There’s a quite a lot of noise around hailing banana peel as the superfood for weight loss. Almost every other day a new fad diet or food ingredient is being christened as the next best thing for weight loss. Many fall prey to these claims risking one’s health. Banana peel is also being popularized as an effective aid for weight watchers. The truth is it may not be completely true.
The Truth About How It All Began
Articles that claimed that banana peel is loaded with tons of soluble and insoluble fiber in comparison to the fruit flooded the internet captivating the attention of people worldwide. It was even stated that the fiber in the peels helped in slowing digestion, thereby making you feel full for longer periods.
Fiber has additional benefits on your digestive system and boosts your cardiovascular health by lowering bad cholesterol levels in the body.1
Banana peels are also a good source of potassium which has been proven to increase your metabolic rate. This means you burn more calories that give you more energy making you feel active for longer.
Ways To Incorporate Banana Peel In Your Diet
Although it may seem unsettling to imagine eating banana peels out of the blue, you can still give it a try if you are risk-taker when it comes to nutrition. Remember to choose peels from bananas that are organically grown so that you avoid exposure to pesticides. Below are 3 ways to use them in your daily diet.
- Throw ripe yellow peels in a blender after cutting off both ends with your choicest fruits and milk.
- Brew chopped peels in a pot of water for 10 minutes and strain the liquid. Add a little honey and enjoy the tea.
- Unripe, green bananas can be steamed and cooked like potatoes as they are starchy. They are often used in Indian cuisine.
The Alternate Approach
If you still can’t seem to snap out of the idea that banana peel can do so much more than making a person skid and fall, there’s no harm in it.
Banana peels are not the biggest weight-loss weapons out there. It’s important to understand that losing weight is a bodily process that involves fat loss and muscle gain. It takes real effort, planning and dedication to get in shape. A balanced diet is crucial for anyone who is keen on shedding excess pounds.
In addition to that, a regular exercise routine goes hand-in-hand. In the absence of solid scientific evidence, it’s not advised to believe everything that appears online at face value. If eating banana peels in any form grosses you out, you are still not losing your chance at getting a toned body.2
Potassium-Rich Foods To Have Instead
Many feel that banana peels are bitter and just plain gross. In such scenarios, you should meet your daily potassium needs by consuming the foods below.3
- Avocado
- Acorn squash
- Spinach
- Sweet potato
- Wild-caught salmon
- Dried apricots
- Pomegranate
- Coconut water
- White beans
Your diet should be balanced with enough fiber, vitamins, minerals, proteins and healthy fats. Binging on just one food is not going to be a nutritionally balanced choice. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies from cropping up which compromise your well-being. Be practical and follow a healthy lifestyle with clean eating, adequate exercise and rest. Relying on just one ingredient or just your diet to get back in shape is not a wise thing to do especially in the absence of evidence-backed data.4
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