National Banana Lover’s Day

Although even we can admit there are some super silly food holidays out there, this one holds a special place in our hearts. We are, after all, big fans of the banana. For anyone who has had one, which is just about everyone, we know you can agree with us on that. They’re subtly sweet, have mild flavor, easy texture and go great with just about anything. Some of our personal favorites include strawberries, chocolate, honey, peanut butter, yogurt and Nutella (try it!). But there’s so much more to the banana than even that. It’s arguably the best on-the-go snack. It’s the binding and flavor melding ingredient in just about smoothie out there. It mellows the tangy, sweetens the bitter and thickens the thin. It’s also full of some of the best and most essential nutrients to maintain a healthy body, high immune system and good metabolism. That’s all thanks to the abundance of fiber, potassium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C it’s packing. We may be going a little far here but the banana is truly a dream come true.

Today, we’re going to go a little further, push a little more and share with you some of our favorite banana facts and trivia. Prepare to be amazed!

• Bet you weren’t expecting this one. Bananas have so much Potassium, they’re actually considered radioactive. Don’t worry though, it’s not enough to cause any sort of harm.

 

• A bunch of bananas is referred to as a hand and each additional banana is called a finger. Appetizing!

 

• The browner a banana gets, the sweeter the meat is. Darker coloring doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad!

 

• In reference to above,  it’s a great idea to use browned bananas in desserts like banana bread. You get all that great natural sugar.

 

• Before 1960, the popular eating banana plant was called the Gros Michel. One single fungus attacked all the crops all over the world, making the plant extinct. Luckily there was a standby, the Cavendish, which has become the only banana plant to produce ones that actually taste good. However, the Gros Michel was actually thought to be tastier, larger and lasted longer, which helped with transport.

 

• There are dozens of different types of banana plants around the world. The fruit they make just tastes terrible!

 

• If you have a burn, scrape, wart, blister, blemish breakout, rash, sunburn or cut, try rubbing the inside of a banana peel on it. The natural oils helps fight infection, reduces inflammation and helps quicken healing.

 

• The meat of the banana is incredibly healing as well and contains all sorts of good oils. Mix some of that with some oatmeal and honey for an amazing facial scrub, mask or leave out the oatmeal and use it as a hair mask. It makes it healthier, helps to minimize breakage and has even said to increase shine.

 

• It is the number one consumer fruit in the world and the number 3 consumed everything. It follows only wheat, rice and corn. Keep eating those bananas!

 

• It’s is the number one fruit eaten by Americans, who consume more bananas than oranges and apples combined.

 

• The most people on Earth to consume bananas are actually Ugandans, who eat an average of around 500 pounds per person, per year. That’s a lot of ‘naners!

 

• They’re musical! More songs have been written about bananas than any other fruit. One that especially comes to mind is the Banana Boat Song.
• Despite what you might think, a banana is really a berry! Is your mind blown, yet?

 

• They actually make you happy. Bananas are the only fruit to contain an amino acid called tryptophan. With that and all their Vitamin B6, they help the body produce serotonin which alleviates depression. They’re also been found to counteract the effects of those winter blues we tend to get!

 

• Monkeys don’t actually eat bananas. At least they don’t eat the same ones we do. Most types of bananas are bitter, chewy and more fibrous, nothing like the sweet delicious fruit we know and love. It’s for this reason zookeepers around the world have started just reserving them for a nice little treat.

 

• Rubbing a banana peel on your forehead can make a bad headache go away.

 

• Just like humans and the Earth, bananas are made up of about 75% water.

 

• A man named David Evans Strickler invented the Banana Split in 1924 at an old-fashioned soda fountain in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Thanks, David!

 

• Introducing a steady amount of bananas in your diet has been found to reduce the risk for stroke, heart attack and some cancers.

 

• They make a great substitute for eggs in vegan baking!

 

• 50% of people who are allergic to latex are also allergic to bananas. Bummer!

 

• The old slip on a banana peel joke actually has a lot of truth to it. Back in the day, people used to just throw their peels all over the sidewalk when they were done eating their bananas. As those skins rotted, they turned into very slippery, slimy hazards that resulted in quite a few injuries!

 

• Eating bananas can help ease the pain of a bad hangover. They help replace potassium in the body, one of the key nutrients lost due to the dehydration that comes with too much beverage-related fun.