Banana is the common name for a type of herb and also the name for the herbaceous plants that grow this herb. These plants belong to the genus Musa. They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia. There are about 110 different species of banana.
It is thought that bananas were grown for food for the first time but today, they are cultivated in tropical regions around the world.
Most banana plants are grown for their herbs, but some are grown as ornamental plants, or for their fibres.
In parts of Africa, beer has been made by fermenting the juice of certain cultivars, known as beer bananas.
The ash of banana can be used to make soap. In Asia, bananas are often planted to provide shade to plants that like shade, for example coffee, cocoa, nutmeg or black pepper Because of this, banana plants can often be found in plantations of other crops.
Bananas are tasty fruits. They are green when unripe and turn yellow as they ripen. They have a nice, relaxing flavour.
Some kinds, or cultivars, of banana have a firmer, starchier fruit. These kinds are called PLANTAIN . Plantains are mostly used for cooking or fibre. The sweet, soft bananas that are used for desserts are called DESSERT bananas.
PLANTING OF BANANA
The banana plant is the largest herbaceous flowering plant. Banana plants are often mistaken for trees. Bananas have no stem which is made by the lower part of the leaves. This stem can grow to be two to eight metres tall. Each stem grows from a corm. A stem is able to produce a single bunch of bananas. After fruiting, the stem dies and is replaced. When most bananas are ripe, they turn yellow or, sometimes, red. Unripe bananas are green. Banana leaves grow in a spiral
GROWING, TRADING AND BENEFIT OF BANANA
According to research banana are growing at least in 107 countries, Bananas may also be cut and dried and eaten as a type of chip. Dried bananas are also ground into banana flour.
The banana species growing in the wild have fruits with many hard, large seeds. Almost all bananas grown to be eaten have seedless fruits. The countries that produces banana most include Brazil, India, china, Ecuador and Philippines. The countries that exported banana most include Colombia, Costa Rica, United States and Japan.
Bananas have a lot of vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium.
- Potassium
Potassium is an essential mineral which maintains proper heart function and regulates your blood pressure. Potassium-rich foods such as bananas actually offset the effect of sodium (salt) in raising your blood pressure. This, along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke
Bananas’ potassium content also benefits your kidneys and bones. Increased potassium intake suppresses calcium excretion in the urine, preventing painful kidney stones.
- Increased Energy
Sports drinks, energy bars and electrolyte gels are extremely popular nowadays, however you often see professional athletes eating bananas just before and even during their sports.
Watching tennis for instance, it’s not uncommon to see the players snacking on a piece of banana in between games. If a banana can keep a professional tennis player going, it must rank highly as a healthy energy source.
Improved Digestion
Most of us don’t get nearly enough fiber in our diets. Fiber is needed to help food travel smoothly through the digestive tract. It also improves your bowel movements. Bananas are a great source of dietary fiber.Cure for Ulcers & Heartburn
Bananas are a known cure for heartburn. They help balance your stomach’s pH and enhance the protective mucus layer, relieving pain. The fiber content also moves food through your digestive tract faster - preventing reflux.Skin Conditions
Even the banana’s skin has its uses. It is great for treating skin conditions like psoriasis and acne.
Rub the freshly peeled inside of the banana skin gently over the affected area and leave the residue to be absorbed. The fatty acid content of the banana skin helps relieve a variety of skin conditions, as well as having a strong moisturising effect.
- Hangover Cure
Bananas are a great choice for mornings when you’ve overdone it a bit the night before. A couple of bananas blended with ice, berries and coconut milk or cow’s milk makes a really good hangover recovery drink.
Just about all of the health benefits we’ve discussed come into play here. Of course the better solution is not to drink so much the night before. But just in case, it’s good to have some bananas around for the next morning.
As I tend to get mine in bulk and don’t always finish them before they get too ripe, I like to chop up any excess ones on their last legs and put them in a container in the freezer. These are great to drop straight from the freezer into the blender instead of ice cubes for brilliant creamy smoothies.
USES OF BANANA PEEL
A banana peel is the outer skin of a banana. It is usually peeled to get at the delicious insides. Some people use banana peels to make other people slip on them. The term is used as a metaphor for a kind of joke.
Conclusion
So there you have 6 great reasons to pick up a bunch of bananas the next time you’re out getting groceries. While pesticides aren’t considered a significant problem with bananas, fair trade fruits are worth looking for if you can find them.
How do you like to eat your bananas? Alone or mixed with other foods - on top of a healthy muesli or blended up in a smoothie? I’m very interested to hear any ideas or suggestions you might have for more beneficial ways to enjoy bananas.
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