The greatest thing about the banana is that it doesn't contains only 1 gram of fat, plus it doesn't contain salt or cholesterol, three of the most damaging things in the American diet. A banana can be eaten any time of the day or as a quick snack between meals.
There are about 110 calories in the average size banana and some of the highly nutritional ingredients in bananas are listed below by their percentages of ingredient:
Vitamin B-6 - 41%
Vitamin C - 33%
Potassium - 23%
Magnesium - 15%
Riboflavin - 10%
Copper - 9%
Phosphorus - 5%
and several other essential ingredients.
Probably one of the best ingredients in a banana is potassium. Potassium is a mineral that is essential to a stable blood pressure and to make your heart work like it should. Also, having lower blood pressure significantly reduces your risk of getting a stroke in your later years. An average size banana contains over 450 mg of potassium making it one of the most potassium rich foods available.
Bananas are also a great source of dietary fiber and dietary fiber can reduce your chances of getting colon cancer. Fiber also helps your system get cleaned out regularly and helps you have regular bowel movements.
Calcium absorption is also an important concern among women and bananas assist in helping your body absorb the proper amount of calcium from the foods you eat. It may not be necessary for you to get extra calcium in your diet when you can eat bananas regularly and absorb more calcium from the foods you already eat. And of course, natural sources of calcium are much better for your body than are supplemental ones. As always though, you should check with your health care practitioner if you are contemplating radical changes in your diet.
Adding more bananas to your diet is easy to do because they are a relatively inexpensive fruit and can be carried in your briefcase, purse or lunch bag without creating a mess. Plus bananas are readily available and can be found in just about any place that sells produce.
Banana nutrition is superior to just about any other fruit for getting a very balanced quick snack or as a supplement to breakfast, lunch or dinner.
