Apple or Banana a day... Which keeps the doctor away?

I now know why minions love bananas. An apple a day keeps the doctor away but a banana a day does more magic.

If you were to take a 100 grams of banana and 100 grams of apples, this is what you would get from each medium fruit with the skin off.

Fruit	Banana	Apple
Serving Size	100  grams	100  grams
Calories in medium fruit	89    calories	48    calories
Carbohydrates	22.8 grams	13.81grams
Fiber	2.6   grams	2.4    grams
Sugar	12.2 grams	10.0  grams
Protein	1.1   grams	0.3     grams
Vitamin C	8.7   grams	4.6     grams
Vitamin E	0.1   grams	0.2     grams
Fat	0.3   grams	0.2     grams
Potassium	358  mg	107    mg
Water	74.9 mg	85.6   mg

The amount of fiber in both fruits is almost the same. Protein and vitamin C are higher in a banana which is also a plus.

ü  Because a banana has more calories in 100 grams than an apple, snacking on a banana will give you more energy than an apple will.

ü  A healthy adult needs about 4.7 grams of potassium a day. Bananas are a good source of potassium. Other good sources of potassium include; Lima beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, cabbages, kale (sukuma wiki), soy beans, spinach, avocado, dates, raisins, guavas and lentils.

ü  The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6 in bananas support heart health and reduce cardiovascular complications and blood pressure.

ü  Want to get over a hangover or long distant race dehydration? Other than losing water during dehydrating activities, we also lose electrolytes. Bananas help you get back the electrolytes you lost. They are also good after bouts of diarrhea.

ü  Bananas make you happy. Bananas have this amino acid, tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin in the brain which is basically a good mood neurotransmitter. They also help you preserve memories.

ü  The potassium in bananas helps reduce muscle cramps meaning that they are good after workout snacks and perfect for preventing night leg cramps.

ü  Because they help reduce cramps and make your mood better, bananas are perfect for women on their periods.

ü  In addition to the above, bananas help with bone growth, digestion, helps protect against type 2 diabetes, helps prevent asthma in children, helps prevent against cancer, helps prevent anemia, and helps to stabilize blood sugar. All these is because bananas are packed with Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Potassium, Manganese, Fiber, Biotin and some Copper.

We cannot talk about the health benefits of potassium without mentioning sodium. Sodium one of the ingredients in salt and other foods like beets. To get most benefits from high potassium foods, make sure that your potassium sources are also low in sodium. Don’t get me wrong, you need about 2.3 grams of sodium a day (which is like half a teaspoon) and 4.7 grams of potassium a day. Thing is, it is easy to get sodium from salt and so even after choosing foods low in sodium you are still very likely to meet your sodium needs. On the other hand, too much sodium puts you at a higher risk for heart disease and fluid retention. 

The best thing about bananas is that they are very affordable. An average banana in Kenya goes for about 10 Shillings and at some areas you could get them for less.

So, go bananas and enjoy health.