This Food Promotes
Bananas
The banana tree is a tropical tree grown in more than 100 countries. It’s considered the world’s most popular fruit because people everywhere love the sweet flavor, and more and more people understand how good a banana really is for you.
Bananas grow in huge clusters of up to 150 bananas. An individual banana is one of the best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for a healthy heart and blood pressure. (By the way, never refrigerate a banana, as it will turn black. Instead, keep bananas at room temperature. If you want them to ripen faster, put them in the sun!)
Tired of eating bananas plain? Make a smoothie! Throw a banana into the blender with some yogurt, milk or juice. Add fruit, nutritional supplements like protein powder, maybe some almonds or walnuts and blend away! Ever tried adding a sliced banana to your PB&J? How about this, surprise your family and make banana pudding for dessert!
Banana Nutrition:
The average banana contains a whopping 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium, so a banana a day may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis. Not only that, but potassium is good for bones because it slows down the loss of calcium. Bananas are also a very good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C, dietary fiber, and manganese.
Factoids!
- Bananas are grown in at least 107 countries and can be yellow, purple or red. BananThe giant clusters of bananas that hang from the tree have between 50 and 150 bananas
- In many countries, people eat both the inside fruit AND the outside skin! Dried bananas can be ground into banana flour.
- Banana sap is extremely sticky – so sticky it can be used as glue
