Exercise Daily – Do bananas have seeds? Who doesn’t love bananas? We all do. But do you know bananas as much as you love them? Here are some interesting facts to make you appreciate this yellow miracle even more!
First, you need to know about the history of bananas.
Bananas were first made into recorded history when brought to the west in 327B.C by Arabs. It was originally found in South East Asia which was just three centuries ago, in 1834, to be precise, when mass production of bananas started. And Boom! Bananas gained access to every household in the late 1880s. Now bananas are a must in every local fruit market. How many types of bananas your local market has?
From where do bananas get their name?
Biological name of banana is Musa paradisiaca sapientum . Do remember it if you want to pursue a career as a botanist!
Well, there is more than one theory of the origin of the word banana. The most agreed-upon approach is that the name banana originated from the word Banan, an Arabic word meaning finger. So the bunch of bananas is the hand and a single banana is a finger.
Many also connect the name to how it was sold in Philadelphia during the World Fair of 1876. Bananas wrapped in aluminum foil and sold at ten cents. So the fruit gained popularity with the name banana.
Some people also claim the origin of the word from the Wolof language (Caribbean heritage), roughly meaning fruit of the wise men.
Let’s talk about banana growth and varieties.
There are more than 1000 varieties of bananas cultivated worldwide. The popular varieties available are Cavendish, Red banana, Blue Java, aka ice cream banana, Plantain, and Gold finger.
The primary production of bananas is in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. The largest producers are India, China, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Brazil. India is the leader in banana production, closely followed by China. Most of the banana is consumed domestically.
The type of banana in your local market is Cavendish banana. The tastier type was Gros Michel or big mike, but it became extinct in 1960 due to a fungal disease called Panama disease.
The only place where bananas are commercially grown is Hawaii.
Who loves bananas the most?
No doubt bananas are consumed all over the world. But do you know which country consumes the most bananas? You guessed it right. Americans love bananas the most. US Department of Agriculture reports bananas to be the top favorite fresh fruit. Almost 13.9 pounds per person is consumed every year. Banana is an essential part of the American diet, as most people take it as breakfast. Americans add it to their cereals, desserts, drinks, and anything you can take with a banana.
Don’t you forget the rest of the world! Bananas are the fourth-largest popular fruit around the globe. A prevalent fruit, huh!
Banana tree and its amazing facts
Look at the banana tree? No, it’s not a tree; it’s officially a perennial herb. And the largest herbaceous flowering plant you can find around the globe. Its stem contains a large amount of water.
Japanese make paper out of the banana stem.
Japanese use bananas in the most unique way. It’s been part of their culture since the 13th century. They use banana tree stem as fiber to make fabric and paper.
Is banana a fruit?
A berry is defined as the seed inside the fruit and not outside. So the yellow curvy sweet miracle is a member of the berry family. Stop thinking of strawberries as a berry!
Where are the SEEDS?
Speaking of seeds, where are seeds in a banana? The original species of bananas had seeds. And Big ones! But after selective cultivation and development in botany, seeds are now tiny and eatable, and soft. Split your banana in half, and you’ll spot little black dots. See, those are the seed that you never noticed!
You have got a full nutritional package-Banana
Bananas are superfruit full of energy. They have high nutritional value, rich in protein, sugar, carbohydrates, fiber, and potassium. You get 89 calories per 100g of banana.
Be regular with bananas.
You must be familiar with probiotics. If not, all you need to know is that probiotics are food components that help you in the growth of beneficial microorganisms, i.e., bacteria and fungi, to improve your digestion process. So, you must take at least two bananas a day as they are the perfect prebiotic. Bananas have high fiber content, and many believe that they elevate the number of good bacteria in your body.
Your heart loves bananas.
Your heart needs a banana! Potassium is a mineral electrolyte and essential for the beating of your heart. Low sodium and high potassium shield your cardiovascular system from high blood pressure, thus keeping your heart healthy.
Banana reduces depression naturally.
Eat a banana and be happy. Bananas have high levels of tryptophan which converts to serotonin, a mood-enhancing brain neurotransmitter. So in simple words, bananas help you to stay satisfied and release stress and depression.
Banana is officially an excellent sleep inducer.
Banana helps you to get good sleep too. Vitamin B6 is proven to induce sound sleep, which is abundantly found in bananas. Nature Added tryptophan also which is famous for its effectiveness for better sleep.
Wanna relax? Take a banana. Banana contains magnesium which helps in relaxing muscles.
You can achieve ideal weight with a balanced diet and bananas.
We have a suggestion for your weight loss. Eat bananas. Bananas fulfill almost 10 percent requirement of your daily fiber. Thus saving you from constipation, which is one of the causes of weight gain and many health problems. The sweet taste of bananas also satisfies your cravings.
Reduce the risk of diabetes
Vitamin B6 helps to protect against Type 2 diabetes.
