When You Eat A Banana Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body

Eating a banana every day could improve your overall health, according to some experts.

Of course, everyone has heard the old adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." However, a banana a day just might do the same. After all, this tasty treat and healthy, plant based breakfast item is chock-full of all kinds of things that your body needs. Whether you eat it on the go, use it to make your cereal more filling, or blend it up into a smoothie — there are plenty of easy ways to sub this healthy food into your diet. And, according to nutritionists, dietitians, and personal trainers who spoke to The List, the tasty fruit has been known to positively serve banana lovers in their quests to be healthy in both body and mind. Plus, in addition to being delicious and nutritious, bananas are so cheap — which is all the more reason to make them a staple in your kitchen.

If you're curious about the specific health benefits of this yummy, yellow fruit, keep reading. You'll likely be surprised to discover exactly what happens to your body when you eat a banana every day.

While eating a banana every day comes with many benefits, registered dietitian Amanda A. Kostro Miller told The List that one of these said benefits stands apart from the rest. 

"You'll get a [daily] boost of potassium," Kostro Miller told The List. She continued, explaining, "Potassium is a nutrient that we get in the foods we eat. Our bodies use potassium for fluid regulation, blood pressure, nerve signaling, and heart rhythm." That's a lot of work for one little mineral!

However, not everyone should eat bananas every day with wild abandon. In fact, Kostro Miller advises to consult your healthcare professional if you have specific kinds of conditions. "If you have chronic kidney disease and have been told by your renal dietitian to cut back on potassium, you may want to stay away from eating a banana daily," she cautioned.

Could eating a banana every day make your daily workout less of a chore? Experts seem to think so.

Maintaining a diet rich in vegetables and fruit is important if you want to stay happy and healthy, according to the CDC. And if that balanced diet includes eating a tasty banana every day, certified personal trainer Nancy Feinstein says you'll almost certainly feel less fatigued. "You will have more energy because bananas have three natural sugars — sucrose, fructose and glucose — giving you a source of energy free from fat and cholesterol," Feinstein told The List. 

Some folks might be tempted to avoid eating bananas because they have more sugar and carbohydrates than other fruits, but it's important to remember that carbohydrate isn't a bad word. "It's easy to forget that your body actually needs carbs to fuel your body," registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo penned in an article in MSN. She continued, writing, "And unlike processed sweet treats, a banana's naturally occurring sugars are accompanied by many vitamins and minerals." So, the next time you're feeling sluggish and unmotivated before working out, reach for the nearest banana!

Eating a banana every day could serve as a stand-in for your typical post-workout sports drink. 

Just as eating a healthy diet is important if you want to thrive and stave off disease, so too is getting regular exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic. Fortunately, if you eat a banana after your workout every day, you'll naturally aid in your recovery. "Skip the sports drink," registered dietitian Rachel Berman shared with The List. She continued, explaining, "The potassium content of bananas can help prevent muscle cramps if you've lost water through sweat." The registered dietician added that bananas have ample electrolytes and natural carbs to replenish your workout-weary muscles.

Eating a banana is also an excellent way to prepare your body before working out, says registered dietitian Jill Trotman. "Bananas are an easily digested source of carbohydrates, which fuel exercise," she revealed to The List. Trotman continued, explaining, "They also contain the electrolyte, potassium, which plays an essential role in muscle function and fluid balance." So whether it's before or after you go for a jog, having a banana is a good bet for optimal performance.

Eating a banana every day just might be the weight loss trick you've been searching for! 

Approximately half of all Americans are trying to lose weight at any given time, according to the CDC. Additionally, women are more likely to be looking for weight loss tips and tricks, as a whopping 56.4 percent of women are working to shave off pounds. Of course, everyone knows the tried and true weight loss hacks, such as exercising more, eating less, and adding more vegetables and fruits to your diet. However, adding a banana to your daily diet could prove to be a healthy way to lose weight without signing up for the latest diet fad. 

Certified personal trainer Nancy Feinstein told The List, "You will lose weight because foods high in fiber make you feel full longer, which means you'll consume a smaller number of calories." She continued, explaining, "When you consume fewer calories it favors your weight loss." In other words, opting for a banana instead of a snack full of processed sugars and unhealthy fats is definitely a wise move.

Try eating a banana every day if you're looking for a natural way to decrease your risk of cardiovascular illness.

