A banana a day goes a long way in keeping you fit.

[This article was originally published in October, 2014. The message is still relevant and worth reprising. Put a banana in your boot bag!]

We have recently discovered the magnificence of bananas which we long regarded as a kid food and something to by-pass on breakfast buffets. Wrong attitude.  Turns out, bananas have multiple benefits for those who are active, especially senior snow enthusiasts.

Fun Fact: Bananas skins can help mollify mosquito bites. Credit: Mike Maginn
Fun Fact: Bananas skins can help mollify mosquito bites.
Credit: Mike Maginn

For starters, have a banana before you ski to give you a natural  and fast energy boost.  And they are high in potassium which makes your internal electrical system—heart, muscle cells—working very nicely, reducing chances of muscle cramping.  Sour stomach, acid reflux?  Have a banana to coat your stomach lining; bananas are a natural antacid. Not feeling regular?  Have a banana which contains soluble fiber to keep you moving.  Working on low cholesterol numbers?  Have a banana; zero cholesterol.  Saving your pennies?  Have a banana; they are remarkably inexpensive, given the number of great things that come from them.

We’ve barely scratched the surface on how wonderful bananas can be.  For more, check out this list of 25 banana’s powerful benefits.  We never expected to see shoe shining on the list, but there it is.  Also, for more about health benefits, see this article.

Regardless, bananas, you are still a funny fruit.

4 Comments

  1. Dr. Gretchen Rous Besser says:

    The oil from the inside of a banana skin is a natural shoe polish. Try it!

  2. And if it’s just potassium you are after, try a small carton of coconut water (not coconut milk) it has double or triple (or more) potassium than a banana. It doesn’t polish your shoes, tho. 🙂

  3. If it’s potassium you’re after, raisins are multiple times higher than bananas. I was surprised to learn this. Raisins are high in sugar, though, so careful with that.

  4. G. Stanley Brown says:

    For people taking metformin or other drugs for diabetes, it is relevant to consider the level of carbohydrates in bananas. Wikipedia tells me 22.8 grams / 3.5 oz.

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