As you want your body perfectly healthy, bananas can significantly help you with that. High in resistance starch, bananas control blood sugar and are valuable for gut health.
Replace your sports drink with banana
Do you take sports drinks to boost your energy during exercise? Stop. Replace it with bananas. The serotonin and dopamine in bananas improve the number of antioxidants in your body. As a result, the oxidative levels are reduced, keeping you healthy.
Your eyes want a banana too!
We all know carrots improve eyesight. But you will be surprised to learn that bananas are equally beneficial in improving eyesight too. The eyes need vitamin A to be healthy and work properly. So bananas have a sufficient amount of this vitamin to keep your vision normal. Also, bananas reduce the risk of macular degradation, a condition in which your central vision becomes blurred.
Your bones and kidneys depend on your daily dose of bananas.
Bananas have enough calcium to help your bones become strong and healthy.
Besides other health benefits, many also claim that regular banana use reduces kidney cancer risk, as it is rich in antioxidant phenolic compounds.
Bananas are radioactive.
The potassium in a banana makes it radioactive. But you don’t need to worry as this amount of potassium is functional and does not harm the body at all, somewhat necessary to keep it healthy.
Banana peels are excellent too.
Now enough of the mushy fruity part. Let’s talk about the peel. You must be thinking about the use of peeling others rather than slipping and causing a round of laughter. But it turns out that banana peel is equally beneficial as the fruit.
Banana Peel:
- Unlike many other fruits, the banana peel is edible and full of nutrients. It is rich in vitamins B6, B12, magnesium, and potassium with little amounts of fiber and protein.
- You can enjoy banana peels raw or cooked or boiled or fried- Your choice how to take it. The peels of ripe fruit are much sweeter than the unripe ones. But don’t you think that the peel will be as sweet as the banana flesh!
- You can quickly get rid of inflammation and itching caused by insect bites by rubbing a banana peel on it. You would just have to thank the oil in the banana peel.
- To save your wound from getting infected, rub some banana peel on it. It will not only help to reduce the pain but also help to keep the swelling down.
- Ward can be really painful, and you must want to get rid of it soon. An easy way, just keep on rubbing a banana peel on it. A wart can go away in a week. Thanks to potassium in the banana.
- The enzyme in banana peel also helps to remove splinters from the skin. All you have to do is to tape the banana peel to it.
- Do you know bananas can do magic with your teeth too? Rub the inner part of the banana peel to your teeth daily for about two minutes. In just two weeks, your teeth will be beautiful and pearly white. The whiting of teeth is due to potassium, magnesium, and manganese in the banana peel.
- Having a headache? Enjoy a banana and use a banana peel to rub on your forehead to cure the headache.
- Banana peels are also an excellent fertilizer because of the nutrients present in them.
- Polish your leather shoes with a banana peel to make them look clean and good as new.
- Don’t spend money to buy silver polish. You have a banana. Rub your silverware with banana peels, buff with a cloth, and you have them cleaned even better than the store-bought polish.
Banana also enhances your beauty.
Use bananas as a mask to make your skin and hair lovelier. You can easily find various kinds of masks to improve your skin and hair online. The minerals and vitamins in the banana soften your skin and give a new shine to your hair.
Generally, people mix bananas with honey for the best results.
Bananas need chemically balanced soil.
You can grow your own banana tree. The perfect soil for its growth has ph between5 and 6. Take care while planting it as the plant does not like cold ground.
Bananas float on water.
Why don’t you put a banana in a tub of water? Surprisingly it will float despite its shape and weight. This is so as banana is lesser dense in comparison with water. Almost 75% of the banana composition is water.
Bananas are healthy all the way.
Green bananas contain high starch content. With the ripening, the starch turns into sugars. They are beneficial in and out and even at each stage of their ripening process.
Bananas are produced asexually.
Bananas are sterile- surprise! You would wonder how bananas grow then. They are produced asexually. So you can consider every plant as a clone of its parent.
Food cooked in banana leaves is tastier than you think.
Are you a food lover? You surely know that in many coastal areas of India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines, the favored method of cooking fish is by wrapping it in banana leaves. It makes food tastier and healthier.
Banana leaves are the best serving dish too.
Food is also served in banana leaves. The aroma of leaves added to the taste of delicious food is a match made in heaven. Try it yourself.
You share your DNA with a banana.
About 50 percent of human DNA is similar to a banana. Scientists have discovered that humans share many similarities with bananas on the DNA level. That’s why some people are so sweet!
Green bananas are actually the crop.
Farmers actually do not wait for the ripening of bananas on their trees. It’s removed from the plant when it is green. Bananas fare then ripen by artificial means as per the requirement.
Keep bananas fresh for a long.
Bananas do not like to stay in hot weather for long. Keep them in the fridge to keep them fresh. The cool environment slows down the chemical process and keeps them fresh for a long.
