Bananas are the most popular fruit in the United States, according to the International Fresh Produce Association , and for good reason! While botanically a berry (science is weird), this sweet fruit is incredibly versatile and can be used in everything from smoothies and “nice cream” to cake and […]
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Bananas are the most popular fruit in the United States, according to the International Fresh Produce Association, and for good reason! While botanically a berry (science is weird), this sweet fruit is incredibly versatile and can be used in everything from smoothies and “nice cream” to cake and curry. Bananas are affordable to boot, costing just 63 cents per pound on average, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Plus, bananas have so much to offer nutritionally. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a medium banana has 105 calories, 1 gram (g) protein, 0.4 g fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 27 g carbohydrates, and 3.1 g fiber. Although sometimes villainized for being “too high” in carbohydrates, bananas have so much more to bring to the plate! For example, a medium banana is a good source of fiber — a nutrient which the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health notes can improve regularity and decrease the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. As the Cleveland Clinic notes, bananas are also a good source of vitamin C which, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is essential for a healthy immune system. Bananas are also an excellent source of vitamin B6, which can help regulate sleep and appetite, according to the Cleveland Clinic, as well as improve immune function, notes the NIH. Perhaps best known for their potassium content, a medium banana contains about 8 percent of your daily potassium needs.
Baking with bananas is easy, cost-effective, and nutritious. Mashing ripe bananas with a potato masher or the back of a fork yields a smooth paste that can be stirred into any number of recipes, usually as a replacement for some of the more unhealthy kinds of fat, like butter. Bananas are around three-quarters water, according to USDA data, so they add moisture to baked goods.
One of the most famous uses for bananas is banana bread. Banana bread is a type of quick bread (a bread that does not require yeast) that is the perfect use for overripe bananas. Traditional banana bread recipes call for refined sugar, white flour, and butter, making for a final product that is more akin to cake than a nutritious breakfast option. Swapping half of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour increases the amount of fiber you’ll get in a slice of banana bread, according to data from the USDA.
