Interesting About Bananas

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Americans consume more than 27 pounds of bananas each year. That's about 90 bananas per person. More than apples and oranges together. A banana is about 8 to 9 inches long, 120 calories, and is equal to one serving of fruit. It has 490 milligrams of potassium in it which is 15% of a man's day potassium needs and 19% of a woman. Potassium can remove sodium from your body and relax blood vessel walls, which helps to manage blood pressure. This fruit is also a good source of vitamin B6 which is essential for your immune system, nervous system and the brain. Bananas also help with tummy aches and heart burn by kick starting mucus production in your gut which helps protect the stomach lining. Doctors recommend it for this reason, and it is a part of the BRAT diet along with rice, applesauce and toast. The "bunch" of bananas you can buy at the store is actually called a hand and each individual banana is called a finger. Many hands grow together to form a bunch or stalk. A bunch can include as many as 20 hands. The banana is actually a giant herb and the yellow it produces is a berry. Ecuador is the leading grower, and the Philippines comes in second. Hawaii is the only U.S. state that grows them commercially. What is your favorite way to eat bananas? We fix a banana pudding layered with vanilla wafers and bananas for Thanksgiving. It is delicious.