Which is the fruit that symbolizes health? Which fruit's health benfits are such that they keep even the Doctor away? Yes, Apple is the fruit that takes the 'Popularity' prize among the fruits. In hailing the benefits of one fruit, don't you feel that we are ignoring the benefits of many healthier but unpopular fruits? Take the banana for example, its many benefits are forgotten and it is wrongly tagged as 'weight gain' fruit. Lets compare the health benefits of apples and those of bananas to uncover the truth....
Here is the objective comparison between Apples and Banana
Name- Apple
Colors- Found in Green and Red
Needs- Temperate and sub tropical temperature
Native of- Central Asia
Best known phrase- An apple a day keeps the doctor away….
Health Benefits-
Apple is an excellent source of pectin, a fiber that helps reduce blood cholesterol and possibly prevents cancer. One medium-sized apple provides five grams of dietary fiber, or 20 per cent of the recommended intake of fiber. It also contains many anti oxidants that benefit the body as follows.
Weight loss properties
A study by Brazilian scientists showed that women who ate apples everyday lost more weight than those who didn’t.
Controls Cholesterol
The pectin found in apples lowers LDL or the ‘bad’ cholesterol. People who eat two apples per day may lower their cholesterol by as much as 16 percent
Prevents heart disease and stroke
Research has confirmed that flavonoids, a type of antioxidant abundant in apples, help prevent heart disease and stroke. So, next time you peel off the apple skin you are going lose its nutrition, hence remember not to peel the skin
Strong bones
Research by French scientists found that post menopausal women who ate apple benefitted from a flavonoid called as phloridzin which protected them from osteoporosis and also increased their bone density.
Apple is also known to reduce the symptoms of asthma in children, reduce signs of anti-aging and help manage diabetes by reducing the insulin requirement of the body by 35%.
Some downers:
Pesticide issue
Apples are one of the most pesticides sprayed fruit and a report by Environment Working Group shows that when you buy an apple you may get a residue of 10 pesticides with it. This exposure of pesticides may actually nullify all the benefits that you may get from it, it may even harm you. Not only are the pesticides, apples often waxed to preserve them during storage and travels. These waxes have solvent residues, hence it is recommended to wash them thoroughly with soapy water before eating.
Price
Apples in India are at least the fruit of the rich; it comes in the market in the early winter but only is affordable only to a few. The price of one imported apple equals the price of kilo of another. With a price as high as this who can afford it every day?
Name- Banana
Colors- Green and Yellow
Found in- Temperate climate
Native of- South East Asia
Best known phrase- Going bananas!
Health benefits
Bananas contain high amounts of potassium upto 422 mg which is good for Blood Pressure, it is also a good source of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Manganese and Folate along with being rich in fiber.
Instant source of energy
Bananas consist mainly of sugars namely glucose, fructose and sucrose and fiber, which makes them ideal for an immediate and slightly prolonged source of energy.
Anemia
Bananas are high in iron and can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and hence are recommended to those with anemia.
PMS
Bananas contain vitamin B6 which helps regulate blood glucose levels and help with dealing with PMS symptoms. They are definitely a better solution than other PMS drugs…
Blood Pressure
Banana contains very little sodium and is high in potassium hence it is ideal for someone with high blood pressure. Even FDA of US has accepted banana’s ability to reduce the risk of stroke and Blood Pressure.
Bowel movement
Bananas contain good amount of fiber that helps the bowel movement and relieves constipation. Even in the case of diarrhea, the potassium in bananas helps replace the electrolytes lost due to it.
Bananas are also known to promote healthy bones, help in treating heartburn and reduce the risk of stroke and Age related muscular degeneration (ARMD) that causes vision loss in old age.
Myth that bananas cause weight gain-
A medium banana contains about 100 calories. It contains about 22-25 gm of carbohydrates, almost 0 gms of fat and 2 gm protein and 3 gm of fiber. Besides this, it also delivers 15% of the daily requirement of Vitamin C, a dose of Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium.
Banana may be high in calories but it contains fiber, potassium, vitamin C that is certainly better than pure calories and no nutrition that other foods you eat leave you with. Besides, if you are working out than banana is a perfect post workout food, that refills your energy reserves and helps build that muscle…
Banana is the best- ‘fast food’ as it regulates the blood sugar level and gives instant energy. Banana is also cheaper and found all over the year. These are the qualities that make it really work for us in India. And one more fact, we are the largest producer of bananas in the world.
Last Word
In the competition of the best fruit, there are no clear winners or losers. All fruits have their unique properties that make them good for specific ailments. The only fact that we found out was that compared to the hype that surrounds apples, banana and its super qualities are forgotten. It just tells you that all that is hyped it not necessary great, our humble banana shows us that!
