5 health benefits of bananas and a banana cake to convince you

Think bananas are boring?  Think again!  They are actually one of the best all round foods and packed full of goodness. I love them and it’s a bonus that they are so healthy!

Here are my top five reasons to include them in your diet:

1)      Bananas are packed full of nutrients including potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and fibre

2)      They boost your energy levels- eating just 2 will give you enough energy to work out for 90 minutes

3)      Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin which makes us feel happy

4)      As they are high in potassium and low in salt, bananas are credited with being able to lower blood pressure and protect against heart attacks and strokes

5)      The high levels of potassium and magnesium makes bananas great at regulating blood pressure

Still not convinced?  Try this amazing banana loaf cake- it truly is delicious and if we can claim some health benefits from eating cake- what’s not to like?

To make it you will need the following:

Ingredients

• 140g butter (very soft)
• 140g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 140g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 over ripe bananas, mashed
• 50g icing sugar mixed with 3 tbsps water

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 180C
• Line a 2lb loaf tin with a liner (or grease it and line with grease proof paper)
• Cream the butter and sugar together
• Beat in the eggs and add a bit of the flour
• Mix in the rest of the flour and baking powder
• Fold in the mashed banana and pour into the loaf tin
• Bake for around 30 minutes (until it springs back to the touch)
• Remove from the oven
• Pierce the top of the cake several times and pour over the icing sugar mix
• Allow to cool, cut into slices and serve