Containing vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, bananas are a convenient way to begin a healthy life. By consuming bananas, which are great sources of potassium, the chances of having high blood pressure and stroke are diminished. In regards to vitamins, bananas supply about 20% of vitamin B6 needed daily by the human body to support the immune system. Our yellow friends also include complex carbohydrates that are a very nutritious part of a healthy diet—especially when one is trying to lose some weight.
I hope that these healthy facts about bananas will make you want to go to the grocery store right now and get a few bananas to start living a much more healthy life. But wait… there are a few things that you should know before going to the store and grabbing those bananas. If you allow me, I can help you make the wisest decision in your life by picking the best bananas in the market! Are you interested? If so, then let’s go to the store! Those bananas that you are about to purchase have gone a long way before they arrived at that shelf.
It is probable that most of the bananas on the shelf were from one of the three Major banana distributors in the world—Chiquita, Dole, and Del Monte. Let’s take Del Monte Foods Co. for example. Del Monte grows their bananas in Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. The plantations are located in these countries because of their tropical locations that provide high temperatures, vast amounts of rainfall, and rich alluvial soil. One of the major producers of bananas for Del Monte is Costa Rica. Here, good and bad things have happened since Del Monte came in and established its banana plantations on this country. Since the establishment of the banana plantations, “hundreds of thousands of hectares of rich and diverse tropical ecosystems have been transformed into monotonous and chemical drenched landscapes.” On the other hand, these plantations do provide jobs for impoverished people of these developing countries. To improve the methods of production, the Rainforest Alliance and the Costa Rican based Ambio Foundation now have the “Eco-ok” certification program. This program is meant to drive growers to have better growing techniques that will benefit both humans and the environment.
There is also some important information that you should know before deciding which type of banana you will be purchasing. Del Monte provides four different types of bananas: the Loose bananas—which are shifted in boxes to prevent damage and uncleanness; the Pre-Pack bananas—packed in bags for retail selling; Organic Bananas—bananas grown without the use of artificial pesticides [I would recommend you to get these ones if you do not want to suffer from any disease caused by pesticides]; Fair Trade Bananas—bananas with the FAIRTRADE mark guarantee that the workers are given a fair living wage and price for the product; and Plantains—a close relative to the banana mainly used in Latin American and African dishes.
Now that you have learned a little more about bananas, you are free to decide which kind to purchase and consume, knowing that you are doing something good for your body. And if you chose to buy the fair trade banana, you will be making the lives of people in the banana industry a little better.
Here is a video of a regular day of production at one of the banana plantations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wVsQQ1eWRw
Sources:
McCracken, Carrie. "Banana Plantations in Central America." Tripod - Succeed Online - Excellent Web Hosting, Domains, E-mail and an Easy Website Builder Tool. 1998. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. <http://members.tripod.com/foro_emaus/BanPlantsCA.htm>.
"Global Fruit." Global Fruit - Home. Web. 14 Apr. 2011. <http://www.globalfruit.ie/index.php?option=com_content>.
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