I recently discovered a variety of banana I never knew existed. A friend sent me a link to an article regarding a fungus that is threatening our bananas to extinction. Within this article the writer had said they preferred a Philippine variety of red banana…curious I googled it & indeed there really is a red banana.
Below is what I found out, trimmed, without ads, for your reading pleasure 😃
Bananas are the world’s most consumed fruit which is an extraordinarily fascinating fact. But did you know that the “banana tree” is not actually a tree — it’s the world’s largest herb.
-Banana tree grows, fruits, dies, and re-grows every year. Bananas contain three natural sugars: fructose, sucrose and glucose combined with fiber.
This favorite fruit has high calorific value, including 6 vitamins and 11 minerals, giving you an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Now, imagine eating a red banana! There are at least 5 types of bananas different than the yellow, sweet banana.
What Kind Of Fruit Is The Red Banana?
The fruit of red bananas is similar to the fruit of yellow bananas, it is said red bananas taste similar to eating a banana and a raspberry at the same time. Red bananas come from Costa Rica and are a favorite in Central America, Mexico and in some areas in Australia.
The red banana tree succeeds only in tropical and subtropical areas and the fruit is ready for use after 9 months.
They have a distinctive red to purple skin, rather than the more conventional yellow bananas and are usually smaller than regular yellow bananas. This fruit has soft and creamy texture in cream to slightly pink color. The color comes from the beta-carotene red bananas contain, and the aroma reminds of sweet strawberries.
Red bananas can be consumed when their skin starts getting dark chestnut-red color and few brown spots. It is better not to consume the fruit if it is too soft and has intense flavor, because of the fermentation process which causes loss of enzymes and development of some dangerous bacteria.
Red Banana Nutrition Facts & Health Benefits
This fruit has high nutritional and calorific value, containing large amounts of potassium, Vitamin C and beta-carotene.
Medium sized fruits contain 400 mg of potassium, which covers body’s daily needs of this mineral and electrolytes. The potassium in red bananas is necessary for proper function of the heart muscle and the digestive system.
Except for being delicious, red bananas are rich in Vitamin C as well. One red banana is enough to cover 15 % of the body’s daily needs of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which not only protects the body from diseases, but it also protects the organism against free radicals, meaning it reduces the risk of heart diseases and some cancers.
Red bananas are also rich in fiber, and one red banana is covers 16% of the body’s daily needs of dietary fiber. The fiber red bananas contain helps reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes Type 2. This fruit also contains large amount of Vitamin B6, a single red banana provides even 20% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin D, and supports the metabolism of proteins and red blood cells.
Each of us is eager to try and taste new fruit, so maybe it is time to make a change and buy red bananas this time?
Now after reading about it I really really want to try it so I’ve tweeted to the major supermarkets asking if they stock any, preferably organic. Perhaps if enough of us do the same (tweet/email/etc) they’ll stock some! Given they are more nutritional and perhaps better tasting, why don’t we have them here!?
😁
Marvellous Mini Makes 