The New Complete Book of Food
What Happens When You Cook This Food
When bananas are broiled or fried, they are cooked so quickly that there is very little change
in color or texture. Even so, they will probably taste sweeter and have a more intense aroma
than uncooked bananas. Heat liberates the volatile molecules that make the fruit taste and
smell good.How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Drying. Drying removes water and concentrates the nutrients and calories in bananas.
Bananas may be treated with compounds such as sulfur dioxide to inhibit polyphenoloxi-
dase and keep the bananas from browning as they dry. People who are sensitive to sulfites
may suffer severe allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, if they eat these treated
bananas.
Freezing. Fresh bananas freeze well but will brown if you try to thaw them at room tem-
perature. To protect the creamy color, thaw frozen bananas in the refrigerator and use as
quickly as possible.Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Lower risk of stroke. Various nutrition studies have attested to the power of adequate
potassium to keep blood pressure within safe levels. For example, in the 1990s, data from
the long-running Harvard School of Public Health/Health Professionals Follow-Up Study of
male doctors showed that a diet rich in high-potassium foods such as bananas, oranges, and
plantain may reduce the risk of stroke. In the study, the men who ate the higher number
of potassium-rich foods (an average of nine servings a day) had a risk of stroke 38 percent
lower than that of men who consumed fewer than four servings a day. In 2008, a similar
survey at the Queen’s Medical Center (Honolulu) showed a similar protective effect among
men and women using diuretic drugs (medicines that increase urination and thus the loss
of potassium).
Improved mood. Bananas and plantains are both rich in serotonin, dopamine, and other
natural mood-elevating neurotransmitters—natural chemicals that facilitate the transmis-
sion of impulses along nerve cells.
Potassium benefits. Because potassium is excreted in urine, potassium-rich foods are often
recommended for people taking diuretics. In addition, a diet rich in potassium (from food)
is associated with a lower risk of stroke. A 1998 Harvard School of Public Health analysis
of data from the long-running Health Professionals Study shows 38 percent fewer strokes
among men who ate nine servings of high potassium foods a day vs. those who ate less
than four servings. Among men with high blood pressure, taking a daily 1,000 mg potas-
sium supplement—about the amount of potassium in one banana—reduced the incidence of
stroke by 60 percent.