Categories: Food & Drink

BANANA: ITS USES AND BENEFITS

I as a daughter of a farmer loves banana, which is very common in our place. It is one of my favorite fruits.

As I have known, my country, the Philippines is one of the great exporters of banana and is providing significant amount of income to the farmers, thus uplifting their economic life.

Here in our place, we produce various types of bananas. It comes in different sizes and colors. The ripe bananas are eaten directly or can be boiled first, steamed, fried, baked, or cooked with brown sugar or molasses (tagapulot in our dialect). “Banana cue” is one of the famous cooked products made use of banana that we usually see in the market.

The banana has many uses. The leaves are used to wrap the lunch of the schoolchildren, like “suman” or steamed glutinous rice, and roasted fish or meat. It is also used as temporary umbrella when in the fields or to shade one from the heat of the sun.

Some slices the banana fruit into thin, let it dried and cooked with sugar to become banana chips, others use the very ripe fruit to baked banana cake or bread. Some dry it to be grounded into flour. Others use the flour to treat a number of gastrointestinal problems such as dysentery, diarrhea, and dyspepsia. Whenever one complains that of loose of bowel movement, old folks usually give the banana called “Canton.” The stem or bark also serve as a food containers or improvised plate during gatherings like “canoa” or picnics in the rivers and mountains. It is also used as a cooler for the vaccines in the rural areas when it is transported to the remote areas. The old folks in the rural places chop the bark to be cooked and serve as additive to the foods for pigs. The flower head, which is locally termed as “puso ng saging” is either boiled or pickled.

The  banana has also many therapeutic values. But before discussing its medicinal values, it is important to know about its nutritional value. One large yellow banana contains the following nutrients: 11 mg calcium, one mg iron, 260 IU vitamin A, one mg niacin, 14 mg vitamin C, 35 mg phosphorus, and 503 mg potassium. It also contain some traces of chromium, a micronutrient responsible for stimulating enzyme activity in the metabolism of glucose for energy and synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids.

Banana is effective in treating gastritis- an inflammation of the stomach lining. Gastritis is more common with age, because the older one gets, the more often one is exposed to causative factors. Most people with gastritis complain of indigestion and heartburn, nausea, and belching. Others have no symptoms, which can be dangerous if gastritis is caused by the erosion of the stomach lining with bleeding, normally the result of medication. Although foods are not the cause of gastritis, people with pain and intestinal inflammation should avoid spicy or high acidic food, which can irritate the stomach lining. Avoid fatty foods beverages containing caffeine, chocolate, decaffeinated tea, and alcohol. These foods and substances relax the vavle between the stomach and esophagus and make it easier for the acid stomach contents to back up into the esophagus, causing further irritation.

Banana juice when taken will coat, soothe, and relieve the serious inflammation. However, if pain reliever for arthritis is taken, always ask you family physician to prescribe a non-irritating alternative to your usual aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For gastritis caused by H. pylori, the family physician may prescribe antibiotics. Antacids, if recommended by the family physician, can soothe the irritation until the inflammation subsides.

Hiatal hernia. Under normal condition the hiatus is a small opening in the muscular diaphragm at the juncture where the esophagus meets the stomach. A hiatal hernia develops when the opening widens and allows the upper part of the stomach to protrude upward through the hiatus. Some hiatal hernias are present at birth. However, most of them develop as the opening of the hiatus becomes stretched as a result of pregnancy or excessive weight gain for both place upward pressure on the stomach. Other instances that may stretch the hiatus are vomiting, severe coughing, straining when moving the bowels, or sudden physical exertion.

A hiatal hernia is usually diagnosed after recurring bouts of indigestion and heartburn as a result of acid reflux into the esophagus and the throat. Even when symptoms develop, the condition is not usually considered serious. However, there are exceptions in which frequent exposure to stomach acids may cause severe esophageal damage including ulceration, bleeding, narrowing, even obstruction, and rupture. In such cases surgery is necessary are better. This will include losing excess weight to alleviate pressure on the stomach and avoid wearing tight belts, girdles, or any constrictive clothing.

