Bananas are an exotic berry, herbaceous plant whose leaf stems grow directly from the rhizome. The homeland of bananas is Southeast Asia, later this plant began to be planted in tropical countries of Africa and America.
There are up to 70 types of bananas, but not all of them are edible. This plant is a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients, including serotonin - the hormone of joy.
Beneficial substances and vitamins contained in bananas:
- vitamin A;
- vitamin C;
- vitamin PP;
- vitamin E;
- B vitamins;
- calcium;
- potassium;
- sodium;
- magnesium;
- phosphorus;
- copper;
- iron;
- zinc;
- catecholamines;
- tannins and aromatic substances;
- enzymes;
- ethers;
- Apple acid;
- starch;
- sucrose;
- carbohydrates;
- proteins;
- pectin;
- cellulose;
- tryptophan;
- serotonin.
Useful properties of bananas and their uses
Banana is a food product that is consumed all over the world. Banana-growing countries pick them unripe for ease of transport. In order for the bananas to ripen later, they are placed in a special chamber for aeration with ethylene, while the starch, which is found in large quantities in green bananas, turns into sugar. Bananas turn yellow without losing vitamins and nutrients.
Both ripe and greenish bananas can be found on sale. Diabetics are better off eating unripe bananas before the starch turns into sugar. Healthy people should choose yellow, firm bananas, the tail should be greenish and elastic. You need to store ripe bananas at a temperature of + 14 degrees, but not in the refrigerator. If the bananas turned out to be greenish when purchased, they will ripen at a room temperature of 20-22 degrees. If you put them in a paper bag and put an apple inside, the effect will be the same as with aeration with ethylene.
The pulp of bananas has the property of enveloping the gastric mucosa and healing ulcers, however, it is not recommended to eat them in large quantities, since, due to purine substances, they are poorly digested and cause increased gas formation in the gastrointestinal tract.
Banana can be used as a diet food, it satisfies hunger well. Basically, this plant does not give allergies, banana puree is included in the diet of children under one year old, but allergies are still possible in people with intolerance to latex, exotic fruits such as avocado and mango.
Bananas give a feeling of joy, this is caused by the presence of the precursor to serotonin tryptophan and serotonin itself. Eating 1-2 bananas a day has a tonic effect on the body: efficiency increases, energy appears, concentration of attention improves. Bananas are a source of magnesium and potassium, iron and zinc, therefore they are used in the treatment of diseases of the kidneys, liver, atherosclerosis, anemia, hypertension and swelling of the extremities.
This plant has a sedative effect on the nervous system, normalizes sleep, is an anticonvulsant, and also has a positive effect on male potency. Bananas are used in cosmetic masks to nourish, moisturize and soften the face and hair.
Harm from use
With all the positive properties in a ripe banana, there is a lot of sugar, it cannot be eaten by diabetics and in large quantities by obese people. Bananas are not recommended for use in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute period, they also have the property of thickening the blood, so they should not be eaten with varicose veins and thrombophlebitis.
