What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Bananas Every Day?

 What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Bananas Every Day?

Bananas are a popular snack food. They're delicious, convenient, and easily accessible, but they've also been the source of some debate. Are they to be praised for being a good source of potassium or chastised for having too much sugar? Is it safe to eat them on a daily basis? 

In this article, we'll look at the research on bananas' health benefits and see if they can be included in a healthy diet. 

Banana Nutritional Information

A medium banana contains the following nutrients, according to the USDA:

105 calories

1 g protein

0 g total fat

27 g carbohydrate

3 g dietary fiber

14 grams of sugar (naturally-occurring sugars)

422mg potassium

Health Benefits 

1. Could Keep a Healthy Weight

Bananas, when eaten as part of a balanced meal, can help you feel fuller for longer. Feeling satisfied between meals reduces the likelihood of having cravings and exceeding your daily caloric needs, which can contribute to weight gain over time.

While there is no evidence that bananas cause weight loss, they are a convenient and readily available food option that can be easily incorporated into a nutritious eating pattern to help you lose weight.

In fact, according to a 2020 study published in Nutrients, increasing your fruit and vegetable intake is associated with greater weight loss success. Bananas are one of the most popular fruits consumed in the United States.

2. Improve Your Heart Health

Bananas are well-known for their high potassium content. According to the National Institutes of Health, one medium banana contains 9% of your daily recommended intake.

Potassium is found in all tissues of the body and is required for normal cell function. It is also essential for heart health. The DASH diet, a popular protocol for people with (or at risk for) heart disease, recommends getting potassium from fruits and vegetables. Bananas are a great way to get enough potassium in your diet.

Increasing your potassium intake may also help lower your blood pressure. Because high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease, eating potassium-rich foods on a daily basis is essential as part of a healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, bananas are simple to incorporate into foods like smoothies and overnight oats, which also contain fruits and whole grains that can promote heart health.

3. Lower Your Risk of Chronic Disease

Bananas also contain phytosterols and carotenoids, both of which have antioxidant properties.

Interestingly, according to the above-mentioned 2019 article, "bananas have a higher antioxidant capacity than some berries, herbs, and vegetables," and thus can help reduce the harmful effects of oxidative stress on the body.

Oxidative stress can cause inflammation and tissue damage. According to a 2020 article in Ageing Research Reviews, if this continues as you age, it can lead to chronic inflammation, which is a known driver of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and others.

Consuming antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables can provide your body with the tools it requires to help keep inflammation under control.

4. Boost Your Energy

Bananas are high in carbs, which are your body's main source of energy. Bananas contain B vitamins such as vitamins B3, B6, and B12, which help your body synthesize energy, according to a 2019 article published in the Journal of Food Science and Technology.

Bananas can be part of a healthy meal or snack when combined with healthy fats and/or protein. Because carbohydrates digest faster than protein or fat, combining a banana with a healthy fat or protein, such as a handful of almonds or a cup of Greek yogurt, will help extend the energy provided by the banana.