{"id":45305,"date":"2015-11-12T07:15:14","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T12:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=45305"},"modified":"2021-05-14T04:24:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-14T08:24:46","slug":"many-benefits-of-bananas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/health\/many-benefits-of-bananas\/","title":{"rendered":"23 Reasons Why You Need More Bananas In Your Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Pond5<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you go bananas for\u2026bananas, we don\u2019t blame you. There was once a time when bananas simply adorned your fruit bowl, or got sliced on top of your cereal. These days there\u2019s a full-on banana craze that has people bedazzling their \u2018nanners<\/a> on Instagram, writing motivational quotes on the peels<\/a> and creating banana-laden fruit pizzas<\/a> that truly look like works of art. (Seriously. That ish<\/em> is bananas.)<\/p>\n

Beyond that, it turns out that bananas carry all sorts of mind, body and beauty benefits, from fueling you through a workout, to helping you feel less stressed, to potentially lowering your risk of stroke. Hate the taste? There are plenty of non-food uses, too. Let\u2019s just say, don\u2019t forget to save those peels. (More on that later.)<\/p>\n

Without further ado, here are 23 unexpected ways to put bananas to good use. Banana skeptics, prepare to be amazed.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 25 3-Ingredient Smoothie Recipes [Infographic]<\/a><\/p>\n

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GIF: Giphy.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s What Bananas Can Do for Your Body<\/h3>\n

1. Fuel your workout<\/strong>. Who needs Gatorade? According to one study<\/a>, bananas provide an even better pre-and mid-workout boost than sports drinks thanks to their antioxidants, fiber, potassium and vitamin B6. You\u2019re one peel away from a more powerful sweat session.<\/p>\n

2. Ease your muscle cramps<\/strong>. Nobody likes being sidelined with a killer Charley horse. Incorporating potassium-rich foods (like, say, bananas) into your diet can help soothe achy muscles and maybe even <\/span>prevent you from cramping up<\/a> in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Stave off hunger<\/strong>. Why eat a 100-calorie pack when you can indulge in a banana? The <\/span>calories in a banana<\/a> only total about 105 \u2014 plus, here\u2019s why it makes a great <\/span>before-bed snack<\/a>, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>9 Healthy Homemade Energy Bar Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Decrease risk of stroke<\/strong>. Reality check: Women who eat potassium-rich foods may be less likely to die from a stroke compared to women who don\u2019t eat as many foods rich in this nutrient, according to a <\/span>2014 study<\/a>. Could a banana a day keep the doctor away?<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Beautify your hair<\/strong>. We\u2019re not saying you should \u00additch your blow dryer and rely on bananas for your next great hair day \u2014 but this hack might be worth a try. When mashed and applied like a conditioner, bananas also <\/span>reportedly<\/em> soften hair and preserve its elasticity. Test it for yourself with this <\/span>Banana and Almond Oil Hair Mask<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Treat acne<\/strong>. It\u2019s a practice beloved by <\/span>natural living bloggers<\/a>: Rub the inside of the peel on the affected area for approximately five minutes (until the peel turns brown). Repeat this process three times a day for clearer skin in just a few days, beauty gurus say.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> I\u2019m Exercising More \u2014 So Why Am I Gaining Weight?<\/a><\/p>\n

7. Soothe puffy eyes<\/strong>. Beauty experts claim that rubbing mashed banana underneath the eyes can <\/span>help reduce puffiness<\/a>. That\u2019s because the potassium in bananas reportedly limits fluid retention. And hey, it\u2019s cheaper than the stuff at Sephora.<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Relieve an itch<\/strong>. There\u2019s nothing worse than the need to scratch. Whether you\u2019ve got bug bites, poison ivy or a rash, rub the inside of a peel directly on the site of itching to <\/span>get quick relief<\/a>. (And we\u2019ve never me a LifeHacker trick we don\u2019t trust.)<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Reduce stress<\/strong>. Thanks to bananas\u2019 vitamin B6, eating the yellow fruits can <\/span>trigger feel-good serotonin<\/a> \u2014 which makes us feel mellower (or at least less likely to combust).<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> How to Get Good at Stress (and Make It Work in Your Favor)<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

