Aha! Gotcha, this isn’t what the title suggests at all, or actually this is precisely what the title suggests. It is a blog about the fruit – Banana. This is a fun and health post about one of my favorite fruits – the common ordinary everyday banana. Hopefully you will leave here today with a little more knowledge about a very simple yummy and delicious fruit.
That yellow thing you peel and eat, the banana, is a fruit. Here in America we eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined. In some parts of the world, bananas keep millions of people alive.
Although extremely popular, the banana is mysterious; nobody knows how they evolved or from where they originated. Cultural lore suggests that in ancient translations of the Bible, the “apple” consumed by Eve is actually a banana. Entire Central American nations have been said to rise and fall over the banana.
To me, the saddest thing about the banana of today is whether it will survive. As the result of commercial enterprise the (Cavandish) banana with its very own specific reproductive system, is a genetic duplicate of the next, and therefore all are susceptible to the same blights. Today’s yellow banana is increasingly threatened and there is as yet no cure.
In the past year, scientists began focusing on the banana varieties still found in nature. Wild bananas can still reproduce by seeds and are constantly confronted with fungi. It is the hope of researchers to discover resistance genes that can be transferred to the now seedless varieties.
When it comes to nutrition, Bananas reign. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber – A source of energy. They contain iron, which helps those suffering from anemia. Iron stimulates the growth of hemoglobin in the body. Bananas contain potassium; reducing high blood pressure and preventing bone loss by lessening the damage done by foods containing high levels of sodium/salts (found in the typical modern American diet). Vitamin B6 also helps to balance blood-glucose levels, reducing mood swings often associated with PMS.
Bananas are excellent for those suffering with ulcers, as they can help lower gastric juice levels and build a protective coating in the stomach and in reducing heartburn symptoms.
Bananas contain tryptophan, serotonin and norepinephrine, which can lessen depression and also help a person to relax. The B vitamins found in bananas help calm and soothe the nervous system, vitamin B6 in particular which can reduce the symptoms of irritability and sleeplessness. Bananas are an excellent first choice for solid food for infants, as they are easily digestible and non-allergic.
Bananas also help to lessen cravings for sugar and other unhealthy sweet snacks. They are helpful in preventing age-related macular degeneration and strokes. Even the peels serve a few useful purposes. They make a great fertilizer in the garden, especially for roses. Bury a few peels near the bush, and the peels will normally cause the roses to thrive. Pimples can be dried out naturally by rubbing the inside of the banana peel on the affected area on the skin.
I snapped this photograph looking down inside before removing the ice cream!
As for myself, I love bananas. They are the first item that goes into my fruit smoothies. I also use them as creatively as possible in other dishes. Recently I happened upon something new and different – Banana Ice Cream, truly unique because the only ingredient in the ice cream is the banana, nothing else. I think it’s one of the few foods that one can make ice cream without having to add any other ingredients.
HOW TO MAKE BANANA ICE CREAM!
I tried this for myself. Save up those bananas that are beginning to be not quite but almost too ripe to eat. Peel the banana, cut into small bite size pieces, place on a tray and freeze for a few hours.
Remove from the tray and place the banana pieces in a powerful blender or mixer. And blend. Add only a few pieces at a time. This does take a while.
There is enough fat in the banana and water that has been frozen in the bananas along with the natural sugar that by blending it long enough you end up with “Banana Ice Cream”.
If you love bananas you’ll love this healthy treat! The taste is so incredibly ice cold creamy and yummy it really is banana ice cream!
Hope everyone enjoyed my post today If you love bananas try the ice cream. It is delicious!
Have a happy, healthy day today, Penny
The Why About This 