Bananas are one of the most popular fruits worldwide. Many people even consume the fruits daily to fulfil necessary vitamins and minerals. Various researchers have found out the benefits of bananas to promote body functions and overall health. Although this fruit contains minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that are good for your body, some people with certain health conditions may not be advised to consume the creamy-flesh fruit daily as its contents, under specific circumstances may trigger worse conditions.
Bananas for kidney-failure patients
An average banana fulfils 9% potassium of the recommended daily intake. This means a healthy person can consume up to seven bananas without experiencing any health issues and complications. However, people with kidney diseases are advised to avoid foods that are high in potassium, including bananas.
A kidney-failure patient commonly has very limited kidney functions. Hence, it is not easy for them to digest and break down potassium from bananas to aid digestion. Instead, potassium might cause harmful build-up in their blood stream as they can’t get rid of the mineral when they pass urine. Eating large amount of bananas or combining bananas with other foods high in potassium, therefore, might cause the kidney to stop working, especially in people on dialysis.
In conclusion, if you are a patient of kidney failure, it is advised that you do not take bananas and other high-potassium fruits or foods in daily basis to make sure there are no certain potassium build up in your blood stream which can be life-threatening
Bananas for diabetics
Bananas do contain sugar in a form of naturally-occurring fructose. According to Harvard University, in addition, bananas have a glycemic index that is high enough to cause some fluctuations in blood sugar level, which has roles in determining your risk of having heart-related diseases. Diabetics should care about their sugar intake in order to maintain their blood sugar level.
Bananas are known as one of the fruits with high content of carbohydrate—the compound that turns into sugar in your blood stream. Foods high in carbs might eventually cause raised sugar blood level that may lead to sugar spikes. Bananas are high in calories and these calories exist in the form of sugar, starch, and fiber and can potentially trigger blood sugar level to rise more than other nutrients.
In addition, bananas are also classified as a fruit with a rather high glycemic index. Higher glycemic index shows a higher speed of foods to be synthesize into blood sugar by the digestive system. Thus, foods with higher glycemic index tend to raise the level of blood sugar and eventually, your blood pressure.
However, bananas do not only contain high carbs that later are turned into sugar in the blood stream. Instead, the fruit is also enriched with healthy fiber your body requires. Natural fiber helps slow down carbohydrate synthesis into blood sugar, so that it does not lead to blood sugar spikes. Hence, bananas are not recommended for diabetics if eaten in large amount or too frequently.
Eating them in moderation, on the other hand, should not raise any essential problems with your entire blood sugar level.
When are bananas bad for you?
For healthy people and even those who have got certain health conditions, bananas tend to be beneficial, despite of all myths and old wives’ tale about the fruit. However, in certain conditions, this famous tropical fruit can be really bad for your health, as they may trigger unexpected conditions.
Listed are several common situations related to banana consumption that are not recommended. Take your time to read them through, so that eating your favorite bananas will always be advantageous for your entire health.
1. Bananas are bad when they are a part of high sugar diets
Eating raw bananas in moderation should not be a health concern for most people, even kids, as the fruit provides necessary vitamins and minerals required by your body. However, the fruit becomes useless and worse, an agent to raise your blood sugar level when combined with other food sources containing already-high sugar.
Banana splits, milk shakes, or cakes are definitely tasty, if not tempting. However, eating these instead of the healthy raw bananas can potentially eliminate potential benefits a banana should provide. While raw bananas contain naturally-occurring sugar, the other food sources, such as ice cream, whipped cream, and milk may contain added sugar which raises your blood sugar level.
Consumed excessively, these menus may potentially raise your blood pressure that leads to life-threatening conditions.
2. Bananas can be a concern if you constantly consume overripe ones
Bananas are not only delicious, but also flooded with nutrients that are good for your body. However, as bananas becomes riper, these nutrient content simply changes. While unripe bananas are loaded with complex carbohydrates, ripe ones contain higher sugar level, as these complex carbohydrate changes into simple sugar.
Although this is not necessarily a bad thing, higher sugar level in overripe bananas may result in quicker rise in blood sugar. Hence, diabetics that constantly consume overripe bananas may notice a significant raise of their blood sugar that causes concerns. However, overripe bananas contain higher level of antioxidants, so that healthy persons can consume them occasionally to gain these health free-radical fighting compounds.
3. Bananas are consumed in large amounts
Worldwide, there are a variety of weigh controlling diet plans people are following. Some of those are using bananas to replace daily meals including rice and breads. Although bananas are healthy, they are not advised to be consumed in large amounts, constantly.
There are some possible reasons for this. First, bananas contain sugar that may potentially raise your blood sugar when consumed in constantly large amounts. Secondly, bananas often contain radioactive.
Therefore, consuming the fruit constantly in large amounts may lead to radioactive buildups in your blood stream. This may lead to certain conditions that can be life-threatening.
Consuming bananas in moderation is advised. Making the fruit as a replacement to your daily carbohydrate intake is also not fully recommended.
