In this week’s column, I’d like to share with you information on a truly awe-inspiring fruit — the banana.

The scientific name for banana is “musa sapientum,” which means “fruit of the wise men.”

Farmers in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea first domesticated bananas.

India produces more bananas than any other country, which accounts for about 28 percent of worldwide production. China is number two, with 10 percent.

The majority of bananas Americans eat come from countries in Latin America and South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Guatemala. Hawaii is the only place in the United States where bananas are grown commercially.

There are over 1,000 varieties of bananas grown around the world (banana flesh may be green, yellow, red, purple or brown when ripe), subdivided into 50 groups.

The type of banana you see in the supermarket is called a “Cavendish” banana. Americans eat, on average, 27 pounds (51 percent are eaten for breakfast at home) of bananas per person every year.

The highest average per capita consumption of bananas in the world is Uganda. Residents there eat an average of 500 pounds of bananas per person each year. 

More than 100 billion are eaten every year, around the world.

Here are a few fun banana facts most folks don’t know:

• Technically speaking, bananas are berries, and they don’t actually grow on trees. They grow on plants that are officially classified as an herb. Bananas do not grow from seeds, but from bulbs. 

• Some wild bananas can be bubblegum pink, green and white striped, with flesh the color of orange sherbert, and even those that taste like strawberries when cooked.

• A cluster of bananas is called a “hand,” with individual bananas called a “finger.”

• Nutritionally, bananas are superb. They contain no fat, no sodium and no cholesterol. They provide vitamins B6 and C, biotin, manganese, magnesium, potassium and copper. Bananas also present a rich source of fiber. 

Here are a few of banana’s healthful benefits:

• The potassium and magnesium in bananas can help lower your blood pressure. Just two bananas a day can lower blood pressure by 10 percent. That pressure lowering effect may reduce your risk for heart disease.

• Better digestion. Bananas are a great source of two kinds of fiber. Insoluble fiber doesn’t dissolve in water and makes up about 70 percent of fiber found in bananas. Soluble fiber becomes gel like when mixed with water, and makes up about 30 percent of a banana’s fiber content. These fibers add bulk, and help move food smoothly through the digestive tract. Bananas also contain pectin, a type of fiber that absorbs excess water, so bananas can help restore normal bowel function, especially if you have diarrhea. 

• Stronger bones. Bananas help fortify bones because of their potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamin K content. Another benefit derived from bananas is their high amount of fructooligosaccharide (no, I didn’t make that word up), which is a probiotic compound that helps probiotic bacteria produce enzymes and vitamins. This in turn helps promote your body’s ability to absorb bone-building nutrients. • Bananas for a sharper mind. Bananas contain the essential amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, which help our brains produce the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers within the brain, that allow communication between nerve cells.

• Provides energy. Bananas are a great snack, especially after exercise, because they are a rich source of carbohydrates. The sugars (27 grams) in bananas quickly restore blood glucose reserves, which is vital to giving your body the energy to build muscle and strength. 

Here are a few banana handling tips:

• Wrapping banana stems tightly in plastic wrap will make them last days longer.

• Peeling a banana from the bottom up, while holding the stem, will prevent stringy bits from clinging to the fruit.

• If you keep your bananas in the refrigerator, the peel will turn brown or black, but the fruit won’t be affected.

• To ripen bananas faster, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato.

David Crocker, of Landrum, has been a master personal trainer and nutritionist for 30 years. Diet or exercise question? Email him at dwcrocker77@gmail.com or text him at 864-494-6215.