The banana is one of the most popular and versatile fruits in the world. It is a native of Southeast Asia but as found itself in all the other tropical countries today where is enjoyed as a fruit, to make fiber or as ornamental plants. It presently cultivated in over 107 countries with the United States and the European Union the chief importers of about 15% of the worlds production.
The nutritional and health benefits of this fruit is far reaching making it a wonder fruit. It contains three natural sugars- sucrose, fructose and glucose and it is good source of fiber which makes banana the best natural supply of instant and sustained body energy. It is the most popular fruits among athletes who used a lot of energy. Two bananas provide enough energy for laborious hour and half work out.
This tropical fruit is also high in potassium yet low in salt, it is like having your cake and eat it too. The fibre that it possesses can help restore normal bowel action without resorting to the unpleasant taste of laxatives. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels which can affect your mood positively. Bananas can also help in the process of quitting smoking, it is packed with Vitamin C, A1, B6, B12 as well as potassium and magnesium which help the body pull away from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Perhaps banana is one of the best natural source of iron making it perfect for the anemic.
Today the products of this fruit are quite ubiquitous, this is evident on the supermarket shelves, restaurants, bars, snack counters among other places. There is a wide range of products which the banana is the main ingredient ranging from alcoholic beverage to plain simple deserts. Here are a few of the common products to have been made from this versatile fruit.
The Banana beer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented mashed bananas with an alcohol content of 4.8%. The Banana bread is made of mashed ripe yellow bananas, the banana ketchup, the banana sauce which is a sweet mixture made to top ice creams and other deserts. The famous desert the banana split, banana milk shake and the list continues. This super fruit is versatile, tasty and healthy and should be incorporated in our daily menu in some form.
Stevert Mckenzie, Travel Enthusiast. |