If you love bananas and baking at the same time but worried about staying lean and fit, well, you better read this blog. Let’s talk about bananas, a little bit of their nutritional profile, and some baking recipes that would yield healthy banana breads. Having a lean slender body doesn’t always mean restricting yourself from indulging into delicious desserts. You may not be aware of the nutrients and satisfaction you’ll be missing out from delicious desserts such as banana bread if you put up some restrictions. This potassium-rich fruit, banana can turn into a dessert with a rich wonderful flavor that’s irreplaceable. 

There are a lot of ways to turn a classic dessert bread into something calorie-friendly, and this blog will teach you how. Enjoy banana breads without worrying about your weight with recipes that uses healthy alternative ingredients. Now you can have desserts all you want while staying fit and lean. Take out your over ripe bananas and turn them into a slice of healthy and yummy dessert. 

Dessert for Vegans, Vegan Banana Bread!

Well vegans, here we go again with this unique dessert recipe just for you. You will never notice that this banana bread is made with vegan ingredients because it tastes like those treats served in coffee shops. 

It has the perfect sweetness and a fabulous texture from the bountiful and dense mashed bananas. This vegan dessert can be made with soy milk or almond milk and we all know that these kinds of milk are so nutritious. Even without dairy and eggs, this bread turns out moist and delicious. The addition of walnuts made this bread rich in omega 3 fatty acids. This isn't just your average vegan dessert, but your extraordinarily nutritious vegan treat!

Ingredients:

•    2 cups all purpose flour
•    ¾ cups white granulated sugar (preferably unrefined cane sugar)
•   ½ cup packed brown sugar
•   ¾ teaspoon baking soda
•   ¾ teaspoon salt
•   ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
•    ½ cup plain soy milk or almond milk
•  1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups mashed bananas, from 4 large very ripe bananas
•    ¼ cup canola oil
•    2 tablespoon maple syrup
•  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    ½ cup walnuts

This banana bread is done in an hour and 10 minutes and makes one “9x5” loaf.

Procedure:

Prepare by preheating the oven it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and greasing a “9 x 5” loaf pan with oil.  In a large bowl, sift flours and whisk together with sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In another large mixing bowl, stir together soy or almond milk and apple cider vinegar and then let mixture rest for 2 minutes. Stir in mashed bananas, canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smoothly blended.

 Slowly pour in dry ingredients into the wet mixture, whisking until just blended. Be careful not to over mix. Lastly, fold in walnuts.

Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and a few minutes or just until toothpick inserted at the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Move freshly-baked loaf on wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature. 

Split those Bananas and Make Banana Bread!

Banana breads are one type of quick breads. As the name “quick bread” implies, they can be made easily and quickly. They are usually made from the batter of ripe mashed bananas, flour, baking powder, baking soda, butter or vegetable oil, eggs, milk and sugar. But before we proceed to the making of banana bread, let’s get to know first the fruit responsible for the rich flavor of this bread, BANANAS.

Banana, the Fleshy fruit

The tropical fruit, banana belongs to the botanical family, Musaceae along with plantains.  Bananas grow in clusters consisting of 50-150 bananas which are grouped into hand-like bunches. They are born from a tree that grows up to 10-26 feet in height. They are elliptically-shaped fruits that feature firm, thick, off-white flesh enclosed by a thick, inedible skin. The flesh of bananas is exceptionally sweet and undeniably delicious. Lucky are the countries where bananas naturally grow.

They are believed to have originated in Malaysia approximately 4000 years ago from where they started to spread throughout Southeast Asia and India. Portuguese conquerors discovered them in Africa and introduced these fruits to America. Today, United States and Southeast Asian countries including the Philippines are the leading cultivators and producers of bananas.

Nutrients and Health benefits of Banana

One medium-sized banana provides you a heaping amount of potassium which is 467 mg and only 1mg of sodium. We all know the benefits of potassium right? This electrolyte regulates blood pressure and helps maintain normal heart function.