According to the World Health Organization, the number one cause of death in the entire world is heart disease by an incredibly staggering margin. Fortunately, however, bananas have been known to have healing powers that can seriously lower your risk of suffering a cardiovascular event. As certified nutritionist Shelley Gawith told The List, the potassium found in bananas will lower your risk of heart disease. "People who eat potassium have up to 27 percent lower risk of heart disease," the nutritionist revealed. That's a comforting statistic!

Specifically, the potassium that's contained in a banana is linked to the efficacy of your arteries, according to a 2017 study from the University of Alabama. That's because it helps prevent hardening of the arteries — something you definitely don't want to happen. It's much better for your blood vessels to remain flexible and spry so they can continue to do the very important job of transporting your blood all throughout your body.

If bananas are part of your daily meal plan, then you have a leg up on maintaining a healthy blood pressure, as noted by registered dietitian Rachel Berman.

"Eating a banana a day can help you keep your blood pressure in check," Berman shared with The List. She continued, explaining, "One medium banana gives you a healthy dose of potassium: 422 milligrams or about 10 percent of the recommended daily value." Once again, potassium is a serious powerhouse mineral — and totally vital for optimal body function. Specifically, potassium is a warrior for your blood pressure, as it helps to keep your systems in balance. As Berman told The List, "The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you excrete." The registered dietician continued, explaining, "So, getting enough in your diet is important for blood pressure control." 

According to Heart.org, The safest blood pressure measure is considered to be 120/80 or less, whereas high blood pressure starts at 140/90. While those might seem like intimidating numbers, eating just one banana every day could make all the difference at your next check-up. 

Try reaching for a banana every day if you're worried about your insulin levels and looking for a snack to replace the sweet treats that you crave.

Registered dietitian Trista Best told The List that trading in candy for bananas will serve to improve your body's insulin sensitivity. "Bananas are an excellent source of resistant starch, which has a positive impact on insulin resistance," Best explained. 

The benefits of bananas don't end there, either. After all, the yummy, yellow fruit is rich in fiber, which can to help lower your blood sugar levels — according to Medical News Today. Additionally, eating a banana every day as part of a high-fiber diet can decrease your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. However, if you're already diabetic, talk to your doctor or dietitian before adding bananas to your day-to-day diet. There may be other underlying health factors that you'll need to consider before making bananas a daily diet staple. 

Eat a banana every day, and soon you'll find your tummy thanking you.

It's not exactly polite conversation at the dinner table, ironically, but the importance of having a healthy digestive process can't be overstated. This complicated yet remarkable system is absolutely vital for our well-being, as it keeps us sustained, as noted by Medical News Today. One good way to ensure that everything keeps rolling smoothly from your mouth onward is by eating specific foods, such as — you guessed it — bananas. "Eating a banana a day can help keep your digestion on track," registered dietitian Rachel Berman told The List. She continued, explaining, "Bananas contain prebiotics — fibers that help good bacteria, also known as probiotics, grow in your gut and help you better digest food." 

If you prefer a savory preparation of your bananas, such as tostones or mofongo, you'll get an especially good digestive benefit from your banana consumption. "Bananas are a particularly good source of prebiotics when unripe, or slightly green," Berman continued. She added, "They're also rich in resistant starch which helps keep you fuller, longer."

Grab a banana every day if you're looking to get more fiber in your diet

By now, you've probably heard from your mom, your doctor, and numerous commercials that fiber is a super important part of a balanced diet. Not only is fiber good for the healthy bacteria that live in your gut, but it also protects the wall of your colon, as noted by Healthline. Registered dietitian Amanda A. Kostro Miller recommends eating fiber-rich bananas on a regular basis to keep you ... well, regular. "Bananas, like many other fruits and vegetables, contain fiber to help keep you regular," she revealed to The List. Kostro Miller continued, advising, "Try to get at least three servings of fruit per day." 

Considering that women should consume 25 grams of fiber every day (via Web MD), eating a banana every day can help you reach your fiber goals. After all, one seven-inch banana has a whopping three grams of fiber. Additionally, eating a fiber-rich diet may also ward of colorectal cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the world. All the more reason to throw a banana in your smoothie!

Eating bananas every day is a great way to blast harmful free radicals, according to experts. 

