The Banana!

We always hear about the health advantages of eating fruits such as blueberries, apples and cantaloupe but we hardly ever hear about the banana. Isn’t it time to give bananas their due? In fact, Americans eat an average of 27 pounds of bananas a year. Banana is thought by some to be the earth’s first fruit since bananas entered the Western diet in 327 BCE, when Alexander the Great and his army discovered them during their conquest of India. Bananas first appeared in the United States as early as 1804, but were popularized at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of American Independence in 1876 where they were sold for 10 cents each.

Technically there is no such thing as a banana “tree.” The banana plant is a giant perennial herb related to lilies, orchids and palms. With massive leaves reaching as high as 30 feet, the banana is the largest plant lacking a wooden trunk. The fruits of the banana plant are harvested daily, year round, and take about two to two and a half weeks to reach supermarket shelves.

Much like eggs, bananas have been touted as “nature’s perfect food” – encased in a handy “container,” fat and cholesterol-free, full of vitamins and fiber, zero sodium and just 110 calories in a medium banana. Best known as source of potassium, one banana supplies 13% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of this mineral, which, coupled with a reduction in sodium, can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. Bananas are also high in vitamin B6 (20% of RDA) and deliver 15% of RDA for vitamin C per banana. One banana contains four grams of soluble fiber and one gram of protein.

Did you know that banana is one of the main ingredient in the Nature Isle’s Caribbean BBQ Sauce. Infact, so delicately is it blended in the recipe, that one is left wondering how could it be!

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