Banana - Stomach Microbiome Bacteria Probiotics
Bananas are healthy for a variety of reasons. They are an important part of building or rebuilding a healthy stomach gut microbiome bacteria environment.
Did you know that technically a banana is a berry? We call it a fruit, though. Originally from the Australia region, they're now grown in warmer areas all around the world.
A medium-sized banana has 3g of fiber, which is great, but also 24g of starch and sugar, which is less great for low carbers in their early stages. So it's important to balance out banana-eating with your overall current health goals.
A lot of talk is given to potassium in bananas, but they actually only have 12% of your RDA. You get nearly double that from spinach or soybeans. They also provide 20% of your Vitamin B6 and 17% of your Vitamin C.
But on to the microbiome.
Bananas are healthy in that they provide your body with prebiotics.
What is a Prebiotic?
You might have heard of probiotics, which involve healthy bacteria in the stomach system. Prebiotics are related to probiotics. Prebiotics are items which "set the stage" for probiotics to work properly. Think of them as a fertilizer for plants. By having enough prebiotics in place, it allows the probiotics to then settle in and do their job properly.
In general, prebiotics are often found in plant fibers. Bananas - especially younger, barely-ripe greenish bananas, provide these plant fibers to your system. That then allows everything else in your system to work better.
Bananas are also specifically found to help reduce bloating. So if you are having issues with bloating, think about giving bananas a try. Again, IN MODERATION. Eating two bunches of bananas every day could cause a weight gain which would vastly outweigh any minor bloating benefits.
It's important to note that bananas can sometimes trigger effects in people who have an allergy to latex. If you are allergic to latex, be careful when trying bananas.
In general, though, bananas are a healthy, useful part of a diet, when eaten in moderation.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21524710/
Did you know that technically a banana is a berry? We call it a fruit, though. Originally from the Australia region, they're now grown in warmer areas all around the world.
A medium-sized banana has 3g of fiber, which is great, but also 24g of starch and sugar, which is less great for low carbers in their early stages. So it's important to balance out banana-eating with your overall current health goals.
A lot of talk is given to potassium in bananas, but they actually only have 12% of your RDA. You get nearly double that from spinach or soybeans. They also provide 20% of your Vitamin B6 and 17% of your Vitamin C.
But on to the microbiome.
Bananas are healthy in that they provide your body with prebiotics.
What is a Prebiotic?
You might have heard of probiotics, which involve healthy bacteria in the stomach system. Prebiotics are related to probiotics. Prebiotics are items which "set the stage" for probiotics to work properly. Think of them as a fertilizer for plants. By having enough prebiotics in place, it allows the probiotics to then settle in and do their job properly.
In general, prebiotics are often found in plant fibers. Bananas - especially younger, barely-ripe greenish bananas, provide these plant fibers to your system. That then allows everything else in your system to work better.
Bananas are also specifically found to help reduce bloating. So if you are having issues with bloating, think about giving bananas a try. Again, IN MODERATION. Eating two bunches of bananas every day could cause a weight gain which would vastly outweigh any minor bloating benefits.
It's important to note that bananas can sometimes trigger effects in people who have an allergy to latex. If you are allergic to latex, be careful when trying bananas.
In general, though, bananas are a healthy, useful part of a diet, when eaten in moderation.
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21524710/
You Should Also Read:
Stomach Gut Microbiome Bacteria
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