Banana Nutrition Benefits

So you want to learn more about banana nutrition?

This fruit is a natural powerhouse food for athletes, active people, and anyone looking to improve heart health.

Bananas are loaded with fiber, potassium and magnesium, among other vitamins and minerals. These nutrients combine to create the following impressive banana nutrition benefits...

Top 5 Banana Nutrition Benefits

1. Source of Energy

Banana is one of the most high energy fruits, and it contains the highest amount of natural sugars.

Wait, I thought sugar was a bad thing? You might be asking yourself…

Sugar is not the enemy. It’s the “bad sugars” – white sugar and white flour, or refined sugar – that you want to stay away from.

The thing is we need sugar to fuel our muscles and allow movement, which is especially important if you live an active lifestyle (and we all should).

Bananas are an incredible source of healthy sugar, providing your body the fuel it needs while also making your smoothies taste extra yummy :)

2. Fuel for Athletes

Bananas can help athletes in 2 important ways:

• Fuel activity - Magnesium found in bananas helps convert blood sugar into energy and protein, while potassium helps deliver blood sugar to your muscles, to keep your legs moving as you run.
• Replenish electrolytes - We all know we need to replenish our electrolytes after a long run or other exercise, that’s why Gatorade is so popular. But Gatorade is loaded with “bad sugar” as mentioned above, while the potassium in bananas provides a natural alternative.

3. Boosts Heart Health

Bananas are loaded with fiber-one of the best nutrients to promote heart health.

At the same time, the potassium in bananas helps reduce the risk of:

• cardiovascular disease
• high blood pressure
• stroke

Finally, magnesium found in bananas is important to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

More About Magnesium

Magnesium is one of the star players in banana nutrition. In addition to what’s mentioned above, it promotes several health benefits:

• Promotes absorption of calcium, potassium and sodium
• Aids bone growth and helps prevent osteoporosis
• Regulates body temperature
• Speeds metabolism of fat
• Necessary for proper functioning of muscles and heart
• Relaxes muscles
• Can help treat diabetes, depression, and PMS, among other ailments

Many people don’t get enough magnesium, especially people who eat a lot of white bread and refined, processed foods.

Some symptoms that you could have magnesium deficiency include:

• Backache
• Neck pain
• Tension
• Headaches
• Cramps

Bananas are an easy way to ensure you are getting more magnesium.

4. Aids Digestion

Bananas are great at treating 2 common digestive problems you don’t want to have. They are good for treating diarrhea and also promoting “regularity.”

They can also treat ulcers by strengthening the stomach lining.

5. Last But Not Least...

Bananas may also have antibiotic capabilities, so they can boost your immune system.

Finally, the nutrients in bananas help keep skin healthy. Who doesn’t want clearer, more vibrant and healthy skin?

Banana Nutrition Facts

Are you a numbers person? Here is the precise breakdown of banana nutrition information.

1 medium banana has:

• 105 calories
• 0g fat
• 0mg cholesterol
• 1mg sodium
• 27g carbs, including 3g fiber and 14g sugar
• 1g protein

Bananas are a low calorie, high nutrient food. It is a naturally fat free and cholesterol free food.

A Word About Fiber:

3g of fiber might look like a small quantity, but that’s 12% of your daily needs, just from one banana!

If you have 4 bananas in one day, that’s 48% or almost half your fiber needs!

And that’s just with bananas, not to mention the other fruits and veggies you’re probably eating with it.

It’s easy to eat that many bananas if you throw 2 or 3 in your morning smoothie, and take 1 or 2 as an easy snack on the go.

A Note About Sugar

14g might look like a scarily high number. But remember, these are natural sugars. There’s a reason why these sugars exist in nature: to encourage us to eat more of these healthy foods!

It’s much better to eat more of this natural sugar than to load up on refined sugar in junk foods. The refined sugar is what causes obesity, not the natural sugar found in fruits.

And if you’re an athlete, you absolutely need this kind of sugar to fuel your muscles.

What's Next?

So now you know the basics about banana nutrition, congratulations!

If this information has inspired you to eat more bananas, an easy way to do that is with these easy banana smoothie recipes:

Banana Green Smoothie Recipe

Homemade Fruit Smoothie Recipe

High Protein Breakfast Shake Recipe

Delicious Meal Replacement Smoothie Recipe

I hope you enjoy!


Back from Banana Nutrition to Nutrition Data

When doing research for this article about banana nutrition benefits, I used commonly available knowledge, and I also consulted the following book:

Kirschman, John D. Nutrition Almanac. New York: McGraw, 2007.

The material on this website is for educational purposes and is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any attempt to diagnose and treat your specific situation should come under the direction of a physician who is familiar with nutritional therapy. See the disclaimer for more information.

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