December: Bananas

Why Eat Bananas?One medium banana provides many vitamins and minerals such as fiber, potassium and vitamins C & B6.

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium. Eating potassium-rich foods like bananas can help you quickly replace electrolytes lost during a workout. Potassium also helps regulate blood pressure.

Bananas naturally produce prebiotics, non- digestible nutrients that can help promote a healthy digestive system.

Did You Know?Bananas are a member of the Musaceae family. There are many different varieties of banana, including the Cavendish, America’s favorite banana. Plantains are another variety of banana used for cooking. Many places use the leaves of the banana plant for cooking as well, using the leaves as a wrap for steaming foods. Though bananas have been around for thousands of years, bananas were first introduced to America by Portuguese sailors in the 1500s.

Name: BananasPlant Family: MusaceaeScientific Name: M. acuminata

69 0g 1mg 19g

Girls: 1½ cups / Boys: 1½ cups - 2 cupswww.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits.html

How Many Servings of FruitDo I Need Every Day?

Serv

ing

Size

: 1 M

edium Banana

Fun Facts About BananasThe average American eats 27 pounds of bananas every year.

Bananas don’t actually grow on trees. They’re a giant herb.

The word “banana” comes from the word “banan” meaning “finger”.

Fresh FitnessTeens need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Keep exercise fun by picking the activities you enjoy or try something new. Your workout should include aerobic exercise and muscle strengthening exercises. You should also include a warm up before each workout and a cool down with stretching right after.

Fitness Focus: Exercise LogAn exercise log helps you to keep track of your daily physical activities. Tracking your fitness patterns can help you meet your fitness needs, and keep your motivated to meet your goals.

What to include:• Track sets and reps for strength training. Establish weekly goals and work toward meeting those goals.

• Record daily aerobic activities and the amount of time spent doing each activity. Record stretches as well.

• Use your journal for personal reflection and goal setting.

Keep track of your progress in an old notebook or a journal, or download a free exercise log from kidshealth.org/teen.

Consider tracking your meals and snacks to help you ensure you are getting enough nutrients and to add more fruits and veggies to your diet.

How Do Bananas Grow?Bananas are grown in humid tropical regions. The plant needs 10 – 15 months of frost-free conditions to produce a flower stalk. Bananas grow best in full sun though bright sunlight can scorch the fruit and leaves. Temperatures over 80°F can slow down or even stop plant growth. In most growing areas, bananas require wind protection for best appearance, high yields and to prevent the plant from being blown over. Bananas can grow in most soil, but do best in rich, well-drained soil. Banana leaves require a lot of water, but the plant should not be over watered. A thick layer of mulch helps conserve moisture in the soil and protects shallow roots. Bananas usually form stalks in late summer and then winter over. The stalks will then start to “plump up” in March and ripen in April. Fruit is harvested when it is plump, but still green, and will continue to ripen after harvest.

leaf blade

leaf stalk

stem (”corm”)

false stem

sucker

young leaf

Sourceswww.crfg.org/pubs/ff/banana.html; www.chiquitabananas.com; www.kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness; www.mayoclin-ic.com/health/prebiotics; www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/banana-nutrition-selection-storage ELIOR NORTH AMERICA