I'm bananas about, well... Bananas

I'm a big banana fan. I feel that they are possibly the world's most perfect food. The sheer diversity of this food is beyond measure, their uses too numerous to list. What we in the US consider "bananas" are actually one solitary variety of a myriad of species. Those yellow treats that you find in the grocery store are what is known as "dessert" bananas. Not all bananas are created equal. In most parts of the world, the banana that we know rarely crosses the palate in it's luciously sweet, yellow skinned, white fleshed state. Usually used as a starch, plantains ( a banana from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit) are generally used in cooking rather than eaten raw. Globally, bananas rank fourth after rice, wheat and maize in human food production; they are grown in 130 countries worldwide, more than for any other fruit crop.
Aside from the interesting global aspects of the banana, there is the undenyable fact that they taste good! They are portable, substantial and healthy! Packed with Vitamins A and C as well as plenty of potassium, the banana is the perfectly packaged energy bar. In addition to this, bananas contain trace amounts of tryptophan which, when ingested, increases levels of serotonin in the body (the same effect as Prozac.) This can lead to various mood-altering effects including a reduction in depression. Some even feel that that eating just two bananas a day for three days can increase levels of serotonin in the blood by 16%!  So, go out and get yourself some bananas and cure that pesky clinical depression... or at least a screaming case of the munchies.

Comments

[Rengirl]

I, too, share your love for bananas. I love adding a banana on the side of a savory meal. And don't get me started on my banana bread addiction!

[Dad's sister]

Daddy!!!! Are you kidding me? Banana's...you need to talk to your Mrs. about some of the funny things your children do when they are out with us. Your son for example thinks I should go to "the boyfriend store" how adorable is that? How insightful of a 5 year old to decide his aunt needs a love life.
Anyway I know you love the banana but really!