In most of the world, bananas are the fourth most valuable crop, grown in 107 countries. They are delicious raw, cooked, dried or even slightly unripe. In addition to being delicious plain, they are also delicious with ice cream, cereal or yogurt. Because of their sweetness, you don't realize how many nutrients they contain, making them one of the healthiest snacks you can have.
Here's what happens when you eat two bananas a day, both the good and the not-so-good effects. (Spoiler alert: It's mostly good news.) Bananas are full of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and B6, but they shouldn't be consumed by people with certain health conditions. Also, in case you're wondering, here's how many bananas you'll need to overdose.
Advertisement
What You Get in Two Bananas
To start, let's look at the nutritional values of two bananas. If you consume this amount daily, you will get:
210 Calories
900 mg Potassium (24% RDA)
54 g Carbohydrates (18% RDA)
2 g Dietary Fiber (24% RDA)
28 g Sugar
6 g Protein (4% RDA)
Also included is a percentage of the recommended daily allowance for these vital nutrients:
2% Vitamin A
34% Vitamin C
2% Iron
40% Vitamin B6
16% Magnesium
How will it affect you if you do this every day? Continue reading more…
You will make good progress towards your potassium RDA
Because we don't know exactly what potassium does, we don't realize how important it is to the body. Every cell in the body requires potassium to generate an electrical charge to function properly, so it is actually one of the most important nutrients. In addition to maintaining a healthy heart rate, potassium also releases insulin when needed to regulate blood sugar.
If you're worried about not getting enough potassium, talk to your doctor. Healthy adults are advised to consume 3,500-4,700 mg of potassium each day. Other good sources of potassium include white beans, potatoes (white and sweet), beets, spinach, watermelon, and tomato sauce. However, two medium bananas contain around 900 mg of potassium, so that's a great start.