An important part of a healthy diet includes antioxidants, which are found in a wide variety of foods — including everyone's favorite yellow fruit, too. Nutritionist Laura Flores explained to Live Science, "Bananas are high in antioxidants, which can provide protection from free radicals, which we come into contact with every day, from the sunlight to the lotion you put on your skin." Particularly, bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, and manganese.

But, why is it so important to protect ourselves from free radicals? According to registered dietitian Megan Ware, it's because they can cause oxidative stress in our bodies. "This can harm cells and body function," Ware penned in an article in Medical News Today. She continued, explaining, "Oxidative stress has been linked to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, stroke, respiratory diseases, immune deficiency, emphysema, Parkinson's disease, and other inflammatory or ischemic conditions." Yikes! Talk about a lot of stuff we definitely don't want. Please pass the bananas!

Eating a banana every day is a great way to ensure the health of your kidneys, according to experts.

As registered dietician Natalie Rizzo noted in an article for MSN, a study consisting of 61,000 Swedish women found that people who eat "roughly 3 servings" of fruit and veggies every day had the lowest risk of developing renal cell carcinoma. "When researchers looked at fruits specifically, bananas seemed to have the most pronounced effect due to their high concentration of phenolics, compounds with antioxidant effects," Rizzo explained.

While folks with chronic kidney disease need to be careful about how much potassium they consume — according to registered dietitian Amanda A. Kostro Miller – eating a banana every day could help keep painful kidney stones at bay. As noted by Rizzo, one study found that women who consumed 4,099 milligrams or more of potassium every day were much less likely to develop kidney stones. According to Rizzo, the mineral found in bananas helps the body get rid of excess calcium — which, as the registered dietician explained, is "a building block of the most common type of kidney stone." 

A banana a day could keep your eyesight from going away, according to experts.

When you think of foods to eat that can both protect and enhance your vision, the first veggie to pops to mind is likely the carrot, as the orange root vegetable known for having lots of vitamin A. But bananas deserve some credit, too, as they contain a small amount of the eyesight-benefiting vitamin A. 

Vitamin A helps to improve your night vision, maintains your day vision, and is super important in keeping your eyes protected, according to Live Science. Additionally, the vitamin has elements that work to protect the membrane that covers your eyeballs, and helps to facilitate the amount of light that can enter your cornea. Furthermore, eating a banana every day can help prevent macular degeneration, according to The Sunday Post. Macular degeneration causes extreme blurriness in the center of your vision and currently has no cure; however, bananas might serve as a solid protective measure against the condition.

Eating a banana every day could make all the difference in your overall mood and even help you sleep, surprisingly enough.

If you're feeling a bit blue due to events out of your control, try treating yourself to the tasty, yellow fruit. Certified personal trainer Nancy Feinstein told The List, "Your mood will improve [when you eat bananas], and you will sleep better." She continued, explaining, "Bananas help produce serotonin, a hormone that affects our sleep cycle and moods." As noted by How Stuff Works, bananas contain tryptophan, which the body can convert into the mood-boosting brain neurotransmitter.

Even the physical appearance of a banana has the power to brighten up your day. As Feinstein notes, the shape of the fruit looks like a smile when turned sideways, which is sure to bring a little bit of momentary joy to anyone's day. That said, bananas should definitely not be substituted for anti-depressants. However, if you find yourself feeling down and in need of a quick mood-lifter, it can't hurt to chow down on your favorite yellow fruit.

Eating bananas daily can help your body recover after a workout, ensure your overall heart health, and even aid in healthy weight loss. Moreover, bananas are a healthy and flavorful food that you can eat without guilt or worry. A versatile fruit, bananas can be eaten on top of cereal, baked into banana bread, blended into a smoothie, or peeled and eaten just as they are.

As healthy as bananas may generally be, there's a surprising group of people who should probably avoid them, says registered dietitian Jill Trotman. "If you are allergic to ragweed, you may notice similar allergic symptoms when you eat bananas," she explained to The List. Trotman continued, "This may be due to pollen-food allergy syndrome." Trotman added that the proteins found in bananas are similar to those found in ragweed pollen, which can trigger your immune system.

Unfortunately, while bananas are definitely tastier than ragweed, they may be just as harmful to people with this specific allergy. So, if you always feel sick after eating banana-based foods, it could be a sign you have a food allergy.