Bananas

The world’s most-popular fruit, bananas are a staple food in many fruitarians’ diets and frequently used as a base fruit in making fruit smoothies and green smoothies. Some such as Harley “Durianrider” Johnstone are known to consume several dozen bananas a day. The banana scores a 98 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection.”

A medium-size banana is 7 to 7⅞ inches long, weighs 118 grams and contains 105 calories. A single banana is called a finger, and a bunch of them is called a hand.

Banana belongs to the Musaceae family. Across the world, more than 100 billion bananas are eaten every year, making them the fourth-largest agricultural product. The average American eats 27 pounds of bananas a year.

Bananas are rich in Vitamins B6 and C as well as manganese and potassium.

Bananas, which are in season year-round, are grown heavily in India. This country produced 24.9 million tonnes of this fruit, or 18 percent of worldwide production, in 2012. China (10.6 million tonnes), Uganda (9.8 million tonnes), Philippines (9.2 million tonnes) and Ecuador (8.6 million tonnes) round of the list of leading producers.

Ripen bananas more quickly by placing them in a sealed bag or container with apples or tomatoes. These yummy fruits are ripe when they are slightly golden and spotted.

Stats for 100 Grams of Bananas (Raw)

• 89 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Fiber: 10.4%
• Vitamin B6: 18.4%
• Vitamin C: 14.5%
• Magnesium: 6.8%
• Manganese: 13.5%
• Potassium: 10.2%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 92.8%
• Protein: 4.1%
• Fat: 3.1%

Food Type

• Sweet fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2159
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/banana-fruit.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana
• http://www.chiquitabananas.com/Banana-Information/banana-fun-facts-and-trivia.aspx
• http://www.chiquitabananas.com/Worlds-Favorite-Fruit/banana-answers-information-faqs.aspx

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