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People usually throw away a banana peel because they think only the flesh contains all the good nutrients, minerals, or vitamins.
But that is not true at all. In fact, more than half of all important nutrients are found precisely in the banana peel.
Therefore, if you’ve been throwing away banana peels until now, you’ve been making a big mistake!
In many parts of the world it is customary for people to eat whole bananas, including the peel. Over time they also discovered other ways to use it.
Among other things, the banana peel is very suitable for weight loss. And it’s this use that we’ll talk more about in our article today.
How a banana peel will help you lose weight
Let’s now look at what a peel from an average-sized banana contains and how it benefits weight loss:
12% of the recommended daily intake of fiber – fiber aids digestion and reduces the risk of diabetes. The body thus uses energy from food more effectively and does not store it as fat.
17% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C – this vitamin significantly boosts immunity. Good immunity is the foundation of physical and mental health, which is important when losing weight.
20% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6 – this vitamin is very necessary for converting food into energy. An inefficient metabolism leads to fat storage.
12% of the recommended daily intake of potassium – potassium helps cell division, tissues, and the regeneration of organs throughout the body.
8% of the recommended daily intake of magnesium – magnesium is extremely important for the body’s energy production, regulation of blood glucose, and maintaining healthy blood pressure.
If you consume the banana flesh together with the peel, you will get twice the amounts of all the nutrients listed above.
Bananas also contain a little vitamin B12 (which is otherwise found almost exclusively in meat), which is especially appreciated by vegetarians.
Which banana is best – yellow or green?
You may have already heard various discussions about whether ripe or not-yet-fully-ripe bananas are better.
When it comes to weight loss, greener bananas are more suitable (of course not completely green ones, which are bitter and not very palatable).
Slightly underripe bananas contain a higher proportion of prebiotics (fiber). A greener, or green-yellow, banana peel also helps increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the blood.
These are hormones that trigger feelings of happiness and relaxation in you, which is especially important for controlling emotional or impulsive eating.
If you don’t like underripe bananas, of course you can eat yellow ones as well. However, avoid overly ripe ones, because they have the highest proportion of fruit sugars.
How to consume a banana peel
In general, peels—not only of bananas but of all fruit—contain a higher proportion of beneficial phytonutrients. These also give them a more bitter taste.
Before eating the peel, it is advisable to wash it well by soaking it in lukewarm water for 5 to 10 minutes with the addition of vinegar or baking soda.
This will remove pesticides and substances that sellers and growers spray on them. It’s best to wash bananas before peeling them.
You can then consume peels in the following ways:
- Cut off both ends and blend the peel in a blender with other ingredients when preparing smoothies.
- You can boil the peel in water for a while and prepare banana tea this way.
- Banana peel can be used as a substitute for potatoes when preparing cooked dishes.
- Feel free to be creative when consuming it. However, uncooked dishes are better, because this way the banana peel retains more of its beneficial nutrients.