Bananas are also a good source of Vitamin C, the nutrient that plays an antioxidant role in the body by boosting our immune system and participating in the bdoy’s detoxification.

Manganese can also be obtained in good amounts from bananas, as well as dietary fiber. Soluble fibers in banana such as pectin are effective in improving elimination and easing constipation.

Bananas are also an exceptional source of compound called “prebiotic”. These compounds give nourishment to the friendly bacteria thriving in our digestive tract. These compounds found in bananas are fermented by these good bacteria to support their own growth and at the same time increase the body’s ability to absorb calcium and other nutrients. Good bacteria also protect the body from harmful microorganisms. Therefore, eating bananas whether raw or cooked, can dramatically increase the body’s calcium levels. (see more banana health benefits here)

Absolutely Healthy Banana Bread Recipe

Now if you’re living in one of the lucky countries where you can cultivate bananas and pick them anytime you want, you must know how to make a delicious, healthy banana bread. Bananas are sold in the market throughout the year in these countries, so you’ll never have problems when it comes to its availability.

Here’s the healthy way to make banana bread. This banana bread recipe makes one loaf with 12 slices. The resulting bread is made with high fiber, low fat, whole wheat flour!

Ingredients:

·            2 cups whole wheat flour

·            1/2 cup packed brown sugar

·            1/2 tsp  salt

·            1/2 tsp baking soda

·            1/4 tsp baking powder

·            1/2 tsp cinnamon

·            3 tsp canola or walnut  oil

·            1 large egg, beaten

·            2 medium egg whites, beaten

·            3 large bananas, ripe

·            1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients along with oats and cinnamon.

In a smaller bowl, mash bananas well using a potato masher or fork. Stir in oil, whole egg and beat thoroughly.

 Combine the mixtures of wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly until batter is fairly thick.

In another medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric hand mixer until medium stiff peaks form. Pour beaten egg whites into the batter in three additions while folding it well with the batter every after each addition.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the top surface of the loaf is firm to touch.

Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 12 equally sized pieces.

Serve!

Tips to Make your Banana Bread Healthier

  1.   Healthy Add-ons to the usual batter:

•  6 ounces of fresh raspberries, blueberries or strawberries
•  ½ cup of protein-rich almond milk
•  ½ cup pumpkin puree
•   ½ cup Walnuts, pecans or almonds
•  1pack of raisins

  2.   Substitute some or all of the usual flour with whole wheat flour for a more fiber rich, low fat bread. 

  3.   Substitute some of the butter with vegetable oil and egg to reduce fat.

4.   Add low fat milk or skim milk to add some protein in your bread.

5.   Serve your banana bread with a cup of coffee or green tea. The combination of low fat banana bread and the calorie-burner green tea makes a wonderful, weight-friendly meal.

Making Banana Bread: Fun, Easy and Healthy

Learn from the fittest people and the experts of baking the different ways to make banana bread. Most of the recipes shown in these videos are fast, easy and most importantly, healthy. It's fun to make banana bread especially when you know the results are nutritious and delicious. Whether you want a low fat banana bread, or a high protein bread or a high fiber, high protein banana bread, name it, and these recipes will give you what you want. Learning these recipes would make you realize that you can eat breads as delicious as these ones, and stay fit and lean at the same time. 

The addition of almond milk makes these banana bread a great source of protein. The rest of the ingredients are low in fat and fat free. 

This recipe cuts down the usual amount of butter used in most banana bread recipes. It uses a quarter cup of butter instead of the usual half a cup. It also uses canola vegetable oil, Greek low fat yogurt and substitutes some of the white flour with wheat flour, resulting into a healthy, low fat bread. 

These banana bread muffins made from oats and banana are high in beta glucans,a soluble fiber proven to be effective in lowering blood cholesterol. Experience the healthy goodness of oats in these delicious little muffins.