Banana adds a great flavour and textur

Banana adds a great flavour and texture to bakes. Grab yourself a bunch and

#### Chocolate & banana cake

Just one look at this chocolate and banana treat is enough to know it won’t

#### Dotty banana fairy cakes

These sweet banana cakes are lovely and simple to make for a bake sale or

#### Sugar-free banana cake

sugar is needed in this banana bread

#### Brilliant banana loaf

A cross between banana bread and a drizzle cake, this easy banana loaf recipe

is a quick bake that can be frozen. It’s great for using up overripe bananas,

#### Banana & blueberry muffins

This easy banana loaf cake is a tasty way of using up overripe bananas and

#### Banana cake with pecan crumble crunch

#### Banana date cake with walnut & honey glaze

Sticky and sweet, this bundt-shaped banana bread with buttery glaze and

#### Upside-down banana cake with maple-caramel sauce

Hot toffee sauce makes sticky, warm banana cake even more of a treat

#### Date, banana & rum loaf

#### Brazil & banana bread

#### Banana, walnut & chocolate chip loaf

Paul Hollywood shares his banana bread recipe — this delicious bake is dotted

#### Vegan cupcakes with banana & peanut butter

#### Toasted banana bread with vanilla ricotta & raspberries

This classic banana bread is best baked the day before — topped with a fruity

See more Banana cake recipes

# 11 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Bananas

Bananas are extremely healthy and delicious.

Here are 11 science-based health benefits of bananas.

1\. Bananas Contain Many Important Nutrients

Bananas are among the world’s most popular fruits.

Bananas vary in color, size and shape.

The most common type is the Cavendish, which is a type of dessert banana.

Bananas contain a fair amount of fiber, as well as several antioxidants. One

medium-sized banana (118 grams) also boasts (1, 2, 3):

Each banana has only about 105 calories and consists almost exclusively of

water and carbs. Bananas hold very little protein and almost no fat.

The carbs in green, unripe bananas consist mostly of starch and resistant

starch, but as the banana ripens, the starch turns into sugar (glucose,

> **Summary** Bananas are rich in fiber, antioxidants and several nutrients.

> A medium-sized banana has about 105 calories.

2\. Bananas Contain Nutrients That Moderate Blood Sugar Levels

Bananas are rich in pectin, a type of fiber that gives the flesh its spongy

Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fiber and

Furthermore, bananas also rank low to medium on the glycemic index (GI), which

The GI value of unripe bananas is about 30, while ripe bananas rank at about

60. The average value of all bananas is 51 (8, 9).

This means that bananas should not cause major spikes in blood sugar levels in

probably avoid eating a lot of well-ripened bananas — and monitor their blood

> **Summary** Bananas can help moderate blood sugar levels after meals and

3\. Bananas May Improve Digestive Health

A medium-sized banana has about 3 grams of fiber, making bananas a fairly good

Bananas contain two main types of fiber:

* **Pectin:** Decreases as the banana ripens.

* **Resistant starch:** Found in unripe bananas.

> **Summary** Bananas are fairly rich in fiber and resistant starch, which

4\. Bananas May Aid Weight Loss

No study has directly tested the effects of bananas on weight loss. However,

bananas do have several attributes that should make them a weight-loss-

For starters, bananas have relatively few calories. An average banana has just

Eating more fiber from vegetables and fruits like bananas has repeatedly been

Furthermore, unripe bananas are packed with resistant starch, so they tend to

> **Summary** Bananas may aid weight loss because they’re low in calories and

5\. Bananas May Support Heart Health

Bananas are a great dietary source of potassium. One medium-sized banana (118

Furthermore, bananas contain a decent amount of magnesium, which is also

> **Summary** Bananas are a good dietary source of potassium and magnesium —

6\. Bananas Contain Powerful Antioxidants

However, it is a common misunderstanding that the dopamine from bananas acts

In reality, dopamine from bananas does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It

> **Summary** Bananas are high in several antioxidants, which may help reduce

7\. Bananas May Help You Feel More Full

Resistant starch is a type of indigestible carb — found in unripe bananas and

As a rule of thumb, you can estimate that the greener the banana, the higher

On the other hand, yellow, ripe bananas contain lower amounts of resistant

> **Summary** Depending on ripeness, bananas harbor high amounts of resistant

8\. Unripe Bananas May Improve Insulin Sensitivity

Unripe bananas are a great source of resistant starch. Therefore, they may

More studies should be conducted on bananas and insulin sensitivity.

