6 Simple And Original Tips To Make The Most Of A Banana

Despite its bad reputation, the banana is not fattening. On the contrary, if you know how to take advantage of it, it can help you lose weight. It can be eaten in various ways, alone or with other ingredients, therefore, it is a good option both for snacks and to accompany various dishes.

It is a very nutritious food and recommended for health. Here we tell you how to take advantage of it on a daily basis, in easy and delicious ways. 

Its nutritional value

As we have already said, the banana is a fruit that is very pleasant to the palate, both for its good taste and for its smooth texture. It is well known for being a great source of potassium, but it also has other nutrients such as: vitamin B6, magnesium, indigestible fructooligosaccharides and carbohydrates.

Yes, although it is rich in carbohydrates, if eaten in moderation, along with a good portion of protein, it does not have to promote weight gain. In fact, since it is very rich in fiber, it helps improve intestinal transit. 

The banana is a fruit that  gives us a lot of energy, without making us gain weight.  Therefore, it will always be the healthiest thing we can eat when we want something sweet, but healthy.

Among its many benefits, its properties stand out for:

• Reduce hypertension.
• Avoid muscle cramps.
• Fight fluid retention.
• Soothe heartburn.
• Regulate the nervous system.

Tips to take advantage of it

Next, we give some original and simple ideas to enjoy the banana, every day, in a different way.

1. Make more nutritious and consistent shakes

Banana is a fruit that adapts very well to other ingredients and that, thanks to its smooth but consistent texture, helps to prepare creamy drinks, without having to resort to greasy foods, such as dairy.

For example, a banana and spinach smoothie, with just a little soy milk, is sensational and highly nutritious. However, the most delicious shakes will always be the banana and cocoa; and the banana and strawberries.

2. Less sugar

Instead of adding sugar to recipes, you can use this fruit when it is ripe. In this way, the preparation is tastefully but free of refined sugars. This is ideal when preparing various desserts. 

Now, if you are going to take advantage of it alone, it is advisable not to eat it so ripe, in order to avoid, precisely, the high amount of sugar it contains in this state.

3. Less flour, less eggs

If you like to make homemade pastries, you can substitute a part of the flour portions  for one or two bananas (as the case may be).  In this way you will get a more digestive and juicy recipe, only with this small change.

It is also a good alternative for people with celiac disease or those who do not digest some types of carbohydrates well.

If it is ripe, it can be used as an egg substitute, at the rate of a mashed banana instead of an egg; This becomes a good alternative for people who eat a vegan diet, that is, free from foods of animal origin.

4. Instant breakfast

Do you want an instant, delicious and very winning breakfast? Try making some homemade banana pancakes.

Ingredients (for 1 serving)

• 1 egg.
• 1 ripe banana.
• Optional: honey.
• Jam, chocolate or peanut butter to accompany.

Preparation

• We will beat the egg well, with a fork or in the mixer.
• We will add the banana. If we do it by hand, we will mash it well with the fork.

• Although it is already sweet, if we wish, we can add a little honey.
• We will cook this dough in the pan, as if it were an omelette, with a little oil, on both sides. It has to be well done, but soft.
• Once it is ready, we will add the seasoning we want and eat it hot.

5. Dehydrated banana at all hours

A good snack is to cut the banana into very thin slices and bake them at a very low temperature, about 40ºC, until they are dehydrated and become crispy.

It will take between one and two hours but we will have an aperitif ready to drink at any time of the day. With it we will be able to avoid the anxiety to eat other types of sweets.

6. Banana sorbet

For people who have a food processor or a good power blender, we recommend a banana sorbet, very fast and very easy to prepare.

We just have to freeze the ripe banana and then mash it until it is creamy and slush like a sorbet. We can add a little cinnamon or cocoa powder.

Start to profit!

The banana is a very versatile fruit in the kitchen. For this reason, it is worth looking for and trying the various ways to take advantage of it. The result? More nutritious and healthy preparations.