Bananas: All the reasons to love this portable snack

Delicious, healthy and super convenient: Is it any wonder the humble banana is one of our favourite fruits to eat. Here’s everything you need to know about them.

It’s one of our favourite on-the-go snacks to help keep us full for longer, but did you know bananas can also help you sleep at night?

Here we share everything you need to know about bananas, from their health benefits to the best ways to eat them.

Health benefits of banana

Not only do bananas taste delicious, but they are an excellent source of nutrition. Bananas are predominately carbohydrate (approximately 20g per medium banana) as well as containing over 2g of dietary fibre. Most of the fibre in bananas is a type of fibre called resistant starch (especially in green unripe bananas), which acts as prebiotic, being fermented in your large colon to form short-chain fatty acids (i.e., butyrate). Short-chain fatty acids benefit gut health by acting as a source of energy for colon cells and having an anti-inflammatory effect. Bananas are also rich in the mineral potassium, linked to assisting lower blood pressure, as well as maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.

Add bananas to your breakfast.

Should you eat them everyday?

As we’ve mentioned, bananas are a superfood in the fruit world. However, with a higher sugar and carb content than other fruits, people do question whether eating a banana every day is okay, especially if you’re diabetic. According to our Nutrition Editor Chrissy Freer, those following a low GI or low FODMAP diet, choose unripe bananas as the sugar content of bananas increases as the banana ripens.

Bananas help you sleep at night.

How many calories are in a banana?

In a medium banana, there are about 90 calories, making it a great low-calorie snack that will still provide long-lasting energy. You can check out our detailed fruit calories chart for more calories in common fruits.

The riper the banana the more sugar it contains.

How to store bananas

Where you store bananas depends on the ripeness and when you intend to use them. Store ripe bananas in the fruit bowl, away from direct sunlight. If you buy bananas that are a little green, store them at room temperature in a brown paper bag with a ripe apple and they will soon sweeten. Avoid the fridge as the flesh won’t ripen, but the skin will blacken.

If you’re intending to use them ongoing over a span of time or they’re super ripe and about to go bad, store them in the freezer. To do this, peel and slice the banana, then freeze in a freezer-safe bag.

A banana milkshake.

Best ways to eat banana

The best thing about bananas is how versatile they are. They make a great snack throughout the day and are an ideal pre- or post-workout snack, being rich in low GI carbohydrate as well as the mineral potassium, supporting electrolyte balance and magnesium to assist muscle recovery.

Bananas can even help you sleep at night being a good source of the amino acid tryptophan and vitamin B6, essential for the production of serotonin and melatonin, known to have a relaxing and calming effect.

Banana recipes

Of course, bananas, especially the super-ripe kind, are an essential ingredient in so many of our favourite recipes. Try them in:

• Banana bread
• Choc chip banana muffins
• Banana cake

Interested in healthy eating? Don’t miss Eat Real – our dedicated site making healthy eating simple, achievable and super tasty.

*This information does not constitute or replace professional medical or dietetic advice received by individuals.

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Bananas: All the reasons to love this portable snack