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Fruit
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Uses: Breakfast or Snack |
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THE BANANA IS THE name for plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. In popular culture and commerce, "banana" usually refers to soft, sweet "dessert" bananas. By contrast, Musa cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit are called plantains.
Bananas are native to tropical Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics. They are grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fiber and as ornamental plants. Bananas lose their pleasant taste when they are refrigerated. While not diminishing their nutritional value, it does help make them last longer.
Heart Health
Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium. This helps prevent high blood pressure and stroke. For this reason, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Cancer Protection
The fully ripe banana produces a substance known as TNF that can fight abnormal cells. Dark spots can appear on the skin of the banana as it ripens. The more dark spots it has the better its fighting ability and anti-cancer quality. In studies conducted in Japan using animals, the health benefits of various fruits were compared. The fruits include banana, apple, pear, pineapple, persimmon, grape, and water melon. Banana came out on the top. Eating bananas produced the anti-cancer substance TNF, increased the white blood cells count, and improved the immunity of the body. When you compare the banana to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also a rich source of potassium. When fructooligosaccharides in Bananas are fermented by friendly bacteria, not only do numbers of probiotic bacteria increase, but so does the body's ability to absorb calcium. In addition, gastrointestinal transit time is lessened, decreasing the risk of colon cancer.
Bone Health
Bananas contain a complex sugar compound that nourishes good bacteria in the colon. This good bacteria produce enzymes which help digestion and in the process increase the absorption of calcium, which is neccissary for bone health. This improves your body's ability to absorb calcium through several mechanisms. Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic as it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms.
References
- Chongyim Ng, "Anti-Cancer Wonder Fruit - Bananas", http://ezinearticles.com/ ?Anti-Cancer-Wonder-Fruit---Bananas&id=2895405. "Health Benefits of Bananas", http://www.avianweb.com/bananas.html.
- "The health benefits of bananas", http://www.essortment.com/ all/healthbananas_rjyz.htm.
- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Banana_bunch_India_Tamil_word_15.jpg
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Banana_Lumpers.JPG
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bananas.jpg
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See now that I myself am He!
There is no god besides me.
I put to death and I bring to life,
I have wounded and I will heal,
and no one can deliver out of my hand.
(Deut. 32:39)
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Banana Basics
 
Bananas are the staple starch of many tropical populations. Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. Both skin and inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. Bananas' flavor is due, amongst other chemicals, to isoamyl acetate which is one of the main constituents of banana oil.
During the ripening process, bananas produce a plant hormone called ethylene, which indirectly affects the flavor. Among other things, ethylene stimulates the formation of amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugar, influencing the taste of bananas. The greener, less ripe bananas contain higher levels of starch and, consequently, have a "starchier" taste. On the other hand, yellow bananas taste sweeter due to higher sugar concentrations. Furthermore, ethylene signals the production of pectinase, an enzyme which breaks down the pectin between the cells of the banana, causing the banana to soften as it ripens.
Bananas are eaten deep fried, baked in their skin in a split bamboo, or steamed in glutinous rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Bananas can be made into jam. Banana pancakes are popular amongst backpackers and other travelers in South Asia and Southeast Asia. This has elicited the expression Banana Pancake Trail for those places in Asia that cater to this group of travelers. Banana chips are a snack produced from sliced dehydrated or fried banana or plantain, which have a dark brown color and an intense banana taste. Dried bananas are also ground to make banana flour. Extracting juice is difficult, because when a banana is compressed, it simply turns to pulp. Bananas fried with batter is a popular dessert in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. A similar dish is known in the United States as banana fritters.
Plantains are used in various stews and curries or cooked, baked or mashed in much the same way as potatoes.
Seeded bananas (Musa balbisiana), the forerunner of the common domesticated banana, are sold in markets in Indonesia.
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Joni's Testimony
Ten years ago, Joni Olive-Badalian fought cancer and won--with prayer and Juicing. She had surgery and a little chemo, but the doctor said her cancer was gone prior to this. The rest was so that it never returned. He then asked her husband George, "What denomination of faith are you?"
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