Facts You Definitely Need To Know About Bananas

Non-organic: $0.70 to $1.00 per lb. Organic bananas: $1.00 and $1.30 per lb. About five bananas.

We were in Puerto Rico and needed to eat something before a 3-hour session at Wilderness. We thought the roadside stand was a smoothie shack, but it turned out to be a fruit stand, and the only eat-on-the-go fruit there was bananas.

Before surfing, you don’t want to eat a lot, but you need something—especially for a long session with drift and chest-high waves.

Can we eat more than one banana?

I love bananas so much, but my whole life I was told—or at least thought—that you can only eat one banana a day because bananas will “back you up.” I started to wonder, is this even true or is it a wives’ tale? It’s strange—I never thought to look it up until this moment on the dusty road at 7 a.m. in Puerto Rico. I wanted that second banana so badly.

The answer: you can eat two bananas a day! Unripe bananas can cause digestive issues and constipation because they contain more starch and are harder to digest, although there are no studies that say bananas cause constipation.  All these years??! Very ripe bananas, on the other hand, can actually help relieve constipation because they contain a good amount of soluble fiber, which absorbs water in your gut and softens stools, making them easier to pass. The takeaway: bananas may improve or worsen constipation depending on their level of ripeness. Fascinating.

Remember though, a balanced diet is best, so don’t go bananas with the bananas now that you can eat more than one a day.

Another banana-related thing—I’m not sure if it’s just me or many of us—but the dilemma of buying organic bananas vs. non-organic ones seems more stressful than making other organic choices. I’ve had to be really “thrifty” the past few years.  So I’m in tune with this. And maybe it’s because, in Key Food, the side-by-side display with the  big price sign screams, “Which matters more: your financial wellness or your physical wellness.”

Organic means that food is grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or genetically modified organisms. All those things are bad, so it appears we should always opt for organic. It also seems unfair that there is a price point on our health based on economics. Non-organic bananas range from $0.70 to $1.00 per pound (about five bananas), and organic bananas cost $1.00 and $1.30 per pound. Take it for what it’s worth…

Other interesting facts about bananas:

• The word “banana” comes from the Arabic word “banan”, which means “finger”… checks.
• Surf fuel: bananas are a great pre-workout snack because they’re high in potassium, which helps nerve and muscle function.
• On Nov. 8, 2024, during a media preview at Sotheby’s, a banana duct-taped to a wall, titled “Comedian” was displayed and auctioned off—selling for $6.2M after six minutes of bidding to a cryptocurrency entrepreneur, which turned it into a viral sensation. The buyer eventually ate the banana in Hong Kong.
• Bananas were first imported to the U.S. in the 1870s. At the first World’s Fair (1876), bananas wrapped in tin foil were sold for ten cents each to curious shoppers (good price). Within a few years, they became a common street food.
• Banana peels are exceptionally slippery due to their low-friction surface—a phenomenon that earned researcher scientists an Ig Nobel Prize in Physics. So yeah, bananas are slippery, don’t find yourself with one foot on the banana peel.

Source: healthline.com, todayifoundout.com, nbcnews.com