Nutrition Facts About Bananas

Everyone knows bananas are healthy but do they know why exactly? They are among the most important food crops on Earth and hail from a family of plants known as Musa that are native to Southeast Asia and grow in warmer climates globally. There are many nutrition facts about bananas, not just that they are high in potassium and fiber! If you are curious as to what makes these fruits so healthy, then read on as I give you the low-down on nutrition facts about bananas.

Nutrition Facts About Bananas: What Do They Contain?

The nutrition facts about bananas or more specifically for 1 medium-sized banana (100 grams) are as followed:

Calories: 89
Water: 75%
Protein: 1.1 grams
Carbohydrates: 22.8 grams
Sugar: 12.2 grams
Fiber: 2.6 grams
Fat: 0.3 grams

Carbohydrates and Sugars

Carbohydrates might not be the first food group you think of when it comes to nutrition facts about bananas, but it is one of the most common. Carbohydrates in bananas normally occur as starch in unripe bananas and sugars in ripe bananas. During ripening, the carbohydrate composition of a banana changes drastically. As mentioned, the main component of unripe bananas is starch with green bananas containing around 80% of starch measured in dry weight. As the banana ripens, this starch is converted into sugars and ends up forming less than 1% when the banana is fully ripe. The most common types of sugar you will find in ripe bananas are sucrose, fructose, and glucose. Generally speaking, in ripe bananas, the total sugar content is more than 16% of the fresh weight. One of the more interesting nutrition facts about bananas is that they have quite a low glycemic index (GI) of 42–58 (depending on their ripeness.) The glycemic index measures how quickly carbs in food enter your bloodstream and raise blood sugar. This can be put down to their high content of resistant starch and fiber.

Fibers

One of the most well-known nutrition facts about bananas is they contain a good amount of fiber. But why is this a good thing? A large amount of the starch in unripe bananas is resistant starch, meaning it passes through the gut undigested. In the large intestine, this resistant starch is fermented by bacteria to form what is called butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that supposedly has beneficial effects on gut health.

Bananas are also a good source of other types of fiber, such as pectin. Both pectin and resistant starch moderate the rise in blood sugar after a meal.

Vitamins and Minerals

Bananas are a great source of multiple vitamins and minerals, most notably potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. How do these benefit you?

Potassium. Bananas are high in potassium, again, one of the most well-known nutrition facts about bananas. If your diet has good levels of potassium in it, this can help lower blood pressure in people with elevated levels, benefiting heart health.
Vitamin B6. Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6. One medium-sized banana can provide up to 33% of the Daily Value of this vitamin.
Vitamin C. Like most fruit, bananas are a good source of vitamin C, which is needed for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body.

Other Plant Compounds

Some nutrition facts about bananas that you may not know are that it is high in Dopamine and Catechine which are responsible for the following:

Dopamine. While many people know it is an important neurotransmitter in your brain, dopamine from bananas doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier to affect mood. Instead, it acts as an antioxidant.
Catechin. Several antioxidant flavonoids are found in bananas, most notably catechins. They have been linked to various health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease.