Celebrating all things na-na: 6 quirky banana facts
When it comes to snacks, bananas are pretty much a win-win no matter how old you are: they taste great and they are packed full of nutrients.
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Celebrate all things na-na
To celebrate this popular fruit, Australian Bananas declared May 1 the first ever National Banana Day.
Although it’s known that bananas contain potassium and vitamin B6, we thought we dig a little deeper and share some other lesser-known facts about the yummy fruit.
Six quirky banana facts
1. Bananas are curved because they grow towards the sun, instead of the ground. The process is known as negative geotropism and came about as a way for bananas to survive while growing in rainforests where there’s little sunlight.
3. Banana peels can be used to purify water. Live Science reports: “Researchers found that minced banana peel performed as well or better at removing copper and lead than many other filtering materials, quickly removing both from water in the Paraná River in Brazil.”
5. They’re surprisingly quick and easy to eat. According to the Guinness World Records, the most bananas peeled and eaten in one minute is eight.
6. Can you really slip on a banana peel? Despite what you see on TV and in comedy shows, it turns out that slipping on a banana peel is harder than you think. Mythbusters set out to prove this theory and failed. However, if you are really determined, running on a layer of banana peels, as opposed to one, could see some slippage.