Go bananas for bananas

They’re the world’s most popular fruit and have been cultivated for perhaps 10,000 years. Some scholars think the tempting fruit in the Biblical Garden of Eden sounds more like a banana than an apple. Bananas turn up in religious traditions from around the world.

“They’re rich in nutrients and fiber,” said Colleen Spees, associate professor of medical dietetics at Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus. “They’re delicious. They’re inexpensive. They’re all the right things.”

Bananas are noted for being a good source of potassium, Spees said. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one medium banana provides 375 milligrams. That’s about 11 percent of the recommended daily potassium for a man and 16 percent for a woman.

“Potassium is a mineral that is vital for heart health, especially in terms of blood pressure management,” Spees said. (It’s true other foods – including lima beans and beet greens – are higher in potassium, she said, “but how many people are eating the greens of beets?”) Bananas also are a source of magnesium (32 mg), beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants.

MAKES YOU FEEL FULL
One medium banana, which contains 113 calories, also has about five grams of total dietary fiber, which helps people feel full. And the fiber in bananas has “really interesting” qualities, Spees said.

Unripe and slightly unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which serves as prebiotic fiber. These indigestible prebiotics serve as food for probiotics, the “good” microbes that live in the gut. These beneficial gut bacteria are essential for digestion and have been linked to immunity, brain health and more.

As a banana ripens, the resistant starch is broken down into natural sugars, Spees said. “That’s why a riper banana is a little bit sweeter than a slightly unripe banana.”

IF YOU HAVE HEALTH ISSUES
Certain special situations call for caution, she said. Although bananas, like most fruit, can be part of a healthy dietary pattern for people with uncontrolled diabetes, a medium banana has about 26 grams of carbohydrates, which must be a consideration for people on strict diets.

People with late-stage kidney failure need to closely monitor potassium consumption. Foods high in potassium also can interfere with some medications for high blood pressure and heart failure. It certainly would take more than one banana to raise potassium levels to a dangerous level for the average person, Spees said. But she recommends anyone with medical conditions or concerns check with their primary care physician to see if bananas are safe for them.