Coastin Carl
🍌 National BANANA Day ORIGIN & HISTORY
On the third Wednesday of April in 2017, the Irish banana distributor Fyffes uses this day to promote healthy eating. Particularly the convenient, nutrient-dense, and more popular fruit … bananas. Fyffes is a fresh fruit & produce importer that’s recognized by Chiquita and Dole. Bananas are really good for you. They’re so versatile in recipes and quite enjoyable on their own. Parents and children can get health benefits from eating bananas. So this day is used to promote eating bananas wellness. National BANANA Day is celebrated on the 3rd Wednesday in April.
Bananas are GOOD for you
A banana has lots of micronutrients, antioxidants, and fiber. Bananas support heart health by keeping healthy blood pressure. Banana is useful for gout, as an anti-inflammatory against osteo/rheumatoid arthritis, and great for athletes and people engaging in exercise. Don’t forget promoting healing and reducing muscle soreness.
They’re also good for replenishing electrolytes lost through perspiration. They make a good post-workout food as long as you couple it with some protein. Also, they’re good for indigestion and heartburn as a natural antacid or other digestive issues. The green ones contain a resistance fiber that gets broken down in the large intestine. This works as a prebiotic for helping friendly gut flora thrive.
Overall green bananas are better for you because they’re lower in sugar and this helps with the insulin response. They hold good fiber which also helps stabilize blood sugar which gives more satiety at meals and that “full” feeling faster. Bananas therefore can help with weight loss because they help reduce binge eating since you get fuller faster at meals and stay full longer.
Bananas are also a good source of tryptophan which helps your brain make serotonin. Tryptophan is an amino that helps you sleep. Those seven or eight hours of sleep are crucial for your body and the lack of it leads to weight gain. It also counteracts the effects of stress on the body. Bananas that have ripened make for delicious meals like banana ice cream. Eat this as an after-dinner treat and you might have “banana” dreams just like a minion from the movie Despicable Me.
Don’t go BANANAS
Diabetics and people in general, shouldn’t eat too many bananas; they’re still high in sugar so just keep it to one or two per day. It’s the calcium, magnesium, and potassium minerals they contain which are electrolytes that work to regulate the heart and blood pressure. They also have manganese and vitamins C, D, and B6.
Rich in HISTORY as they are potassium
Bananas have a rich and long history. They grow in tropical regions and folks in these areas eat lots of bananas. It’s hot so people lose electrolytes through sweat and a banana will help. Bananas are eaten worldwide with over 1000 varieties of the fruit. In the United States though, the Cavendish is the most popular type of banana.
The basic history of bananas is said to have originated in Southeast Asia. Early writings have been located from Latin, Europe, and Arab countries also eating bananas. After the discovery of the New World, bananas were introduced to Hispaniola and other Isles from the Canary Islands by missionaries. Later on, bananas were grown on the mainland. In the 19th century, bananas started making their way into grocery stores. Bananas have been enjoyed by people worldwide ever since.
On National BANANA Day, college and university students think up all kinds of ways to appreciate bananas. From different recipe ideas and eating them to using them for multi-purpose uses like banana punch or banana ice cream. These wise owl students understand and appreciate all things that are bananas. They practically go bananas and love them as much as monkeys do – even dressing up in banana costume suits. National BANANA Day can create quite a stir on campuses.
🍌 HOW to Celebrate & Observe National BANANA Day?
Not sure how to LOVE the day? We’ve got a few interesting ideas to consider that may help get you started.
Here are some activities that you can do on National BANANA Day!
💙 Give the growers THANKS
Many people love and appreciate bananas. Learn about bananas as a crop and the farmers and workers that work hard to grow and bring them to you. In fact, grow some yourself like my Uncle Datu below.
💙 ‘NANA puddin’ anyone?
Make up a batch of healthy and delicious banana recipes.
💙 Stay IN
Instead of heading off to a restaurant you’ve never tried for an iconic banana flambe dessert, try making banana flambe at home.
💙 Go OUT
Or … you could also head to Bahama Breeze for the delicious dessert: Bananas Supreme with Butterscotch Sauce.
💙 Pour a DRINK
You could get some delicious banana rum and make up a batch of banana-flavored drinks like banana daiquiris or a virgin banana colada
💙 Get down & BOOGIE
Here are some classic banana-themed songs.
- Harry Belafonte’s Banana Boat song is a great one
- Yes We Have No Bananas by Eddie Cantor
- I Like Bananas (because they have no bones) from The Hoosier Hot Shot
- Banana Phone by Raffi
- 30,000 Pounds of Bananas by Harry Chapin
- Patti Clayton’s Chiquita Banana
💙 RAISE Social Awareness
Use social media posts with the hashtags #NationalBananaDay, #BananaDay, #Banana, #Minions, #FoodHolidays, #AprilHolidays, #Holiday, #FindADayToLOVE, #iHEARTdays to support the importance of celebrating, promoting, and sharing with the world why you ❤️ National BANANA Day.
