You’ve heard the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but apples aren’t the only fruit deserving of their own rhyme. While you shouldn’t stop eating apples, there are other ways to get your fruit and veggie intake up and improve health.
The banana. An unsung hero of the fruit world; humble, simple, often left forgotten in the refrigerator until it has turned mushy. What makes bananas close competition to the healthy apple?
The Banana is the Ultimate Convenient Fruit
One of the best things about a banana is that it’s just easy to eat when you’re in a rush. There’s no package, and you don’t need a plate. On those crazy days, you probably skip breakfast (we’ve all been there). You wake up late, you’re in a rush, and breakfast is the last thing on your mind. This is the moment when bananas outshine apples.
Bananas are also great post-workout for the same reason—easy to eat, easy to store, good for health, and convenient nutrition.
Bananas and Nutrition
Bananas have gotten lost in the swirl of famous and fashionable fruits like avocados and expensive açai berries. You’ve probably heard bananas are high in potassium; they’re a good source, providing 9 percent of your RDI for the nutrient per day in a single banana. Yet where bananas genuinely shine is when it comes to B6 — one banana offers 33 percent of your daily recommended intake.
Fiber is another health benefit of bananas; they’re high in two types, pectin, and resistant starch. Though pectin decreases as the banana ripens. It’s the banana’s fiber content that makes them an excellent choice for anyone trying to lose some weight.
The Bananas is Versatile
You don’t just have to eat bananas plain — bananas are the ultimate customizable health food. Whether you prefer smoothies or oatmeal for breakfast, bananas are the perfect addition. Plus, you can make bananas into many different dessert dishes that taste amazing and let you feel good about getting some fruit in your diet.
If you’ve forgotten to eat your bananas in a timely fashion, you can always make banana bread and dodge the guilt of throwing away overripe bananas. One of our favorite desserts is this Banana Bread. There’s also this tempting Vanilla-Bean Banana Ice Cream if you’re craving a vegan ice cream alternative.
Will your fitness trainer approve of getting your fruit intake through baked sweets and vegan ice cream? Probably not. But hey, we’re just saying that if you were looking to make that sweet-tooth indulgence a little less guilt-inducing, banana is the fruit for you.
