September 21st is celebrated around the world as Banana Festival Day. "And there’s much to celebrate about this simple tropical fruit we all know and love," says One Banana in a press release. Bananas are one of the most widely consumed fruits in the world.
Health benefits of bananas
Bananas have many health benefits – as a snack in a school lunch it can provide vitamins and minerals for growing children and prevent malnutrition. A recent study was conducted in the schools of Guatemala where One Banana has their Nutritious School Snacks Program: One Banana a Day Makes a Difference. The program aims to help improve the nutrition and food security of children as part of an in-school education program. The program consists of the donation of bananas to schools near our plantations, in the departments of Escuintla, Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu and San Marcos, in Guatemala, as a nutritional supplement to their school snack. This added nutrition has made a difference in the children, as 99 percent of the children were in the normal growth range for their age after participating in the program.
Bananas also have other health benefits – they can reduce blood pressure and a study conducted by the Imperial College of London found that children who ate just one banana per day had a 34% less chance of developing asthma. The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas all support heart health. Bananas also contain tryptophan, an amino acid that studies suggest plays a role in preserving memory, which may explain why the kids’ school performance improved while eating a banana a day.
For more information:
ONE BANANA
Tel: 844-663-2262