I grew up having the knowledge of the word “banana” with different connotations other than the true meaning of the word itself. The word
“banana” has also been a subject or part of jokes I’ve heard, like “You have to
eat a lot of bananas to prevent balding.” If someone asks why, “Have you seen
any bald monkeys around?” Or, “You have to eat bananas to cure acne or
pimples.” Again if asks why, “Monkeys does not have acne or pimples.”
In the Philippines, Bananas and a lot of fruit grows in abundance, which made my childhood and
growing up years very pleasant. I rarely remember our dining table without a
fruit and banana is often if not always on our table to serve as dessert. Aside
from being affordable and it’s sweet taste Bananas are a good natural source of
Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C, Potassium, Dietary Fiber and Manganese.
A year ago I rushed my precious mother to a hospital because
of her Hypertension. Her daily intake of her medications and maintenance
medicine did little to control her blood pressure. This lead me to research
around the internet for a natural or alternative solution to her problem, and
my research lead me to the Miracle Fruit called Banana.
Bananas are one of the best natural source of Potassium, which
is a very essential mineral in maintaining blood pressure and heart function. A banana
a day may help prevent high blood pressure and protect us from Atherosclerosis and eating high fiber food helps prevent heart disease.
The potassium found in bananas may also help promote bone health, which made it
the most viable solution to my mother’s case who also suffers from
Osteoarthritis. The potassium may also help counteract the increased urinary
calcium loss caused by my mother’s high-salt diet during her younger years.
Moreover, this wonder fruit has
been long recognized for its antacid effect that protects against ulcers and
ulcer damage this is due to the compounds found in banana called protease
inhibitors help eliminate bacteria which is the primary cause of stomach
ulcers.
The soluble fiber in the banana
called hydrocolloid helps normalize
movement through the digestive tract and ease constipation. And recently, I
read that some banana variety are also rich in provitamin A carotenoids, which studies have shown to protect against
chronic disease, including certain type of cancers, cardiovascular disease and
diabetes.
As I pointed out earlier the
Philippines is gifted with an abundance of fruits and thankfully this Wonder
Fruit called Banana. We have five (6) varieties-that I am aware of:
Lakatan or Lacatan-it is
charecterized by its sweet taste and firm texture when ripe. It is more
expensive than the other bananas, most specially the ones that was cultivated
in Davao or what we fondly called Saging na Davao.
Latundan or the Apple Bananas-often
referred to as Apple Bananas or silk bananas, or manzana bananas. It is smaller
than the Lacatan and the flesh is whiter compared to the yellow flesh of
Lacatan.
Señorita-it
is a very small but stout variety of banana, it has thin skin that clings
tightly to the flesh of the fruit. However, this is incredibly sweet and creamy
than all the bananas I tasted but because I find it hard to peel the skin I
prefer eating other varieties.
Gloria-this is the newest variety
of bananas I am aware of. It has red skin and it’s as big as the Lakatan but it
is stout. It has white flesh that feels like Lakatan and tastes sweet like Latundan. This variety according to the
Vendor I bought it from, told me that it was a variety named after our former
President Gloria Arroyo and it is believed to prevent heart ailments.
Butuan-taken from the word “Buto”
meaning seeds. It is a large banana with plenty of large seeds the size of mongo beans, that
if eaten you will have to spit the seeds. I have only eaten this variety twice
in my life because this is rarely sold in the market, the ones I have tasted
came from friends who got them from their own plantations. It is sweeter than
the Latundan and I like it even more than the Lakatan despite of its seeds,
unfortunately they don’t sell this kind at the market.
Saba-this is the cooking banana. I
buy this kind for “Matamis na Saging” wherein you make a syrup out of sugar and
water and cook the banana in, after cooling you can top the banana and syrup
with shaved ice and milk and you will have a “Saging con Hielo” which a a famous
Filipino dessert. I sometimes boil beef and add Saba and Sweet Potatoes to it
for a tastier, sweeter taste, this is truly a Filipino “Nilagang Baka.” This
variety is also the ones made into Banana Chips and Banana cake.
My primary aim in writing this blog
is to give thanks to this Wonder Fruit that worked miracles in my mother. Now
her blood pressure is manageable and she is getting stronger because of this
Wonder Fruit. So move over Apple! Because A Banana a day keeps the hospital at bay!
