The banana is eaten as is, among other fruits in salads, smoothies, to make essential banana breads, added to pancakes or in yogurts. If it is consumed for its taste, it is also for its many benefits. Its skin is loaded with potassium and magnesium, while its flesh contains slow sugars, vitamins and minerals which limit snacking. Thanks to its virtues, bananas are infused to help you sleep better, ripen fruits faster, replace eggs, and even purify water.
The banana, a climacteric fruit
If the banana is one of the so-called “climacteric” fruits, it is because its ripening never stops. For good reason, ethylene, a plant hormone which is self-produced in bananas, allows its tissues to breathe, even after picking. This breathing is almost magical, since it allows not only the continued maturation of the fruit, but also that of nearby foods.
Where to find the best banana fiber?
We may have the reflex to remove them and yet, the small filaments that come off the skin of the banana when we peel it contain, on their own, more fibers than in the rest of the fruit. Called “phloems”, these filaments are certainly bitter in the mouth, but they are above all the vascular system of the fruit. They allow its growth by transporting all its nutrients, like vessels.
If you really don’t like these filaments but still want to benefit from all the fibers of this fruit, opt for plantain. Even richer in fiber and nutrients than the classic banana, this variety is distinguished by its larger size, its green skin, its firmer and less sweet flesh.
Regardless of the type of banana, if you want to fully benefit from their flavors and virtues, they are all eaten ripe. To keep them longer, wrap the ends of their clusters with aluminum foil and keep them at room temperature. Since the cold is known to blacken bananas – due to a phenomenon that scientists call “cellular stress” – it is not recommended to store them in the refrigerator.
The banana, the fruit of athletes
The banana is the ultimate sports fruit. Before a run, recovering between two weight training sessions or after exercise, the slow sugars of the banana and its vitamins will give you a “boost” and long-term energy. Its high carbohydrate content is an ally for muscle development and its potassium limits the risk of aches. As part of a sporting activity, opt for less ripe, therefore less sweet, bananas.
Banana to replace eggs
Do you want to make a pastry but you are vegan or simply no longer have eggs in your cupboards? We hope you have bananas, since they can replace them. Banana is an excellent substitute for eggs, an essential ingredient for binding ingredients in preparations. Half a mixed banana integrated into a cake batter will replace an egg. Visually, your cakes will be the same as if you had prepared them with eggs; in the mouth, the taste of banana is often imperceptible.
Banana to ripen fruit
Ethylene, the gas that bananas contain and allows them to ripen, is released naturally into the air, causing the surrounding fruits to ripen. A significant and extremely useful power to accelerate, for example, the maturation of an avocado. Place the latter in a kraft paper bag with a banana and your avocado, which is still too firm, will be ready to eat the next day.
Banana infusion to sleep better
Don’t throw away your banana peels, keep them. Their richness in potassium, known to prevent sleep disorders since they optimize the body’s relaxation, is a good way to help you fall asleep. Banana peels can therefore be reused as an infusion. Cut the ends of the skin, infuse it for ten minutes in boiling water, then drink the filtered water. Consume this drink with a touch of cinnamon, honey or a dash of milk, one to two hours before going to bed.
Banana to purify water
According to Brazilian researchers, banana peel absorbs toxins from water. An economical and infallible purification technique, since the carboxylic acids contained in banana peels are compatible to bind to the metals in the water. Once chopped, banana peels even turn out to be a better filter than the devices you buy in supermarkets. A good way to save money and avoid wasting leftover bananas.
From now on, the banana no longer has any secrets for you.
