Bananas are known
to be the most carby
fruit, but apples and
pears are not far
behind so it's no great
crime. In addition, bananas are 'complex
carbohydrates', which means that they
have a low GI of 55 (they release what
sugars they do contain slowly, thereby
avoiding blood sugar spikes. In fact, a
diabetic on insulin needs to be aware that
their insulin dose might absorb and get
to work before the carbs in the banana
are digested. Anyone on a pump might
consider a bolus type that covers a long
period of time to match the slow release
of the carbs contained in the banana.
There's a considerable array of
vitamins and nutrients contained within.
They are packed full of some goodies -
one banana contains 10% of your daily
potassium needs, 10% of your dietary
fibre and 14% of the RDA of Vitamin C as
well as a whopping 20% of your Vitamin
B6 needs. Plus the carbs alone in one
banana represent 7% of an adult's daily
requirement.
Under wraps
You are unlikely to lose weight on a
banana diet, but fibre boosts satiety and
helps with digestive health. Bananas are
a heart-healthy food when included in a
diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Potassium helps to reduce blood
pressure and alleviates water retention
and bloating. continued over
Other than their distinctive colour, one of the
other notable aspects of bananas is that they
come ready-packed in an easy-peel wrapper
and has endured no human intervention on
their lushious insides.
Vitamin B6 helps the body produce
haemoglobin, a component of blood,
and helps with your body's immune
system and antibody production. It is also
involved in the mechanisms that converts
carbohydrates to glucose and therefore is
a factor in blood glucose control. Bananas
are also a good source of manganese,
which is an antioxidant that is involved in
regulating blood sugar levels.
Bananarama!
Edible bananas evolved from a plant
in the Indo-Malaysian region and have
been mentioned in literature as far back
as the 6th century BC. Most bananas
are now grown in tropical regions, like
South America, Central America and the
Caribbean so they do undertake quite a
journey to get into your hands.
Other than just peeling and eating
them, you can slip them into smoothies,
slice up and scatter on your morning
muesli, or bake and serve with cream,
pan-fry and pop on a pancake, bake
banana bread or mush into a muffin for
extra oomph, wrap in bacon and slap
them on the barbie.
Naughty but nice
If you want to make a healthy thing (a
banana) less healthy, then you can bake
in the oven. Just slit open the banana skin
to save it from bursting open and put in a
baking tray for 15-20mins at 180 degrees
C (350F), then serve with sugar (brown
this off under the grill) and add cream.
LIVING