The Banana
I believe in eating little and often so I always have a snack between meals as it sustains my blood sugar levels at a reasonable level for energy and ensures that it does not fluctuate causing me to crave sugary energy foods like chocolate or lots of bread.
One of the best fruits for a snack is the next on my Superfoods list.
The banana - is one of those fruits that people who are dieting will tend to dismiss as being to high in calories. Remember that this judgement is often made by people who will happily consume a 500 gm bar of chocolate in one sitting – that contains 2,500 calories!
On average a banana has about 110 calories – but that 110 calories is packed with nutrients that can really give you a boost.
A banana contains B6, which we talked about last week, for blood health – vitamin C for our immune system – manganese the antioxidant we have talked about before in cell health – potassium which is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. The average banana has over 450mg of potassium but only 1 mg of sodium, which is why it is so beneficial for blood pressure. The banana also contains fibre and as we now know if you have been listening over the last few weeks, fibre is not only good for your digestion but is also helps prevent heart disease because it clears your system of debris. Potassium is also very necessary for bone health as it counteracts urinary calcium loss for people who have a high salt diet. If you have an ulcer a banana will have an antacid effect particularly if it is mixed with milk. Apart from all of this of course the banana has the vitamin C that is so important to our general health in the immune system and our eyesight.
Anaemia, constipation, depression, hangovers, blood sugar levels, heartburn and PMS are just some of the areas that eating a banana frequently can help prevent.
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