as 600 children, thinking he was curing their disease.
Later, studies showed that the patients were only relieved of their symptoms for as long as they followed a gluten-free diet. Still, when the mortality rate of children with celiac disease was as high as 30 percent, bananas saved numerous lives.
16. Our DNA is Similar to Bananas
Since we have advanced in science and technology, it is possible to get the entire DNA of any living thing. Scientists compare the DNA of different species to trace genetic similarities. Humans, who are hypothesized to have evolved from chimpanzees, share 96 percent of their DNA.
It's a very bizarre fact, but humans share almost 70 percent of their DNA with bananas. It might be why bananas have the scientific name “Musa Sapientum,” which means fruit of the wise men.
17. They Are Related to Latex Allergies
Banana is a healthy fruit with various other benefits, but some people can't enjoy it due to an allergy. The protein that causes this allergy is also found in latex. Scientists have suggested that if you are allergic to latex, there's about a 50 percent chance that you're also allergic to bananas. The same proteins that cause this allergy are also found in tomatoes, avocados, and strawberries.
18. Life Hacks with Banana Peels
· Rubbing banana peels on the leaves of your houseplants help give them a natural shine. Banana peels are also exceptional at fertilizing your garden. To use them as a fertilizer, you can either bury them as a whole, as compost, or in small pieces.
· Next time, whenever you decide to polish your shoes or a leather product, rub a banana peel on it and give it a good wipe with a rag. You won't regret it.
· Banana peels reduce inflammation and provide relief to the itching caused by an insect bite. If you're bitten by a mosquito, bug, or even poison ivy on a camping trip and haven't brought proper medical supplies, here's your hack. You can simply rub the inside of a banana peel on the affected area for a few minutes till the itching goes away.
· You can also treat a wart, a skin condition if you're unfamiliar, in only two weeks by continuously rubbing a banana peel on it.
She is passionate about helping others understand their body.
The key to figuring out why you feel the way you feel is to take a more significant look at what is going on inside you & even around you, and then ask questions!
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