Here are some dietary approaches that can be of help. Large meals will over distend the stomach hence eat small meals that are spread over the course of a day. Carbonated drinks may increase discomfort. After eating, do not bend, lie down or stoop for at least an hour. avoid eating or drinking anything for at least two hours before going to bed.

Avoid substances that relax the diaphragmatic muscle like alcoholic beverages. Avoid foods that tend to irritate the stomach or provoke a bout of indigestion such as food with spices, pickles, vinegar, citrus fruits. Coffee in any form increases stomach acidity and so with tobacco. Fatty foods stay in the stomach longer than other food and can provoke indigestion. Small sips of water or herbal tea will do.

Constipation can worsen hernia because straining distends the abdomen. Eat plenty of high fiber food, fresh vegetables, and fruits. Daily exercise and adequate fluid intake is also important. Banana juice can also a big help to solve the problem. It neutralizes the hydrochloric and reflux felt in the back of the throat as a very unpleasant burning sensation. The juice can also help push that portion of the stomach, which has entered the chest cavity, back to its proper place.it does this by creating a slippery condition to help the stomach slide back. In preventing heartburn, some of the minerals in the banana, especially potassium, will help strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter by promoting more and eveb frequent muscle contraction.

To make a delicious and nutritious banana juice, add either papaya or ripe mango because if you juice it alone it becomes a creamy mush. Try it and insert it to daily diets.




  • Cassy Janine

    View Comments

    • Nice blog. I, for one, enjoy bananas. Bananas can, also, be a source to heal or alleviate muscle pains. There is a particular banana tea that is supposed to cure insomnia. A mixture of water, bananas and cinnamon can be added in boiling water. Anyone who is interested, please let me know and if I find it, I will be glad to send you the instructions. Also, my darling wife, prepares for us a nice smoothie with some of our bananas. You had mentioned hernia in your blog. I, personally, had a belly button hernia that got, surgically, removed. So, I guess that qualifies me to understand the discomforts that a hernia brings. Hernias are no fun and prompt surgical intervention is key in order to get much added relief. Thanks for sharing.

      • Thank you. We don't have banana tea products yet here in our place but I want to know more of it. I appreciate it if you write the instructions or ways to make one. I will wait for you to write a blog about it. It will be a help to those who have an insomnia problem since banana is accessible and available anywhere I think.

    • A good and informative blog. In India, it is known as the poor man's fruit. Whatever may be the reasons to call it so, it occupies a very significant role in the diet of an Indian.
      There are many varieties in Banana as you said in the blog. In India, we got a variety called CHEKKARAKELI which will be very small in size and rich in taste. It will be of 8Cms in length and the layer will be very thin in light pink or maroon color. It is found mostly in the Southern part of South India especially in Andhra Pradesh. Another variety is known for its color and will be of 8 cms in size with very thick skin in yellow color.It will be quite different in taste with a combination of sweet and salt. Another variety will be having black dots on the skin. They are very sweet and rich in taste. People enjoy this variety mostly and in their anxiety eat more than what they actually can tolerate. Of course, it can be digested easily.
      Banana has got many medicinal values. It is used in many medicines of Ayurveda and also in Yunani methods in treating diseases successfully. The skin of Banana is a bad conductor of heat. As such it is preferred for healing many skin problem and cracks on the heels. It is asked to take along with asafoetida in Yunani method of treating the diseases. They will prescribe the quantity of the Asafoetida to be taken along with the Banana.
      In rural India, people use the bark of the Banana tree in their diet. It is cut into small pieces and a curry is prepared for taking along with rice. This is very effective in curing the kidney problem and melting down the stones in Kidneys. The people in Urban areas are now preferring to use this in their diet and finally, it has become so popular that it is served in 5 star hotels as a special dish.
      The flower also is used for preparing curry which will be quite tasty. The chips made of Banana will be available in various tastes and colors. As in the Philippines, serving food in a Banana leaf is a must in a good restaurant and it is a Hindu tradition to take meals in the Banana leaves.

      • Well said sir @shatdarsanam. As I read your additional information about the said topic, it seems that India and Philippines have the same ways on how to use the different parts of banana.
        Thank you for sharing your thoughts and knowledge about it.

