The Benefits of Bananas

The banana is a wonderful fruit whether you’re dieting or simply want to live healthy. It contains many essential vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, without any fat! Consisting of a combination of simple sugars, starch, and dietary fiber, it gives an instant boost to blood sugar levels, as well as a more gradual and sustained increase in energy, meaning no crashing. Bananas satisfy cravings for sweets in a healthy, nutritious way, helping you stick to your diet and keep your weight loss resolution.

Dietary Fiber

Bananas are high in dietary fiber, with just one of these fruits providing sixteen percent of your daily value. Fiber is an important part of weight loss. Fiber helps you feel fuller longer, meaning that you eat less overall. Fiber also slows the body’s digestion and absorption of carbohydrates. Because of this, energy is released gradually, rather than all at once, resulting in a steady stream rather than a spike. Finally, fiber has many general health benefits.

Potassium

Potassium is important to maintaining the body’s fluid balance between blood and cells. It is also involved in protein synthesis and building muscle mass because it helps muscles contract during exercise and weight training. One banana has eleven percent of the recommended daily value.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is integral to proper immune functioning. The body uses it to synthesize antibodies and make red blood cells. Vitamin B6 is also used for protein metabolism and to maintain proper function in the central nervous system. Eating one banana a day will provide you with twenty percent of the vitamin B6 you need.

Vitamin C

The body uses vitamin C for many different things. It plays a part in immune function, iron absorption, and the making of blood and connective tissue. While bananas don’t have the amazing vitamin C content of citrus, they still contain a respectable fifteen percent of your daily requirement.

Many people believe that the key to a successful diet is cutting carbs or sugars or fats. But in fact, the truth is much simpler than that. A successful diet requires that you eat fewer calories than you use. However, this should be done in a balanced and healthy way, rather than simply eliminating an entire food group!

Eating bananas is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to lose weight. They make you feel full and provide stable energy as well as many essential vitamins and minerals, without any unhealthy fat or cholesterol.

Even if your weight’s not a concern, the banana should still be high on your list of foods to eat. Few foods have so many overall health benefits as the banana.

Get a jump start on your personal weight loss program today.

Sources:
http://www.chiquita.com/discover/hn/low-carbdietposition.asp
http://www.shape.com/new/expert/food.html