Bananas are healthy and delicious fruits. We eat the inside of the bananas and without much thinking throw away the banana peels.
But do you know that these peels of the fruit have a lot of other uses? This food waste can be put to good use and thus one can follow zero waste cooking with it!
Banana peels and their varied uses
Bananas are highly nutritious. Each banana provides us with 104 calories. It is high in fiber and has other essential micronutrients such as potassium and vitamin C.
The potassium helps in making the blood vessels of the body relax. This assists in blood pressure control and is also good for heart function. Moreover, fiber helps in gut health and lowering of blood cholesterol and sugars.
Vitamin C helps in keeping the gums healthy, wound healing, synthesis of collagen for the body tissues, and immune function. It also increases iron absorption and thus is good for overcoming anemia.
Banana peels (Source: Specialty produce)Often we discard the banana peels as food waste. But this peel has a lot of uses. It is good for skin, hair, teeth, cleaning, gardening, first aid, etc.
Skincare
The peel can be used to hydrate skin, reduce puffiness around the eyes if placed on them, and brighten the skin when rubbed with it. It also minimizes wrinkles with aging.
The acne scars can fade if the peel is rubbed on them. It can relieve the itching and dryness of a psoriatic patch. There are claims that the skin of a banana can also eradicate warts if applied over it.
But all these claims have no scientific backing. But the peels have a lot of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Hair care
Used as a mask, the peels can make the hair soft and shinier. The antioxidants in the banana skins can neutralize the free radicals that damage the hair.
Banana peels for skin (Source: Bright side)Teeth whitening
The peels have whitening action on the teeth if rubbed daily for a week, claim natural healing doctors. It has an antibacterial action on oral organisms.
First aid
The banana skins are supposed to reduce the itch after a bug or insect bite. It can soothe sunburns or poison ivy rash. When placed over the forehead and back of the neck, it brings down headaches.
Placed over the place of a splinter in the skin, it helps remove the splinter in less than half an hour.
Household cleaning aid
The peels are of use in polishing silverware, leather shoes or articles, and leaves of household plants.
Good for plant growth
The peels can be composted or directly added to the soil of the plants. They can enrich the soil and act as a fertilizer. It prevents the bugs from coming near the plants and destroying them.
Read more: Green bananas: uses, health benefits, side effects!
In the food industry
Cake with added Banana peels (Source: Delicious)The peels can be boiled and made into tea. One can make a fruit smoothie with it or add it to a sauce. Cook with water and sugar and make candy. One can add it to baking foods in place of eggs. Added to the flour of cookies, it enriches them.
The skins of bananas have a lot of benefits. Why waste them?