Banana's and Healthy Weight Loss

So you want to learn about bananas!  There is good news to read and the old adage of “if it tastes good, it must be bad for you” does not apply when talking about bananas.  There is good reason why they are the #1 fruit in America.  They are available year round and quite possibly are the first fruit ever in America.  Bananas are a great source of vitamin c, potassium and dietary fiber.  The Vitamin B6 they contain is great for boosting your immune system and red blood cell formation.  When you eat bananas often you are even helping the proper functioning of your central nervous system.  In short, eating a banana is not only great for you, they taste great too.

Everyone always mentions about how great bananas are for a source of potassium and they are right.  The actual benefit is that bananas are essential for protein synthesis and the building of muscle because it stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contraction.  Bananas also may reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke.  Since bananas are completely sodium-free they are great to use as part of a diet to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. The carbohydrates that are in bananas are more digestible than any other fruit.  This is an advantage because the human body uses calories from carbohydrates faster and easier than calories from fat or protein.   Bananas also have no fat or cholesterol which helps to round out the incredible benefits of including them in your daily diet to become a healthier person.  To dissect the benefits of bananas it becomes more amazing when you realize that different age groups of people receive amazingly targeted results from eating bananas.

Infants; Children sometimes start eating solid food in as few as four months after birth.  Often bananas are the first solid food experience in the life of a person.  Mashed or pureed bananas are an ideal start for a person’s journey into the food experience.  As babies start to eat solid food they can be extremely picky about what they do or do not like to eat.  Bananas make a perfect transition because by choosing only ripe bananas they are naturally sweet, which is what most, if not all, children enjoy to eat.  As the child grows older the transition to solid foods goes smoothly with the introduction of small chunks left in the mashed bananas.  It is an all around good experience for children to eat bananas because it sets into motion the enjoyment of fruits which is a lifelong benefit.  A child in this age group should eat about ½ of a banana everyday to obtain the maximum benefit from the nutrition bananas offer.

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Toddlers and School Children; Too many children in the world today do not get the needed mix of vitamins and nutrition to help them develop into healthy adults.  It is a proven fact that there is a strong link between good grades and good nutrition.  This is demonstrated by higher test scores and fewer problems with behavior and discipline.  Eating a banana in the morning provides a high portion of the needed requirements for the entire day.  The influx of minerals and vitamins such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, B6, C, niacin and folate start the nutrition aspect of the child’s day off to a great start.  Eating a banana gives a person a quick boost of energy and provides the needed nutrients to tide you over until the next meal.  Giving a child a banana in their school lunch is a great way to ensure your child gets the needed energy to make it through an afternoon or other period of time at school.  Giving a child a banana a day to supplement healthy meal choices will provide a healthy start to not only their day but also to the start of their life.  A child in this age group should eat between one to two bananas everyday to obtain the maximum benefit from bananas.

Senior Citizens; The challenge to senior citizens is that as they age their metabolism slows down yet the requirements for their health and nutrition stay the same or even increase.  Bananas are easy to eat and digest and allow the maximum intake of nutrients with the least amount of effort.  As the appetites of the seniors decrease bananas will still provide an excellent avenue for nutrition with a minimal amount of eating and effort.  As people grow older they generally have an inadequate supply of vitamin B6.  This vitamin B6 has shown some relation to a person’s immune response and their overall cognitive functions.  Eating bananas often has shown that it may slow or reduce the aging process.   A person over the age of 50 should eat about two bananas everyday for the correct intake of vitamin B6.

As with all fruits, the banana is no exception to the value it adds to your daily dietary intake.  There is no doubt that eating a candy bar everyday has bad effects that outweigh any benefits.   There is no doubt that by eating fruit everyday there will be no negative effects that hurt your body like a daily candy bar.  If your desire is to lose weight we at I Choose Thin want to discourage you from looking at fruit as part of your going on a diet.  If you want to lose weight we suggest you try to be healthy first.  We want you to understand that if you want to go on a diet to lose weight you will fail in the long run.  If you want to change your diet then you will succeed.  In order to live a long life at a healthy weight you need to make some adjustments in your lifestyle and one of those basic changes is the need for fruit to become a permanent part of your daily diet.  Gaining knowledge about your new diet requires you learn more about the wonders and benefits of fruit.  There are so many books written on fruit that there is no excuse for not knowing and learning the basic benefits of fruit.  We encourage you to read as much as possible as to the wonderful benefits of fruit on a daily basis.  If you want to lose weight, then skip the diet and start to live.  Make a change in your diet and stop dieting for the long haul and you will become healthier.  That healthier person will become thinner as a byproduct of their diet and not because of their diet.

Bananas are a great addition to your daily intake of calories.  The true benefit the banana is best achieved when combined with other fruits such as grapes, apples, strawberries and cantaloupe and any other fruits you could think of eating.  The benefits of the banana are awesome so do not overlook them on your next trip to the grocery store.  Good things come in small packages is an understatement when referring to bananas.  Get into the habit of tossing a banana or two into your lunch box or your gym bag for that extra boost of energy and a healthy way to fight back those hunger pangs.  If you were to use eating bananas as part of a healthy eating plan with daily exercise thrown in you will be well on your way to a healthier you.  As we have discussed all over this website you need to be on a “live-it” and not a diet.  Using bananas in your life will help you to achieve that healthy lifestyle on your weight loss journey. 

Bill Phillips Eating for Life Plan at eDiets  

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