Can you mention one type of fruit which is tasty and healthy, available all seasons and could be found around the world? Yes, it is banana. Banana is loved by people around the world because this fruit is relatively cheap and easy to find. Moreover, there are a lot of health benefits of banana for breakfast or as healthy snack and one of the effective benefits of banana is for constipation.
What Is Constipation?
Literally, constipation is a condition whereas the bowel movement is infrequent. There are a lot of factors that could cause constipation from both external and internal though in many cases are difficult to point out one accurate cause for constipation. However, it is quite easy to determine the symptoms of constipation and the most common one is when you are find it difficult to empty the stool from your rectum and you passing fewer than three or four stools per week.
Nutritional Values of Banana for Constipation
Well, in many cases constipation is not fatal and not serious condition unless you experience it two or three times in the same month and if so, you should meet a doctor. However, if it occurs occasionally what you need to do is just consuming more banana. The list of benefits of banana for constipation below will explain you more why this fruit is essential for the health of digestive system.
- Banana Is High of Fiber
It is a common knowledge that one of the main health benefits of fiber is to treat constipation. Though one medium size of banana won’t able to fulfill the daily intake of fiber but consuming it in daily basis could help preventing constipation. The fiber, especially soluble fiber has essential role in helping the stools to stay soft, so it is easier to move inside the intestine. Tasty banana could be mixed with the benefits of yogurt for health into smoothies to help treating constipation effectively and naturally.
- Banana Could Improve the Bowel Movement
As mentioned above, slower bowel movement could lead to constipation. It occurs when stools are hard and lack of water. Soluble fiber has essential role to absorb water and the reason why stools are soft and easy to move inside the bowel. That is why consuming banana is great to improve bowel movement and treat conditions like constipation in instant way.
- Banana Is Rich of Resistant Starch
What is resistant starch? Some studies have found out that too much resistant starch could lead to slow bowel movement and constipation because its main ability is to absorb water. Well, the fact is resistant starch is also essential to relief constipation only if you consume it in the right amount. The unripe banana contains more resistant starch while the well ripe banana contains enough resistant starch. Resistant starch itself is a complex carbohydrate which contains fiber which is essential to treat constipation.
- Banana Could Acts as Probiotic
What do you know about health benefits of probiotic? Inside the intestine there are two types of bacteria, good and bad. Resistant starch contained in well ripe banana is an excellent food for ‘good’ bacteria inside the intestine. That is why consuming banana is almost the same like you are consuming probiotic. The ‘good’ bacteria inside the intestine have prominent contribution in improving digestive health and human body metabolism.
- Banana Contains Pectin to Relieve the Constipation
Besides fiber, pectin is also great to relieve constipation. Consuming banana could produce specific enzyme well known as pectinase. The breakdown of enzyme pectinase into pectin is excellent way to treat and reduce constipation. However, there is one important thing to note in this matter. The amount of pectin in over ripe banana is higher, as well as the sugar content. So, that combination is not good for constipation. That is why, to treat constipation is better to consume well ripe banana only and avoid over ripe or unripe banana.
- Banana for Toddler
Banana is super healthy and even super good for children, kids or toddler. It is not easy to deal with constipation when you are an adult and it is even more difficult when you have toddler who has constipation. You cannot just give them anything but toddler love banana and as long as you give them the well ripe banana, conditions like constipation could be treated naturally and effectively. Even if your children don’t like banana, you could make it into their favorite cake or delicious smoothies.
- Banana Is Great during Pregnancy
During pregnancy, constipation is a common thing to happen. However, during pregnancy you have to be super careful with what you consume because whatever it is may affect the fetus inside the womb. However, there are so much benefits of banana for pregnancy, not only it is rich of fiber to help relieving the constipation but banana is also rich of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B9 which is also well known as folate. The health benefits of folic acids or folate are including optimizing the development of brain and nerve system, especially in the first trimester.
- Banana Is Excellent Home Remedy for Constipation
Well, though today there are a lot of options of drugs or products to help relieving constipations but still choosing the natural way to deal with this condition is highly recommended and banana is one of the excellent home remedies for constipation. Moreover, if somehow you are getting bored from consuming banana in daily basis, there are a lot of ways you could do to enjoy the health benefits of banana, from making it into healthy smoothies, salad mix up to warm banana cake.
Cautions of Banana for Constipation
Actually there is no serious caution you should aware of from banana in treating constipation but there are two things you should avoid when consuming banana for constipation; unripe banana and over ripe banana.
- Unripe Banana
As mentioned above, the resistant starch could help constipation but only in the right amount when the banana is well ripe. Unripe banana contains more resistant starch that could absorb water and slow the bowel movement.
- Over Ripe Banana
When you taste over ripe banana, the flavor is sweeter. It is because over ripe banana contains more sugar and pectin and the combination of those compounds are not good for constipation.
Asides from consuming banana and get all the benefits of banana for constipation, you should avoid some foods that may cause constipation such as drinking coffee that contains caffeine, chocolate and alcohol. Moreover, you should keep yourself hydrated all the time because dehydration could lead to constipation as well. Consuming more vegetables and fruits which are rich of fiber is also highly recommended to reduce the symptoms of constipation.