Health Benefits of Plantains
1. Boosts Immune System
Like their well-known counterparts, plantains are a great source of vitamins that help your immune system. One serving of plantains contains nearly 40 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a very important role in the body’s immune response, and the immune system depends on it to function properly. Plantains are also a great source of vitamin C, which helps control your immune response and keep illnesses at bay. A single cup of plantains contains over 30 percent of the daily-recommended amount of vitamin C.
2. Great Source of Minerals
Plantains contain multiple valuable minerals, each of which bring about important health benefits. One cup of plantains contains roughly 60 milligrams of magnesium. Magnesium has a variety of health benefits that relate to things like bone health, skin health, proper hormone function, and the absorption of other minerals. Plantains are also a great source of potassium, which is one of the main blood minerals that are referred to as electrolytes. Potassium helps maintain blood pressure, muscle contractions, and mineral balance.
3. Supports Healthy Brain Function
One of the many health benefits of plantains is that it supports proper function of the brain. One serving of plantains can provide over 20 percent of the daily-recommended amount of vitamin B6. Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, plays a huge role the brain. It encourages the production of various hormones, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and melatonin. Proper serotonin production helps with mood stability and melatonin regulates your body’s internal clock—making it critical for sleep.
4. Aids Digestion
Fiber intake brings great benefits to your digestive system. Fiber helps encourage regular bowel movements and prevents constipation. Plantains are a great source of fiber and can be a great way to support your digestive system. One cup of plantains provides roughly 20 percent of the daily-recommended amount of fiber.
5. Improves Sleep
The high magnesium content found in plantains can be beneficial for improving sleep. One of the effects of magnesium on the human body is its ability to relax the muscles. When magnesium enters the body, hormones get released that calm the nerves, and can help relieve mild cases of insomnia.
6. Regulates Blood Pressure
Plantains are a tremendous source of potassium, which combats the effects of sodium and can lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is often made worse in those with a high sodium diet. Plantains are a wonderful natural remedy to high blood pressure. Even dietary fiber, which is also found in plantains, has been shown to help lower blood pressure in the body.
7. Contains Antioxidants
One cup of plantains contains over 30 percent of the daily-recommended amount of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your body. Vitamin A is another effective antioxidant that can be found in plantains.
8. Supports Heart Health
Potassium is a very important mineral that can help regulate your heart rhythm. Studies have even suggested that high potassium diets can lower the risk of stroke. The fiber content of plantains also plays a role in improving heart health. Fiber has been shown to lower blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol. This can help prevent heart disease.
9. Provides Energy for Exercise
Like bananas, plantains are a great snack to eat before strenuous exercise. The carbohydrate content means that plantains are not keto friendly, as in they are not a good option to those who practice a ketogenic diet. That being said, the combination of vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and healthy carbohydrates make plantains the perfect pre-workout snack that can even help prevent cramping from exercise.
10. Reduces Harmful Free Radicals
Free radicals enter your body when being exposed to things like tobacco smoke, and are even made when breaking down food. This is significant because free radicals have been associated with things such as heart disease, aging, and cancer. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that has the potential to reduce the number of these free radicals in your body.
11. Lowers cholesterol
The high fiber content of plantains does more than just improve digestive health. Dietary fiber has been shown to have serious potential in managing cholesterol. Fiber can bind to your “bad” cholesterol, known as LDL, and lower its amount in the body.
