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Weight loss are two words that often associated with sacrifice for the sake of getting the perfect body. When it comes to sacrifice, it means participating in restrictive diets paired with excessive workouts. Some people are okay with these obstacles but others can barely get started.
However, what people don’t know is that there are foods that can help aid in weight loss. These foods offer you your daily dose of nutrients that keeps your body functioning throughout the day. One of these power foods is the simple banana. So what are the benefits of banana and why is it important in our diet? Let’s find out!
Eating Bananas for Weight Loss
1. The Number One Source of Potassium
When we say bananas, most people think of their potassium-rich nature. Bananas are known as the primary source of potassium. It’s a nutrient that’s essential in maintaining the right fluids in our body. This can be done by combining potassium with sodium. Both of the two combined ensure your kidneys are functioning properly,
Potassium essentially sucks out the extra fluid from the blood cells when they are in the kidneys and the fluid is then stored in the bladder to be excreted. Additionally, potassium helps regulate muscle contractions and give you extra energy for your work out sessions.
2. Magnesium Powerhouse
Magnesium is another nutrient that is crucial for regular bodily function. It helps maintain stable blood pressure, makes our bones stronger, and is essential for a stable heart rhythm. The absence of magnesium makes our body unable to produce ATP (the energy molecule) making our muscles constantly contracted.
A study conducted by the National Institute of Health revealed that magnesium is a part of over 600 chemical reactions in the body. These reactions have plenty of functions such as energy creation, formation of new proteins from amino acids, creating/repairing DNA, and regulating muscle contractions. Lastly, magnesium has the ability to maintain a steady heart rhythm which decreases the chance of getting cardiovascular disease.
3. Phosphorus Galore
Various experiments have associated phosphorus with our Body Mass Index (BMI). It shows that for a successful weight loss regime, phosphorus needs to be included in our diet.
There was a study that was conducted with participants ranging from ages 18 to 45 years old. These people were then designated into two groups. The first group took phosphorus supplements thrice a day, and the other, took the same amount of placebo. The findings revealed that phosphorus helped aid in weight loss, thus, lowering BMI. Additionally, it helped make the participants feel full and satiated even with less food. Luckily, a banana is a phosphorus-rich fruit.
4. Tryptophan is Important
Tryptophan is an essential amino acid found in bananas which helps in keeping your psychological health stable. By tryptophan, it’ll help prevent depression, relieve anxiety, improve cognition, regulate mood swings, and keep insomnia at bay. Even though it doesn’t help aid in weight loss directly, tryptophan makes you feel good which helps you stay motivated during your weight loss journey.
5. Phytoalexin
Just like tryptophan, phytoalexin is another nutrient found in bananas that doesn’t have any relation to weight loss directly. It is a nutrient that can function as an antibiotic because of its antimicrobial capabilities. It doesn’t end there, phytoalexin is also a form of antioxidant that helps aid premature aging.
Additionally, taking phytoalexin helps prevent various cardiovascular diseases as well.
The Banana Smoothie: Your Healthy Diet Drink
With the nutrients stated above, we can see how essential bananas are for your diet. But if you want to be a bit more creative instead of eating it whole, you can turn it into a deliciously refreshing banana smoothie. All you need is one banana, and half a glass of plain non-fat natural yogurt.
However, you can add more ingredients and prepare it the way you want. Both bananas and yogurt combined creates a calcium and protein-rich drink that helps improve the body’s capacity for burning fat without negatively impacting the muscles. When it comes to additional ingredients, you can add coconut oil, lemon juice, flaxseed, or ginger powder to help lower cholesterol and boost your body’s metabolism.
Additional Warnings
Although looking and sounding good as it seems, some of these ingredients can cause side effects or other health complications to people with pre-existing health conditions.
For breakfast skippers, a banana smoothie is the perfect morning drink as it gives you energy to start your day. However, it is still advisable to grab your breakfast before anything else. Lastly, healthy eating and consistent exercise are the two primary elements to reach your weight loss goals.
