Are you a banana lover? Then you must have tasted many types of bananas up til now. But, have you tasted Dacca Banana, which is red in color—startled, right? You might be thinking banana & red! I never thought that banana could be of any other color except green & yellow, isn’t it? Yes, you hear the same! We are talking about red bananas, which are much sweeter than the yellow ones.
The Banana (yellow banana as we know it) itself is a healthy fruit. But, do you know, that red banana is a healthier option? Its taste is a mixture of conventional banana & sweet raspberry. Curious to know more about this variety of bananas & their health benefits? Follow this write-up:
What Are Red Bananas?
They are a variety of fruits, a banana that is originated with reddish-purple skin is known as a red banana. A Red banana can be either smaller & plumper or larger in size than the well-familiar Cavendish banana. The ripe & raw ones among them comprise cream-colored or light-pink-coloured flesh. Also, they are softer than the regular yellow-coloured Cavendish bananas.
In some of them, you will find a sweeter earthy flavor. The producers of red bananas export them to East Africa, UAE, South America & Asia. Although favorite in India & Central America, these bananas are traded all over the world.
The place of origin of the dacca red banana is mainly South East Asia. The cultivar group of these bananas is the AAA group & their species is Musa acuminata. The taste of these bananas remains best when they are unbruised & a little soft.
The more red the bananas are, the more carotene & vitamin C content they have. And their carotene & vitamin C content is definitely higher than the yellow bananas. Besides, just like yellow bananas, the red banana gets ripe within a few days if kept at room temperature. They must be stored outside your refrigerator.
If the longevity of the two types of bananas is compared, yellow bananas win as they have an extended shelf life than red ones. Also, the price of yellow bananas is nearly fifty percent less than that of red bananas because of the more demand & less supply of red bananas in the market.
But, the immense health benefit of the Dacca red banana cannot be underestimated. Come, let’s know about its nutrition facts & health benefits in detail:
Nutrition Facts Of Bananas (Normal) & That Of Red Bananas:
A 118-gram yellow Cavendish banana or a medium-sized normal yellow banana comprises 105 calories. Also, it has 27 grams of carbs, 1.3 grams of protein & 0.4 grams of fat. Moreover, 1.2 milligrams of sodium, 3.1 grams of fiber & 14.4 grams of sugar are also present in it. Besides, these bananas also possess 422 milligrams of potassium, 10.3 milligrams of Vitamin C & 31.9 milligrams of magnesium.
Compared to it, a nearly 100-gram Dacca banana or a medium-sized red banana comprises 90 calories. Also, it has 21 grams of carbs, 1.3 grams of protein & 0.3 grams of fat. Moreover, 3 grams of fiber, 22 milligrams of potassium & 8.7 milligrams of Vitamin C are also present in it. Besides, these bananas also possess 27 milligrams of magnesium, 22 milligrams of phosphorus & 5 milligrams of calcium.
Furthermore, these bananas are also enriched with 0.26 milligrams of iron, 0.3 mcg of Vitamin B6 & 0.031 mcg of Vitamin B1. And, not to miss, the benefits of 0.073 mcg of Vitamin B2, 20 mcg of folate & 9.8 milligrams of Choline will also be found in red bananas.
11 Red Banana Benefits
People eating a red banana will get many health benefits from it. Its health benefits include:
1. Helps In Weight Loss:
Red banana is a nice source of fiber (dietary) & other vital nutrients that will act as a healthy expansion to a weight-conscious person’s diet regimen. Besides, this food’s relatively low fat or calories will keep you full for a long time. It will prevent your extra consumption of food (splurge eating) & will inhibit your hunger pangs.
Also, the dietary fiber✓
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present in this banana will improve your gut bacteria & reduce any inflammation, curtailing your risk of obesity or other health-related issues such as diabetes, heart ailment, etc.
2. Regulates Your Blood Pressure:
Do you know which mineral in our body is important for controlling your blood pressure✓
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& maintaining your heart health? It’s none other than potassium! Potassium & magnesium found in red bananas work together to improve your body’s blood flow & thus help lessen your blood pressure. In this way, they lower the chance of cardiovascular disease✓
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in your body.
3. Prevents Various Eye Problems:
Red banana being filled with carotenoid pigments such as Lutein and beta carotenoids supports good vision & helps in preventing various eye-related ailments like age-related macular degeneration & night blindness. Also, they improve the health & vision of your eye. It is these carotenoid pigments that give the bananas their red color.
4. Benefits Your Immune System:
The vitamins like Vitamin B6 and vitamin C present in these bananas build a powerful immune system in your body. Vitamin B6 increases the production of your body’s white blood cells. Also, it enhances the immune antibody generation in your body. These white blood cells or immune antibodies, in turn, combat the pathogens entering your body when necessary.
5. Helps In The Upliftment Of Your Mood:
The Vitamin B6 present in the red banana is helpful for your body physically and emotionally. It assists your body to transform tryptophan into serotonin. Serotonin is a feel-good hormone that helps in improving your mental health. It fights with your mental difficulties like depression, anxiety, etc.
