I eat one banana every day.
Bananas are not bad for you, but would be a restricted food if you are following a low carb diet. 3 ounces of peeled banana contains 68 calories, 1/2 gram fat, 17 carbs, 1.8 grams fiber, and 293mg potassium.
Unless you have certain health conditions and/or follow a low carb diet, there is no reason to exclude them from your diet. Don't go overboard with them, but don't be afraid of them.
We used to have a section on the site called "Fruit of the Month" and we included information on various produce. Here is part of the article I wrote on bananas...
Each American consumes about 25 pounds of bananas per year. The fruit is one of the most popular in the world. And no wonder! It is sweet, versatile, virtually fat free, and low in calories. Bananas are available year round, and are inexpensive.
Most people are familiar with only one variety of banana, believe they grow on trees, and limit their consumption to eating out of hand or in banana bread.
At least 500 known varieties of edible bananas have been identified so far. We are most familiar with the common Cavendish variety found in every supermarket or produce stand. But have you ever heard of or tried one of these?
1. Manzano...A 3 sided banana with a strong apple flavor.
2. Lady Finger...A small, thin skinned banana, also called "Baby Bananas".
3. Blue Java...A bluegreen skinned banana with white flesh, and tastes like vanilla ice cream!
4. Dwarf Red...A small banana with maroon skin and orange flesh
Did you know that bananas do not grow on trees, but on fast growing plants which are herbs and related to the lily family? The banana plant can reach its full height of 15 to 30 feet within one year! The stalk of the plant is 93% water and can be blown down by a moderate wind. Despite supporting the plants with poles, entire crops can be blown away by a storm. Each banana plant will flower and fruit only once, then it is cut down and replaced with new plants.
Each banana plant will produce about 10 to 14 'hands', with 18 to 20 bananas on each hand. The young banana stem is covered with a large plastic bag to protect the new fruit from insect or bird damage. The bananas are cut while still bright green and unripe. Bananas ripen extremely fast, so they must be picked early enough to survive the trip across the globe. As soon as the bananas are picked, they are cut into clusters, washed, and inspected for quality and grading. The fruit is then packaged and loaded onto refridgerated ships for transit. Bananas go from plant to supermarket in less than 20 days.
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