Bananas are a staple meals in lots of diets and among the many most consumed fruits globally (1).
In reality, they’re the primary meals logged by MyFitnessPal members, highlighting their widespread attraction.
Bananas are favored for his or her comfort, availability, and low price. They’re a simple addition to meals. They’re typically loved in smoothies, as a part of breakfast cereals, or just on their very own.
In lots of nations, particularly low-income ones, bananas are a priceless supply of vitamin (1). Wealthy in important vitamins like potassium, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber, this fruit is a nutritious selection (2).
Bananas are undoubtedly well-liked. However, with rising issues concerning the setting and food regimen variety, you may be questioning how typically you need to eat them.
Right here’s what that you must learn about your weekly banana consumption and its potential results in your well being and the planet.
The Banana Fungus Disaster: What You Have to Know
Bananas are one of many world’s most produced and consumed fruits, with over 1,000 completely different varieties (1).
The Cavendish banana is hottest, making up 99% of banana exports (3).
However, it’s presently threatened by a brand new pressure (TR4) of fusarium wilt, a fungus also called “Panama illness” (3). This fungus assaults roots, inflicting crops to rot and die (4).
If unchecked, it might result in the business extinction of the Cavendish banana.
Within the Fifties, an analogous illness destroyed the earlier favourite: the Gros Michel banana. That’s after we switched to the Cavendish (3).
Since 1990, a brand new illness pressure has unfold. It entered vital banana-growing areas like Latin America round 2019, inflicting severe harm to Cavendish bananas (5).
It is a massive downside. There’s no commercially obtainable alternative for the Cavendish banana but.
Dropping it might particularly affect poorer communities and economies, affecting hundreds of thousands who rely on the banana business for meals and revenue (1, 6).
Scientists are working onerous to cease the unfold of Panama illness.
They lately discovered some genes within the fungus that may be key to defending Cavendish bananas from extinction (7). However, if not, we would must discover a new favourite banana quickly.
How Many Bananas Ought to You Eat in a Week?
Bananas supply many potential well being advantages, together with:
- Continual illness prevention: Bananas are wealthy in bioactive compounds. They embody antioxidant flavonoids and polyphenols. These could assist stop kind 2 diabetes, coronary heart illness, and most cancers (8).
- Help coronary heart well being and replenish electrolytes: Bananas are excessive within the electrolytes potassium and magnesium. These may also help decrease blood strain and scale back coronary heart illness danger (9, 10). Additionally, bananas may also help change these electrolytes misplaced in diarrhea or vomiting (2).
- Promote intestine and metabolic well being: Unripe and fewer ripe bananas are wealthy in fibers like pectin and resistant starch. These fibers assist digestion, bowel actions, and blood sugar management (2). In addition they act as prebiotics, nourishing good intestine micro organism. A wholesome intestine microbiome additional aids digestion. It might additionally help immunity, mind well being, and weight administration. (11 , 12).
Current observational analysis discovered that folks with hypertension could decrease their loss of life danger by consuming bananas 3 to six instances every week (13). That is in comparison with those that eat them lower than as soon as a month. Growing past this vary didn’t supply further advantages.
Extra analysis is required to seek out the correct amount of bananas for various well being circumstances and targets.
So, what number of bananas do you have to eat weekly to reap these advantages? For now, one of the best reply is determined by your private wants and food regimen. However, most wholesome adults ought to be capable of safely eat one or two medium bananas per day.
Different Issues to Take into account Earlier than Growing Banana Consumption
Be cautious about consuming bananas in case you have sure well being circumstances. For instance, folks with kidney illness ought to restrict bananas due to their excessive potassium content material (11).
These with different issues or on blood strain or coronary heart failure drugs ought to seek the advice of a health care provider earlier than consuming bananas.
Additionally, whereas bananas are wholesome, banana-flavored merchandise and desserts will not be as nutritious. They usually lack the advantages of consuming entire bananas.
For recipes that use entire bananas, take a look at 10 Healthy Recipes for Bananas.
The Case for Selection: Why You Shouldn’t Depend on Bananas Alone
The World Well being Group (WHO) recommends that you just eat no less than 5 servings of vegatables and fruits every day (14).
A low consumption of vegatables and fruits raises the danger of continual ailments (15). This will contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide (16).
However, it’s not simply the quantity we eat that issues. Consuming all kinds of vegatables and fruits is essential for good well being.
Like several meals, consuming too many bananas can crowd out different produce, inflicting nutrient imbalances and potential unwanted side effects.
A number of research counsel {that a} numerous mixture of vegatables and fruits, no matter amount, could decrease the danger of kind 2 diabetes and a few cancers (15).
Consuming a higher number of vegatables and fruits has additionally been linked to higher vitamin and food regimen high quality, a more healthy life-style, or a decrease danger of loss of life in some older populations (17, 18).
Scientists suggest one other case for selection: increasing the sorts of bananas we eat may assist remedy the banana fungus downside (19).
So, if it’s accessible to you, you are able to do your half to help extra sustainable and numerous banana manufacturing by selecting:
- Numerous sorts of bananas, like crimson bananas or plantains
- Fairtrade or organic bananas
- Bananas from completely different areas
This method could promote eco-friendly practices and scale back the world’s dependence on a single kind of banana crop, which in flip might assist defend biodiversity and the setting.
Options to Bananas: Fruits to Attempt
On the lookout for some inspiration so as to add extra selection to your every day fruit consumption?
Listed here are some fruits you possibly can strive as an alternative of bananas (or along with them):
- Blueberries: Significantly excessive in antioxidants and fiber.
- Kiwi: Wealthy in vitamin C, digestive enzymes, and fiber.
- Pomegranates: Excessive in potassium and antioxidants.
- Oranges: Considerable in vitamin C for immune and pores and skin well being.
- Papaya: Wealthy in nutritional vitamins A, C, and digestive enzymes.
- Strawberries: Excessive in vitamin C, manganese, and antioxidants.
- Apples: Excessive in fiber, particularly pectin, and vitamin C.
- Cherries: Filled with fiber, vitamin C, and highly effective antioxidants.
- Avocados: Distinctive as a fruit wealthy in wholesome fat and fiber.
Attempt monitoring your every day servings within the MyFitnessPal app to see what number of several types of fruits you eat and if there may be room to diversify.
The Backside Line: Steadiness & Selection Are Key
Most wholesome adults can eat one to 2 medium-sized bananas every day.
Whereas bananas supply many well being advantages, think about diversifying in order that bananas aren’t your solely fruit selection.
Consuming all kinds of vegatables and fruits might be as vital as consuming sufficient of them. Additionally, selecting a various vary of produce may be a extra environmentally pleasant possibility.
So, take pleasure in bananas sparsely as a part of a balanced food regimen wealthy in numerous vegatables and fruits to help each your well being and the planet.
The submit What to Know About Banana Nutrition (& Extinction!) appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.