LEARN more about the benefits of BANANAS
BANANA FACTS FOR KIDS
A MILLION USES FOR BANANAS!
TEN Fun Facts you never knew about National BANANA Day
- Bananas don’t just grow on a “tree” but on an herb. These giant herb stems are made of wood, unlike the bananas which are fibrous. Their “trunks” are formed from layers of banana leaves that wrap around themselves. Bunches of bananas grow upside down in stalks.
- Bananas are a natural antacid, help produce serotonin, and are high in vitamin B and iron which stimulates hemoglobin.
- Bananas aren’t really a fruit … they’re berries. Strictly botanically speaking, a berry has seeds inside its flesh and not outside.
- Bananas are radioactive! They contain tiny amounts of the isotope known as potassium-40. To be harmful you’d have to eat 700 bananas a day for 80 years. That’s a lot of bananas.
- Bananas are a great source of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease.
- You can’t take banana seeds and grow them; their seeds are sterile. Bananas are grown by cutting off rhizomes that grow at the base of another banana plant. Kind of like cloning.
- Portuguese explorers found bananas growing as a staple food along the west coast of Africa in the area now known as Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. They brought them back to Europe. Strangely enough, it was French writer Jules Verne who was so elated over the new fruit that he put it in his new book “Around the World in Eighty Days”, thus widely introducing it to Europe.
- The scientific name for the banana plant is Musa sapientum, which means “fruit of the wise men”.
- There are over 1,000 different varieties of bananas, but the most common type is the Cavendish.
- The inside of a banana peel can be used to polish silverware or shoes; it can also be used to soothe insect bites and reduce itching.
Famous PEOPLE also born on April 20th
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Adolf Hitler
Austrian military leader and politician who quickly became the head of Germany’s Nazi Party and invaded Poland starting World War II. Best known for being one of the worst dictators in human history, responsible for 60-85 million deaths during WWII. Hitler moved from Austria to Germany avoiding the Austrian draft. However, he quickly volunteered for the German army in WWI. One year before the Second World War, Time Magazine awarded Adolf Hitler their “Man of the Year” award. Born 1889.
ADOLF HITLER Multiple Quotes
“Words build bridges into unexplored regions. How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don’t think. If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future. I use emotion for the many and reserve reason for the few. The victor will never be asked if he told the truth. It is not truth that matters, but victory.”
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Luther Vandross
American soul singer-songwriter best known for his songs “Endless Love” and “Dance With My Father”. A lesser-known fact is that he vocally arranged David Bowie’s ninth studio album “Young Americans”. Born 1951.
LUTHER VANDROSS Quote
“Superman can fly high way up in the sky ’cause we believe he can. So what we choose to believe can always work out fine…It’s all in the mind.”
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Andy Serkis
English actor and director best known for his portrayal of the LOTR literary character Gollum and was solely responsible for the motion capture and performance industry we have today. Born 1964.
ANDY SERKIS Quote
“Be magnificent. Life’s short. Get out there. You can do it. Everyone can do it. Everyone.”
Future DATES for National BANANA Day
| Year | Date | Day of the Week |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | April 19 | Third Wednesday |
| 2024 | April 17 | Third Wednesday |
| 2025 | April 16 | Third Wednesday |
| 2026 | April 15 | Third Wednesday |
| 2027 | April 21 | Third Wednesday |
🍌 Bananas FAQ
Why should we not eat bananas at NIGHT?
- Eating bananas at night can lead to stomach issues. As an ayurvedic rule, bananas can lead to mucus production, and eating this fruit at night might choke you. Aside from this, a banana is a heavy fruit and our stomach takes a lot of time to digest it. This is mostly due to our metabolism slowing at night.
What are some of the BENEFITS of eating bananas?
- Bananas contain fiber, potassium, folate, and antioxidants like vitamin C. All of these support heart health, and people who follow a high fiber diet have a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases.
What are some DISADVANTAGES of bananas?
- Bananas are sugary. If you eat too many and don’t properly maintain your teeth, this can lead to dental decay. They don’t contain enough fat or protein to be an effective post-workout treat. Although rare, bananas can have side effects in certain people like bloating, cramping, gas, softer stools, nausea, and vomiting. Some people are even allergic to bananas.
Why we L💜VE National BANANA Day
You don’t have to be a little yellow minion to love bananas! Just saying the word makes me smile. 🍌 They’re delicious and good for you. Because so many people love them, it’s the most popular fruit purchased. Colleges are really big into showing banana appreciation. I guess when it comes to bananas we’d be just another group of students on campus getting in on the fun during National BANANA Day festivities.
If you don’t have bananas at home, stop by the store and get a bunch, either just to eat or to make some yummy foodie ideas featuring bananas. Not really into eating bananas? Try some multi-purpose banana DIY creations or plant some for decorative reasons like my Uncle Datu. See how you can love bananas for other reasons besides simply eating them.
