What if I told you there was a groundbreaking new tool, bananas to help you lose weight, reduce bloat, fight cancer and increase your energy—all for just 19 cents a piece. And bonus: Each one comes with a free carrying case, so you can grab it and go!
The humble fruit—botanically, actually a berry!—is perhaps the least-heralded supermarket staple, a superfood more associated with kids, monkeys and slapstick comedy than with steel-cut abs.
Here are the top 21 most bananas things that will happen. Add one a day to your diet, and to keep up your weight loss.
1. You Detoxify
Rich in pectin, bananas are an all-natural detox. The gelatin-like fiber that sticks to toxic compounds in the blood and flushes them out of the body through the urine. In fact, citrus pectin increased mercury excretion in the urine by 150 percent within 24 hours of supplementation, according to one study. As a rapid weight loss bonus, research shows pectin can limit the amount of fat your cells can absorb.
2. Your Vision Will Improve
Bananas contain vitamins A and C, and “both are antioxidants and are eye and skin-healthy nutrients,” says Smith. “They also have beta carotene, an antioxidant that can help to protect cells and repair damage at the cellular level, and bananas also contain other nutrients like vitamin E and lutein—both which are eye healthy. Lutein is a nutrient that may help to reduce risk for macular degeneration.”
3. Your Blood Gets Stronger
Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas. “Iron is important for energy levels since it transfers oxygen to your cells,” says Bjork. “Iron deficiency can halt weight loss because when levels are low, the body attempts to conserve energy, which means a slowed metabolism and stalled loss, and even weight gain.”
4. Your Body Will Fight Disease
Even though bananas have no vitamin A, they can still help alleviate vitamin A deficiency. How? They’re rich in three different types of carotenoids (provitamin A carotenoids, beta-carotene and alpha-carotene) that the body actually converts into vitamin A. Cool, right? And according to an article in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin, foods containing high levels of carotenoids have been shown to protect against chronic disease, including certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
5. You’ll Battle Cancer
Delphinidin is an antioxidant found in bananas that has anti-tumor properties. A study in Food and Chemical Toxicology found that applying concentrations of delphinidin to stomach cancer cells inhibited their growth and proliferation. Controlling your weight also reduces the risk of cancer.
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6. You’ll Have More Energy
There’s a reason marathoners grab a banana before (and during, and after) the race: Bananas are rich in glucose, the most easily digestible source of sugar that will provide optimal energy for your run, power lift or Soul Cycle class. Eating one post workout helps to quickly replenish energy stores that are depleted during a tough sweat session.
7. You’ll Reduce Bad Cholestrol Levels
If you’ve recently eaten at BK or other fast food chains, you’ve likely consumed trans fats—the kind of fat that raises your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels. Before you reach for the Lipitor, grab a banana. They contain phytosterols, which are compounds that have LDL cholesterol-lowering effects according to a study in The Journal of Nutrition. Additionally, “Bananas contain Vitamin B6 which is important for nearly everything—heart health, immune health, digestive health, and nervous system function,” says Bjork.
8. Yours Bones Will Grow Stronger
Although bananas don’t contain a high amount of calcium—less that 1% of your daily recommended intake—they can help promote calcium uptake with the help of those prebiotic fructooligosaccharides. As fructooligosaccharides ferment in the digestive tract, they enhance the body’s ability to absorb calcium according to a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
9. Your Blood Sugar Will Stabilize
“Bananas are a great source of nutrition for a lot of reasons!” says Bjork. “I encourage consuming protein and healthy fat with the banana to slow down the absorption of the sugar from the banana into your bloodstream. This is the most effective strategy for keeping blood sugar levels stable, which means consistent energy levels and weight loss (since stable blood sugar levels allow the pancreas to secrete glucagon, the fat-burning hormone!)” Speaking of hunger hormones.
10. You’ll Start Burning Fat
Bananas have 12 mg of choline, a fat-blasting B vitamin that acts directly on the genes that cause fat storage in the abdomen. (One reason heavy drinkers have bloated bellies is that alcohol depletes choline, causing weight gain around the liver.) You can also find it in lean meats, seafood and collard greens.
