Banana: The Ideal FoodHealthy, filling and even already wrapped for the consumer, bananas are one of nature’s ideal foods and the world’s most popular fruit.
They are undoubtedly an extremely healthy food, and the healthy conscious late 1990s is a highly appropriate point at which to begin a study of the expanding international banana trade.
Bananas contain nearly all the essential vitamins – in particular vitamins C, B6 (pyridoxine), B2 (riboflavin) and folate – as well as magnesium and potassium.
Potassium is a vital mineral for muscle development and also helps to regulate blood pressure.
These advantages are demonstrated strongly in comparison with other fruits but, equally importantly, bananas also have discernible health and nutrition advantages by comparison with other snack foods, notably chocolate bars.No other fruit is so readily or so widely eaten as a snack in developed countries. Bananas also rarely cause allergic reactions, apart from migraine headache and indigestion in a few adults, and are a popular first solid food for babies.
They are also useful for treating childhood stomach upsets, although there is as yet no firm evidence to support the theory that bananas may help cell and mucus production in the stomach lining, thereby healing ulcers and preventing new ones.
Aside from these general properties, the banana industry has been assiduous in promoting the use of the fruit for specific dietary needs, most notably by sportspeople such as tennis player and racing cyclists, who have an increased need for vitamins and minerals as well as for carbohydrates without associated fats.
Bananas also contain a high level of natural sugar, in both their fresh and dried form, which they release quickly into the blood stream.
The banana industry has also pointed out that the unique combination of vitamins and sugars within bananas releases energy into the body over a long time, improving stamina and the powers of endurance and concentration.
Banana: The Ideal Food
