27TH AUGUST
National Banana Lovers Day

TOP BANANAS AS BANANAS ARE THE TOPS!

Did you know....

A cluster of bananas is called a ‘hand’, while a single banana is called a ‘finger’.

Banana plants grow up to 25 feet high, and their leaves can grow to be 9 feet long and 2 feet wide. Their roots can be hundreds of years old.

Bananas are technically berries.

Banana plants grow not from seeds but from bulbs.

Bananas are naturally slightly radioactive.

The banana is produced asexually because it’s a sterile species, making it basically a clone of the elder.

Bananas can float in water.

A banana is considered a natural mood booster. Depressed people are said to be low on Serotonin and bananas are a cheap source of Serotonin, amino acid, and Vitamin B6.

A strawberry is not a berry, a banana is.

Bananas are made of about 75% water, which isn’t very much compared to other healthy wonders like the cucumber or radish, which has 96% and 95% respectively.

India produces more bananas than any other country.

Humans are 50% identical to bananas as they share about half of the same DNA.

Bananas have been depicted in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

More songs have been written about bananas than any other fruit.

Bananas and banana peels make great fertilizer (you can compost them, bury them whole, or cut them in small pieces and mix them with garden soil) because of their phosphorous and potassium content. Roses especially like them.

“Banana Republic” is a term used in political science that describes the political instability in a Latin American country, which is economically dependent upon the exportation of limited-resource products like minerals, Banana, etc.

The word “Banana” has been derived from an Arabic word “Banan” that means finger in Arabic. And, of course, they have given it a thoughtful name as the fruit resembles a finger.

Rubbing a banana peel on your forehead can help cure a headache.

To whiten teeth naturally, rub the inside of a banana peel on your teeth for about two minutes every night. If you gargle with salt water, this will heighten the effect. Expect results in about two weeks. It works because of the effect of the potassium, magnesium, and manganese in the banana peel.

The richness of nutrients and vitamins in banana make it a natural healer in various kinds of body ailments. It is one good digestive fruit and as immunity becomes weak during sickness, it boosts immunity also. It relieves of morning sickness and is a good stabilizer of blood sugar as well as blood pressure.

Bananas are high in fibres and can provide nearly 10% of your daily fibre requirement. They also have Vitamin B6 that helps protect against type 2 diabetes, Bananas also aid in weight loss as they help curb craving for foods.

Banana intake helps in reducing heart-strokes. According to various research on heart failure, it has been found that the risk of heart stroke is less for those who have ideal potassium intake in their body. So, being a rich source of Potassium, banana acts as a friend to our hearts.

There are over 1000 different varieties of bananas growing around the world, subdivided into 50 groups. Some are sweet, like the Cavendish bananas, which is the most common and most widely exported.

A monkey peels a banana upside down compared to our method, which is pinching the top and splitting the skin before peeling it down to reveal the fruit. This is an easier and less damaging method of peeling a banana.

The oils inside a banana skin can actually help inflammation and itching caused by insect bites.

Bananas make great conditioner that helps restore dry, damaged hair. Mash a banana and add a tablespoon of heavy cream and a tablespoon of honey to the mixture. Then apply it to dry hair, cover your hair with a shower cap, and then wrap your head in a warm towel. Leave it on for up to an hour and then rinse thoroughly with warm water before shampooing.

Rubbing the inside of a banana peel on houseplant leaves makes the leaves shiny.

You can use the inside of a banana peel to clean and polish leather shoes.

TIP-TOP BANANA HANDLING TIPS:

Wrapping banana stems tightly in cling wrap will make them last three to five days longer.

Banana peels are actually edible if cooked.

If you peel a banana from the bottom up (holding on to the stem like a handle), you will avoid the stringy bits that cling to the fruit inside.

Bananas ripen best if they are picked when green.

To ripen bananas faster, put them in a sealed container—ideally a brown paper bag. Adding another fruit to the container (such as an apple or even a tomato) will further speed the ripening.

If you put a banana in the fridge, the peel will turn dark brown or black, but it won’t affect the fruit inside.