Adding a banana to your daily
diet has an array of benefits in your body. Bananas help you reach your
weight-loss goals, keep your bowels healthy, provide nutrients that
regulate heart rhythm and have vitamin compounds for eye health. Keep a
bunch of bananas on your desk at work and replenish your stock each
week. You'll be more likely to reach for a healthy banana -- instead of
heading to the vending machine -- if you have a bunch sitting in front
of you.
Weight Loss
Finding
foods to fit into your weight-loss diet can be challenging, but bananas
make a perfect fit. Bananas are naturally sweet and can help curb your
sweet tooth if you get that afternoon sugar craving. A 6-inch banana has
a minimal 90 calories, about one-fourth of the calories you would get
from a chocolate candy bar. Additionally, about half of the fiber
content in bananas is soluble. When soluble fiber reaches your digestive
tract, it absorbs water and slows digestion. Food is forced to sit in
your stomach for a while, making you feel full. If you have a banana
before lunch, you'll be less likely to overeat when your food comes to
the table.
Regularity
Enjoying
a banana each day aids in keeping you regular. One 6-inch banana has
more than 2.5 grams of total fiber, about half of which are insoluble.
As insoluble fiber travels through your digestive tract, it sweeps up
waste and helps push it out. You'll have more regular bowel movements
that are soft and easy to pass. Keep your bowels healthy by getting 14
grams of fiber in your diet for every 1,000 calories you consume,
reports Colorado State University Extension. For example, if you tend to
stick to an 1,800-calorie diet, you need about 25 grams of total fiber.
You get nearly 10 percent of your daily fiber needs -- for this number
of calories -- from one 6-inch banana.
Normal Heart Function
Having
a banana at breakfast every day adds a nutrient to your body to support
normal heart function. Bananas are rich in a mineral electrolyte called
potassium. When potassium enters your body, it absorbs directly into
your bloodstream through intestinal walls. Potassium travels around to
cells all over your body and dissolves in fluid inside of cells. It
travels across cell membranes if needed to keep fluid balanced in and
around cells. This process keeps electricity flowing throughout your
system, which is required to make your heart beat. In cases of severe
potassium deficiency, your heart rhythm may become irregular, which can
be deadly. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, you need 4,700
milligrams of potassium on a daily basis. Bananas provide more than 360
milligrams per 6-inch piece of fruit.
Eye Health
Adding
a banana to your diet also helps keep your eyes healthy. Bananas have a
small amount of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin that is vital for
protecting your eyes and normal vision. The term "vitamin A" refers to a
series of compounds, including beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. These
compounds preserve the membranes that surround your eyes and are a
component of one of the proteins that brings light into your cornea.
Adequate daily vitamin A intake also lessens your risk of night
blindness and is essential for everyday vision. Women require 700
micrograms of daily vitamin A, and men need 900 micrograms, explains the
Office of Dietary Supplements. One 6-inch banana has nearly 10
micrograms of vitamin A. Bananas also contain alpha-carotene and
beta-carotene, which convert to vitamin A to further keep your eyes
healthy.
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