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Whether you like your bananas slightly green or freckly, they all come with triple levels of mood-boosting powers. They are good sources of carbohydrates (fuel for the brain and muscles), and of tryptophan and vitamin B6 (both of which are needed for production of feel-good chemicals). What’s more, bananas improve digestion and may help regulate blood pressure.
All bananas contain mood-boosting and longevity nutrients. But the degree of ripeness affects their level of natural sugars, antioxidants, and resistant starch (see below).
Bananas
Enjoy three to four bananas a week.
However you like to eat your bananas is a personal preference, but their benefits do vary with their ripeness.
Bananas will ripen at home – if you want to speed up the process keep them in a bunch or with other fruits. Once ripe they can be refrigerated to stop them ripening further. Bananas freeze well, so chop up very ripe ones and freeze for later use.
Best enjoyed raw for maximum nutrient benefits.
Bananas contain small amounts of an amino acid called tryptophan, which is converted into a feel-good chemical called serotonin in the brain. They also provide vitamin B6, which helps this conversion take place. Low levels of serotonin and vitamin B6 have been linked to depression, while higher levels may be protective.
43%
In one study, elderly women with the highest intakes of vitamin B6 from food were 43 per cent less likely to become depressed.
Studies confirm that increasing your potassium intake (by eating bananas) while reducing your sodium intake can help maintain a healthy blood pressure. This is important because the World Health Organization estimates high blood pressure causes around 51 per cent of deaths from stroke.
Bananas may help protect against kidney cancer. In a 13-year study of Swedish women, higher intakes of all fruits reduced the risk of renal cancer, but bananas seemed to offer the best protection. An earlier study also found eating at least four bananas a week (rather than less than three a month) resulted in a 50 per cent reduction in the risk of kidney cancer.
Bananas are rich in a soluble fibre called fructo-oligosaccharides. This passes undigested into the large intestine where it becomes food for probiotics or good bacteria, which flourish and “crowd out” bad bacteria. This increased number of good bacteria are linked to better digestive health and immunity.
In one small study, women had increased levels of beneficial bacteria after eating two bananas a day for two months.
Bananas are rich in a fibre called pectin, and unripe bananas also contain good amounts of resistant starch (starch that isn’t digested). Both pectin and resistant starch help to slow down stomach emptying, which in turn causes smaller and slower rises in blood sugar and can help us to feel fuller for longer, so may aid weight management.