6. Good For Fertility:
Also popularly famous as a potent & powerful aphrodisiac food, red banana is good in balancing women’s reproductive hormone levels. Also, the Vitamin C & beta-carotene present in them provides benefits by promoting fertility, as well as libido. Besides, the zinc content in these bananas regulates the testosterone levels in men & rectifies men’s energy levels as well as their prostate health.
7. Improves The Health Of Your Skin & Hair:
Being a bootstrapper of antioxidants such as beta carotenoids, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, etc., red-colored bananas hinder premature aging. Also, your wrinkles or fine lines will fade away gradually by eating them. The collagen production stimulated by vitamin C will discourage your skin from sagging & your skin will become toned, plumped, firmer & youthful.
Not only that, eating Dacca bananas will strengthen & condition your hair & maintain its elasticity. Also, your hair breakage will not happen anymore & you will be relieved from various issues like dandruff, dry hair, hair fall, etc.
8. Heightens Your Energy Levels:
The fructose, glucose, or sucrose present in red Dacca bananas are a source of great energy for your body. Also, they are a good way to kick-start one’s metabolism.
9. Reduces Your High Blood Sugar Levels:
Red bananas, having a low GI (10) & a good amount of dietary fiber✓
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, are very much helpful in managing your diabetes. This is done by impeding alpha-amylase enzyme’s & glucosides enzyme’s activities as these enzymes are helpful in glucose synthesis in your body. Besides, because of red bananas’ easily digestible nature & abundant fiber content, they are a very healthy, nutritious & perfect eating option for diabetic patients.
10. Boosts Your Digestion:
Being laden with prebiotics such as Fructooligosaccharides & insulin, red banana augments the digestive system of a human being. It reduces bloating & constipation. Also, it enhances the gut microbiome. Moreover, the high quantity of fiber present in Dacca bananas regularises your bowel movement, reduces inflammation, & facilitates the development of good bacteria.
11. Stores A Lot Of Antioxidants:
Several powerful antioxidants are present in Dacca bananas, even more than the yellow Cavendish bananas. These antioxidants reduce the chance of developing various types of chronic ailments like heart disease✓
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, diabetes, cancer, etc. The main antioxidants that red-coloured Dacca bananas comprise are
- Carotenoids
- Dopamine
- Vitamin C
- Anthocyanins
Red Bananas Taste
Red bananas are much sweeter than the yellow bananas of the Cavendish varieties. Their taste is a mixture between conventional banana & sweet raspberry.
How To Eat Red Bananas?
Eat red bananas just like you eat the yellow ones. Peel the bananas & eat them. People often eat these bananas raw, whole & in chopped form. Sometimes the Dacca bananas are put into various desserts or fruit salads. But, you can also eat Dacca red bananas in baked, fried, or toasted form, according to your choice.
Red Bananas Recipe
Red bananas can be used to make various kinds of recipes. Some of them are:
- Red banana with elaichi (cardamom)
- Red banana smoothie
- The Red banana pancakes
- Bananas in red stuff
- Red banana pineapple bread
- Red velvet banana bread
- The Red banana Thai curry
- Red banana chips
When Are Red Bananas Ripe?
When the bottom of the Dacca red bananas starts turning yellow, you can be sure that it’s time to eat them as they are ripe now.
Where To Buy Red Bananas?
Red banana is sold both in the offline marketplace & in online shops. Some of the famous online shops that sell these bananas are Flipkart, Bigbasket, Amazon, Indiamart, Freshtohome.com, Instacart.com, Digisfresh, etc. Besides, you will also get these bananas in various supermarkets or other offline shots.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Q.1. What do red bananas taste like?
Answer: Red bananas taste sweeter than the yellow varieties of this fruit. Their taste is a combination of the taste of conventional banana & sweet raspberry.
Answer: Red bananas taste sweeter than the yellow varieties of this fruit. Their taste is a combination of the taste of conventional banana & sweet raspberry.
Q.2. When should you eat red bananas?
Answer: You can eat red bananas when you see that the red banana peels have become darker & brown spots have developed all over those peels. These signs indicate that the bananas have become ripe now & are suitable for consumption. Besides, it would be best if you ate these bananas in the afternoon. It’s the best time to eat them.
Answer: You can eat red bananas when you see that the red banana peels have become darker & brown spots have developed all over those peels. These signs indicate that the bananas have become ripe now & are suitable for consumption. Besides, it would be best if you ate these bananas in the afternoon. It’s the best time to eat them.
Q.3. Are red bananas genetically modified?
Answer: No, they are not genetically modified. These bananas don’t need any genetic modification. They are naturally enriched with Vitamin A & you will get an aroma of strawberries from them.
Answer: No, they are not genetically modified. These bananas don’t need any genetic modification. They are naturally enriched with Vitamin A & you will get an aroma of strawberries from them.
Q.4. What is a red banana called?
Answer: Red bananas are also called Red Dacca bananas, Red Cavendish bananas, Cuban red bananas, Claret bananas & Jamaican bananas.
Answer: Red bananas are also called Red Dacca bananas, Red Cavendish bananas, Cuban red bananas, Claret bananas & Jamaican bananas.
