Bananas are a long, thick-skinned fruit. They have a peel which comes off easily. Bananas ripen after they have been picked. They are ripe when the skin is yellow and speckled with brown spots. Avoid bananas Banana with brown spots that seem very soft. Bananas are fruit which grow in hanging clusters on plants which look like — but are not — trees. originally came Bananas from the M ns, banan alays any tropical regio as are the fou ian a wn in m rth mos rea in Gro t impo Southea rtant f st Asia. ood crop (after rice, wheat and corn). Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world. They are inexpensive and available year round. NUTRITION FACTS • High calories VARIETIES • Fat free • Cholesterol free The most popular variety of • Sodium free banana, Cavendish, is the familiar yellow type found • High in potassium in most grocery stores. • High in vitamin C Plantains, Finger Bananas • High in vitamin A and Red Bananas are also popular. Plantains need to be cooked before eating. Although some wild USES Bananas are varieties have hard seeds, almost all delicious eaten after peeling bananas people eat off the skin. Enjoy a banana for are seedless. lunch or as a snack. Eat sliced bananas in cereal, yogurt or on a peanut butter sandwich. Banana bread and muffins Bana nas are not grown in Nebraska. are very popular. Primary Source: 5 to 9 a Day for Better Health program at www.5aday.gov and www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5aday • Designed by: in Lancaster • Designed County UNL Extension Vicki Jedlicka, Primary and www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5aday Source: for 9 a Day Better 5 to www.5aday.gov at program Health This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. This material was funded in part by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Expanded Food & Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides nutrition assistance to people with low income. It can help you buy nutritious foods for a better diet. To find out more, call 1-800-430-3244. Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension’s educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the USDA..