In this article of banana facts, we are going to walk you through some of the most amazing information about bananas.
It is very likely that you already know some of these facts but be rest assured, many of the facts about bananas mentioned in this article will take you by surprise.
So, without further ado, let us begin with our list of 40 interesting banana facts.
Banana Facts: 1-5
1. Bananas are seriously healthy for your heart. In case you are not aware, bananas are very rich in a mineral called potassium. It is an electrolyte that our body requires to keep electrical impulses flowing through the body. Without electrical impulses, our heart will not operate. So, eat bananas for a happy and healthy heart.
2. While on one hand bananas are rich in potassium, they are low on sodium content. Is that bad? Not really. High potassium and low sodium content help to reduce risk of high blood pressure – a potentially deadly cardiovascular disease.
3. Here is a bummer. Bananas are naturally radioactive. The potassium found in bananas is present as potassium-40 isotope. That is a radioactive version of the element. Funny though, this radioactive potassium in bananas do not harm our body.
4. If you are having troubles sleeping, eat bananas. They are rich in vitamin B6 that naturally helps a person to sleep.
5. If your muscles are causing trouble and too stressed out, go for bananas! They have magnesium – a natural muscle relaxant. When muscles relax, body slips into sleeping mode. Happy sleeping!
Banana Facts: 6-10
6. Feeling blue and depressed? Nom nom! Eat bananas. They will help elevate your mood because they are rich in tryptophan. This tryptophan is processed by the body and converted into serotonin – a neurotransmitter that helps to elevate mood. So, get yellow for your blues!
7. Bananas are low on calcium but still good for your bone health (unlike milk which is high on calcium but is super unhealthy for bones). The reason is a bit complex but here is a simple explanation – bananas have fructooligosaccharides. It is a carbohydrate that our body cannot digest but it is known for encouraging probiotics that in turn increases the ability of our body to absorb calcium. Additionally, there is magnesium in bananas that also helps to absorb calcium.
8. Okay, carrots are amazing for your eyes but hey, bananas are good too! They have vitamin A in small amounts. Vitamin A improves night vision and maintains normal vision.
9. Not just that, the vitamin A is an element found in proteins in our body that is responsible for bringing light straight to our corneas. Moreover, there is a compound present in vitamin A which is responsible for preserving the membranes that sit around our eyes. So, remember, bananas for eye health!
10. Got potty issues? Well, in case you are not regular, consider eating bananas because they are high on fiber and help to regularize your bowel movements.
Banana Facts: 11-15
11. We said that bananas are rich in vitamin B6 that helps to sleep. But did we say that B6 also gives you some protection against diabetes Type II?
12. Getting bulky and fatty? Eat bananas pal! They are sweet and filling and kill the food cravings. You will feel less hungry and you will eat less and save yourself from some fatty trouble.
13. A Swedish study that was conducted back in 2005 gave some interesting results. It was found that women eating 4-6 bananas every 7 days reduce kidney cancer risk by 50%. Okay! So, bananas can help to fight kidney cancer! Get me some bananas now!
14. But hey, eat bananas in moderation. This fruit is rich in potassium and if you managed to eat 43 bananas in a very short period, you will experience hyperkalemia symptoms which include irregular heartbeat, temporary paralysis and muscle weakness. We are not making this up. This information comes from University of Maryland Medical Center.
15. You know what? Banana peels can be eaten. They are rich in B6 and B12 vitamins and contain potassium and magnesium. But the real threat is that eating the peels without properly washing them can expose you to harmful pesticides.
Banana Facts: 16-20
16. You must have seen a banana tree. But did you know that it is not really a tree? It is a tree-like or arborescent perennial herb.
17. Okay, so banana tree is not a tree and it is an herb. So, what the hell is a banana? It is a berry.
18. The world’s leading producer of bananas is India. The country produces 23% of all bananas produced worldwide, but most of this production is for domestic usage.
19. Did you know that a bunch of bananas is called a hand? Yes, a hand! A single banana in a bunch is known as a finger!
20. A hand is heavy. It can weigh up to 100 pounds and one hand can have 400 fingers!
Banana Facts: 21-25
21. You know what? Bananas won’t drown in water. Drop a banana in water and it will float.
22. 75% of banana is composed of water. Still, they give a dry mouth feel when eaten. However, properly ripe bananas feel creamy and squishy.
23. The common banana that you see in market is known as Cavendish banana. However, there used to be one banana variant known as Gros Michel that used to be the most preferred banana variant.
24. Gros Michel went extinct by 1960s because of Panama Disease – a type of fungus that attacked the roots of the Gros Michel trees (herbs).
25. As of date, Cavendish is safe but in coming two decades, Panama Disease can also attack this banana breed and force it to extinction.
Banana Facts: 26-30
26. It is said that Gros Michel was better than Cavendish in terms of taste. It was also bigger in size and was known for longer shelf life.
27. Though Cavendish is eaten worldwide, it originated in Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia and then moved to India. From India, it spread out to Greece when Alexander the Great ate banana for the first time in India.
28. There is a variant of banana known as the lady finger banana. It is smaller in size, has a thin peel and is sweeter compared to normal bananas we eat.
29. Fibers that are collected from banana plant can be used for making clothes. Yes, clothes that we wear.
30. There are 50 different species of bananas present worldwide. One of them is Goldfinger banana which tastes more like an apple. It is a hybrid that was produced by Philip Rowe. This species is currently popular in some parts of Australia but it failed to make a commercial entry worldwide.
Banana Facts: 31-35
31. The world consumes 100 billion bananas a year. Therefore, banana is the 4th largest agricultural product all over the world. The top three positions are taken by wheat, rice and corn.
32. The other name of bananas is plantains. However, in daily use, the term banana refers to the sweeter and riper variant of the fruit while plantain refers to the starchier version that requires proper cooking to make it edible.
33. When bananas are exported, they are plucked before they ripen and become yellow, i.e., when they are still green. They are exported in special storage containers and by the time they reach their destination, they are ripe and ready to eat.
34. Oxford English Dictionary was the first to record the phrase – going bananas. Going bananas is nothing but comic connection of the fruit with monkeys.
35. If we measure the per capita consumption of bananas then Uganda tops the list of all countries in this world. People there eat 500 pounds of bananas per year per person.
Banana Facts: 36-40
36. There are some wild banana species that are difficult to eat because they have hard seeds. However, they are still edible. You just need to work hard to get rid of those seeds and trust us, your jaws will hurt after some time.
37. If you think that bananas come in only yellow color, you are wrong. Ripe bananas can have other colors too. Green is very common while you can also come across red variants. You can also get brown and purple variants too! They are ripe and palatable.
38. The banana plant is the world’s largest herb and can grow up to 25 feet in height. Interestingly, the root of a banana plant can be hundreds of years old but the stem that rises above the ground is herbaceous and dies at the end of one-year cycle.
39. Americans came to know about the bananas when Portuguese sailors brought them to Americas in 16th century from West Africa.
40. The first cultivated fruit in this world is probably banana. It is believed that the first banana farms came to existence in Southeast Asia.
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