    • I heard a cliche' And Apple a day keeps the Doctor away. So can bananas very important food source, much needed details. Great blog

      • Hi, @Damita Cherry. I must say that banana is a very important food since it gives lots of nutrients needed by our body. Aside from that, it is one of the most affordable fruits one could buy. One intake of banana daily is enough.
        However, if not available in your place, there's no need to worry about. As we all know, any fruits and vegetables can be a substitute because they contain some of the nutrients that a banana have.

    • Banana facts

      Bananas may have been the world's first cultivated fruit. Archaeologists have found evidence of banana cultivation in New Guinea as far back as 8000 B.C.
      Bananas are produced mainly in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, Asia and the Americas, as well as the Canary Islands and Australia.
      Bananas do not grow on trees. The banana plant is classified as an arborescent (tree-like) perennial herb, and the banana itself is considered a berry.
      The correct name for a bunch of bananas is a hand; a single banana is a finger.
      Nearly all the bananas sold in stores are cloned from just one variety, the Cavendish banana plant, originally native to Southeast Asia.
      The Cavendish replaced the Gros Michel after that variety was wiped out by fungus. The Gros Michel reportedly was bigger, had a longer shelf life and tasted better.
      The Cavendish may face the same fate as the Gros Michel within the next 20 years, botanists say.
      Bananas are also called plantains. But in general use, "banana" refers to the sweeter form of the fruit, which is often eaten uncooked, while "plantain" refers to a starchier fruit that is often cooked before eating.
      There are 50 recognized species of banana.
      Wild bananas grow throughout Southeast Asia, but most are inedible for humans, as they are studded with hard seeds.
      The vast majority of bananas grown today are for consumption by the farmers or the local community. Only 15 percent of the global production of the fruit is grown for export.
      India is the leading producer of bananas worldwide, accounting for 23 percent of the total banana production, though most of the Indian plantains are for domestic use.
      In 1923, sheet music for a popular song titled "Yes, We Have No Bananas!" sold upward of a thousand copies a day.
      Harry Belafonte's version of the "Banana Boat Song" was released on the first album to sell over a million copies, Belafonte's "Calypso."

    • banana is so lovely and all do like to eat it but its not the most nutrient food, apple is healthier to eat and has more benefits thatn banan, but people ten dto eat banana for its amazing taste, one apple is equal to many bananas, and though i eat banan more since it affordable and tasty i have to admit that apple is healthier, and as other member said that apple a day keeps the doctor away, and that is why we have lots of food in different shapes and vitamins and this and that, so we do not get board eating one only, Thank God that we need to eat varity food. it is health and fresh food what make it happy life
      thanks for you posting such post, and banana is the same in any place, same formula, there is no bad banana or god banana, so eat any banana so you get literaly exact vitamins, have agood time eating it all people

    Recent Posts

    Heart Attack Causes and its Solution

    What is the Main Cause of a Heart Attack? What is its Solution? A heart attack is the blockage of… Read More

    4 months ago

    Understanding the Debt Ceiling: Its Impact, Importance, and Implications

    In the vast economic arena, one term that often takes center stage, inciting extensive debates and discussions, is the "debt… Read More

    9 months ago

    De-Dollarization: The New World Order of Currency and Its Global Impact

    De-Dollarization: The Changing Face of Global Finance The financial landscape is in a state of flux, with an intriguing economic… Read More

    10 months ago

    Unstoppable Bayern Munich: The Story Behind Their 11th Consecutive Bundesliga Title

    The curtains closed on a dramatic Bundesliga season with Bayern Munich standing tall once again, clinching their 11th straight title.… Read More

    10 months ago

    Celine Dion Cancels Concert Tour Due to Deteriorating Stiff-Person Syndrome

    The Unfolding Story of Celine Dion's Health In recent news that has left fans across the globe stunned, iconic singer… Read More

    10 months ago

    Navigating the Crossroads: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the LA Lakers’ Uncertain Future

    As the echoes of the recent NBA season start to fade, the attention of enthusiasts is firmly glued to one… Read More

    10 months ago