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GIF: Giphy.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hate the Taste? Use Bananas To\u2026<\/h3>\n

10. Fertilize tomato plants<\/strong>. Wrapping a banana peel around tomato seedlings right before planting them can help <\/span>keep the plants fertilized<\/a> throughout the growing season. Watch out: Your green thumb just turned yellow.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. Make quality compost<\/strong>. Speaking of fertilizer\u2026 banana peels make <\/span>great fodder for compost<\/a>. They break down quickly and infuse the compost with nutrients, making it richer by the time it\u2019s ready to apply to your garden.<\/span><\/p>\n

12. Repel garden pests<\/strong>. To <\/span>rid a garden of aphids<\/a> (think of them like lice for plants) without turning to nasty pesticides, cut up banana peels and bury them one or two inches underneath the soil at the base of the affected plants.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 6 Easy Tips for Clean Eating on a Small Budget<\/a><\/p>\n

13. Attract the birds and the butterflies<\/strong>. Setting out an overripe banana or a banana peel on a flat platform in your yard can <\/span>attract a variety of species<\/a> that can help pollinate plants and promote biodiversity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GIF: Giphy.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sick of \u2018Em? Try This\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

14. Brew some tea<\/strong>. Banana skin tea? <\/span>Believe it<\/a> (and don\u2019t knock it \u2018til you try it).<\/span><\/p>\n

15. Make banana vinegar<\/strong>. The peels\u2019 bitter flavor makes a great base for <\/span>homemade vinegar<\/a>, which can be used in a variety of salad dressing recipes or any other recipe that calls for vinegar.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 16 DIY Projects to Give Coffee Grounds New Life<\/a><\/p>\n

16. Bake a protein-rich breakfast<\/strong>. <\/span>Banana Nutella Protein Muffins<\/a> pack eight grams of protein, 165 calories each, and a whole heap of flavor. Plus\u2026nutella.<\/span><\/p>\n

17. Slice them (and bake them) into chips<\/strong>. <\/span>Homemade banana chips<\/a> are nutritious, sweet, and way less greasy than potato chips.<\/span><\/p>\n

18. Put them in pancakes<\/strong>. These <\/span>Chocolate-Banana Pancakes<\/a> are chockfull of filling protein thanks to protein powder, ground flax seeds, and eggs.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 10 Delicious Protein Pancake Recipes<\/a><\/p>\n

20. Banan-ify guacamole<\/strong>. <\/span>Banana Guacamole<\/a>? Yes, we went there. Pair it with grilled fish, tofu, or summery dishes.<\/span><\/p>\n

21. Blend \u2018em in a smoothie<\/strong>. A protein-rich <\/span>Banana-Oat Protein Smoothie<\/a> provides potassium and energy \u2014 drink one before or after a grueling workout to fuel and soothe aching muscles.<\/span><\/p>\n

22. Tenderize meat<\/strong>. Before cooking your next roast, rub banana all over the meat or add a whole, peeled, overripe banana to the pan in order to ensure that the <\/span>meat stays tender<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 10 Snack Hacks to Satisfy Your Most Evil Cravings<\/a><\/p>\n

22. Eat the peels<\/strong>. Say what?! Now, we know it may feel unnatural, but green banana peels can actually be incorporated into tasty dishes. Just check out these recipes for <\/span>Banana Skins with Black-Eyed Peas<\/a> and <\/span>Green Banana Curry<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

23. Whip up some \u201cice cream\u201d<\/strong>. It\u2019s cheap, healthy, and oh-so-easy: This <\/span>protein mint chocolate chip ice cream recipe<\/a> features a secret ingredient that makes it insanely guilt-free. You guess it\u2026bananas.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there you have it: Better skin, healthier gardens, and nutritious, tasty dishes await all who are brave enough to open their minds to the many abilities of the humble banana.<\/p>\n

Now orange you glad we didn\u2019t say banana again?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You might think you have an appreciation for this yellow fruit \u2014 but you have no idea. Here are 23 reasons why bananas are the bomb. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,7,11],"tags":[51,52,347,397],"class_list":["post-45305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-nutrition","category-health","category-health-hacks","tag-food-choices","tag-fruit","tag-tax1family","tag-tax2childhood-nutrition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45305"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45305\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}