> **Summary** Unripe bananas are a good source of resistant starch, which may

9\. Bananas May Improve Kidney Health

As a good dietary source of potassium, bananas may be especially beneficial

One 13-year study in women determined that those who ate bananas 2–3 times per

Other studies note that those who eat bananas 4–6 times a week are almost 50%

> **Summary** Eating a banana several times a week may reduce your risk of

10\. Bananas May Have Benefits for Exercise

Bananas are often referred to as the perfect food for athletes largely due to

Eating bananas may help reduce exercise-related muscle cramps and soreness,

However, research gives mixed findings about bananas and muscle cramps. While

That said, bananas do provide excellent nutrition before, during and after

> **Summary** Bananas may help relieve muscle cramps caused by exercise. They

11\. Bananas Are Easy to Add to Your Diet

Not only are bananas incredibly healthy — they’re also one of the most

Bananas make a great addition to yogurt, cereal and smoothies. You can even

Furthermore, bananas rarely contain any pesticides or pollutants due to their

Bananas are incredibly easy to eat and transport. They are usually well-

> **Summary** Bananas make an excellent snack food, dessert or breakfast.

Bananas are a popular fruit that happens to provide numerous health benefits.

Ripe bananas are a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth. What’s more, both

yellow and green bananas can keep you healthy and feeling full.

* How Bananas Affect Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels

* Are Bananas Fattening or Weight Loss Friendly?

* * How Bananas Affect Diabetes and Blood Sugar Levels

Can you eat bananas if you have diabetes? Bananas do contain carbs that can

* Are Bananas Fattening or Weight Loss Friendly?

Bananas are nutritious, but also high in sugar and carbs. Do bananas make you

Bananas contain many beneficial nutrients, but they are also high in carbs and

sugar. This article reviews the health effects of bananas.

* Bananas 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

This is a detailed article about bananas. What they are, what they look like,

**Banana** , fruit of the genus _Musa_ , of the family Musaceae, one of the

most important fruit crops of the world. The banana is grown in the tropics,

year. Cavendish, or dessert, bananas are most commonly eaten fresh, though

**banana** Domesticated bananas growing in a bunch.Ingmar Holmasen

Why Do Bananas Turn Brown?

What makes a banana go to the dark side?

Bananas are thought to have been first domesticated in Southeast Asia, and

Alexander the Great saw bananas on an expedition to India. Shortly after the

discovery of America, bananas were taken from the Canary Islands to the New

other islands and the mainland. Cultivation increased until bananas became a

in the markets of the United States. Although Cavendish bananas are by far the

account for about 85 percent of all banana cultivation worldwide.

The banana plant is a gigantic herb that springs from an underground stem, or

bananas, are grouped in clusters, or hands, of 10 to 20. After a plant has

* **banana plants** Banana plants growing on a plantation. Each herbaceous trunk bears only one bunch of fruit and is cut down after harvest to encourage new growth from the rhizome (underground stem).© L. Shat/Fotolia

* **banana inflorescence** A banana inflorescence in Thailand. Each purple-red bract curls, exposing the clusters of pistillate (female) flowers underneath.© ComZeal/Fotolia

Banana plants thrive naturally on deep, loose, well-drained soils in humid

required to remove surplus growth and prevent crowding in a banana plantation.

Desirable commercial bunches of bananas consist of nine hands or more and

Given that each banana variety is propagated clonally, there is very little

genetic diversity in the domesticated plants. This makes bananas especially

dessert variety, which had dominated the world’s commercial banana business.

Although there are hundreds of varieties of bananas in cultivation, their

same variety. As most cultivated varieties of bananas are either interspecific

nomenclature of domesticated bananas. Unlike most plants, these varieties are

In similar environments bananas have long been an important local food item,

and since the early 1970s Ecuador has become one of the largest banana

…particularly, the cultivation of the banana—to the remaining areas of East

…the trunk of the “banana tree” is actually leafstalks rolled tightly around

each other. The banana plant is entirely herbaceous, has no true trunk, and

* University of Hawai�i at Manoa — Knowledge Master — Banana

* Texas A&M; Agrilife Extension — Banana

* LiveScience — Bananas: Health Benefits, Risks and Nutrition Facts

* California Rare Fruit Growers — Banana

* IndiaNetzone — Banana Tree

* banana — Children’s Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)

* banana — Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)