Sometimes peeling a banana can be a delicate art. But if one dietitian’s advice is anything to go by, skip the process and have the whole thing.
Nutritionist Susie Burrell says you should eat the banana skins and there’s good reason for it.
Posting on her blog, the media personality revealed that the peel has multiple benefits including improving your sleep, skin and even help with weight loss.
“Specifically, you will increase your overall fibre content by at least 10 per cent as a lot of dietary fibre can be found in the skin of the banana,” Susie wrote.
The reason it’s so beneficial? The skin contains an extra 20 per cent more vitamin B6 and 20 per cent more Vitamin C. You’ll also get more potassium and magnesium.
RELATED: Here’s One Reason Why You Should Eat A Banana Every Day
You’re probably wondering how you’ll manage to enjoy the banana shell. Well, Burrell recommends that you don’t have it straight.
“Rather, cooking the skin to soften it will help to break down some of the cell walls within the skin, helping to make the nutrients easy to absorb,” she said.
She suggests including it in smoothies, muffins, banana bread and curries.
The colour of the banana is also important.
“Bananas with bright yellow skins have a higher proportion of antioxidants associated with anti-cancer effects, while green skins (less ripe bananas) are particularly rich in the amino acid tryptophan which is associated with good sleep quality,” she adds.
Everything always tastes fine when you chuck in a blender, so guess we’ll start with a smoothie and see how we go.
