Bananas are a wonderful fruit, the most popular in the world in fact! But what’s the deal with frozen bananas? Is freezing bananas a good idea?
Bananas are naturally very healthy foods, and freezing them helps you reap these benefits for longer periods of time. It helps prevent the bananas from spoiling and losing their nutrients.
So the question then becomes, just what is those benefits? We’ll be getting into that today.
We’re going to go through some of the benefits of eating bananas now, and keep in mind that freezing them means you can enjoy these perks for much longer than usual.
They’re Highly Nutritious
It’s no surprise that bananas are packed to the brim with wonderful nutrients. In eating any regular banana, you’re getting a heaping host of fiber, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C. In addition, bananas are high in antioxidants and dopamine.
Now dopamine is great because it’s a chemical messenger associated with motivation and memory retention. It can also help you reduce risk of heart diseases and degenerative illnesses. That’s all just part of standard bananas of course, but freezing them helps keep them around and prevents decay. That means you better preserve all those helpful nutrients!
They Have Great Recipes
If you’re put off by the taste or the texture of fresh bananas, freezing them could be a sound solution to that. This can result in a number of tasty and healthy treats that wouldn’t be possible with fresh bananas.
Before you prepare them for these recipes, it’s important to make sure you peel the skins away and pre-slice them. It can be tough to get the fruit free from the peel once they’re frozen! Doing this in advance will make it easier to apply to whatever recipe you’re following!
It’s true, and the secret here comes down to the easily digestible carbs found in bananas. That makes them a strong choice right before a high-intensity workout. And frozen bananas can also help soothe exercise-related cramps and soreness of muscles as well.
Bananas are also famously great with smoothies. Add a little protein powder and some type of milk alternative to the blend and you have a very healthy shake that can help fuel workouts!
They Soothe Ulcers & Fight Pain
Do you suffer from stomach ulcers? Frozen bananas could aid in recovering from that, as well as preventing it in the future. That’s because they can help increase mucus generation in your digestive tract.
Additionally, bananas can adorn the inner walls of your digestive system with a protective coating. That in turn will reduce irritation and help promote intestinal health. In other words, it’s good for your insides!
That’s not all, bananas function as a great antacid as well, meaning they’re recommended if you struggle with heartburn. Frozen banana snacks especially help soothe that burn as well as lower your acidity.
And they’re teeming with vitamins and minerals too, which incidentally can help you get past a hangover. Blend them up with honey, cinnamon and yogurt to replenish your blood sugar levels. Frozen bananas can even help fend off morning sickness, thanks to high levels of vitamin B6.
They Last Longer
One of the biggest benefits of freezing bananas is also one of the most obvious. We’ve already mentioned that freezing bananas increases their lifespan, but let’s get deeper into the details there.
See, the cold temperature greatly slows down the movement of molecules within the fruit. They’re moving at a glacial speed, you might say! That will cause the microbes to enter a dormant stage, preventing the growth of microorganisms. And that’s good news because microorganisms can cause foodborne illness and spoilage.
Freeze the bananas while they’re at peak freshness and ripeness, so that they taste their very best once thawed. Freezing helps retain flavor, texture, color and vitamin content!
They Improve Heart Health
Another way that frozen bananas are good for is your heart, which we’ve already touched on a little. We’ve talked about how they reduce the chance of illnesses of the heart and degenerative diseases. But the potassium can also bolster the circulatory system of the body by delivering more oxygen to the brain. In this way, eating frozen bananas helps you to maintain a normal heartbeat.
Potassium is important for heart health and blood pressure control and honestly, most people don’t get enough of it in their diets. Blood pressure levels can be reduced by adding in some frozen bananas to a morning smoothie! People who eat bananas are said to be as much as 27% less likely to suffer from heart disease, including strokes!
They Make You Feel Fuller
Okay obviously that’s true for pretty much anything you eat, but frozen bananas are particularly good at giving you that satiated feeling. That’s because of their resistant starch and fiber, making them particularly filling.
The pectin found in them can also produce some appetite-reducing effects, giving you less of a desire to munch on snacks each day. That’s a good way that frozen bananas can help you with any weight loss goals you might have.
Speaking of which, bananas are known to have fewer calories than other fruits, despite being more filling. Frozen bananas are a healthy and tasty alternative to things like chips or sugary snacks.
What’s The Best Way To Freeze Bananas?
This is going to be a quick overview on the best way to freeze bananas, breaking them down into three main categories.
Whole Bananas
These are very simple and easy to freeze. Just remove the peel, then place the whole banana in an airtight container or bag. Put that in the freezer – that’s all there is to it! Real easy and from there, they’ll make a fine addition to baked goods like muffins or banana bread, as well as smoothies.
To save on freezer space, you can place multiple whole bananas in one container, or break them up if need be.
Sliced Bananas
Slicing your bananas before freezing them can be a better option for future convenience than leaving them whole. This is particularly true if you don’t have a high powered blender. It’s also a sound idea if you’re not certain on how you’re going to use them, since sliced bananas can be easier to measure for recipes.
So, to do this, first peel the bananas, then cut them into slices of about half an inch apiece, or 1.3 cm. Once this is done, line a baking sheet with wax or baking paper, and arrange the banana slices in a single layer on top of that. From there you can put them in the freezer and leave them for about 2-3 hours.
This arrangement helps keep the slices from clumping together. And once the slices have been properly frozen, from there you can move them into an airtight bag or container. Put them back in the freezer until the time comes to make use of them.
Mashed Bananas
For certain recipes, like banana bread, mashed bananas are the way to go. Doing this before the freezing process can help you save time in the future. Once again we start with the peeling. Then mash each banana and scoop that up into a plastic bag, making sure that it’s freezer-safe of course. And also make sure that you squeeze out excess air from the bag before sealing it.
Place the mashed banana bag in the freezer flatly and you’re done! Just for the record, it’s a good practice to freeze the mash in small portions. That way you can thaw out only as much as you might need for a particular recipe.
How Long Do Bananas Last In The Freezer?
The story here is the same with a lot of frozen food. In theory ripened bananas can last indefinitely if kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and still be safe to eat after over a year in the freezer. But that doesn’t mean that they remain fresh forever.
Their freshness will generally last about 2-3 months. Mind you though that this only applies if the banana is put in the freezer quickly after purchase. Note that the peel will blacken upon being frozen, that’s normal.
In Conclusion…
Bananas are famed for their many nutritious health benefits, and freezing them is a great way to ensure you’ll be reaping those benefits for a lengthy portion of time. That’s really all there is to it at the end of the day.
It’s a great way to keep bananas around for a longer stretch of time until the occasion arises to use them.
