Bananas are good for you, though I wasn't sure why. I just know that bananas are handed out at the end of every run I participate in. In fact, people run in a banana costume more frequently than any other fruit. That's got to mean something.

I told my wife that the average person eats 27 pounds of bananas each year. She immediately replied, "Then someone is eating 54 pounds." That number came to me from "The Gilmer Mirror" courtesy of Steve Gelerman who is known as the Top Banana and Mr. Banana.

It's claimed that Walmart sells more bananas than any other item. In my case, I rarely leave a convenience store without grabbing at least one banana. Gelerman indicates that the joke about slipping on a banana peel became a reality when they were deemed a public hazard in the late 1800's.

I'll confess that I put the public at risk when I toss a banana peel out the car window. My brother claims that's littering. Though I find that hard to believe considering how quickly they decompose. In fact, in the time needed to stop the car and find the peel, it has already turned totally brown.

I decided a little research was necessary. The HealthXchange website offers several health benefits to eating bananas. They have vitamin C and manganese which is good for your skin. Bananas give you energy and are good for after and before athletic events. They are also rich in potassium which is good for heart health and blood pressure, in addition to being a good source of fiber.

By the way, the record for the fastest marathon by a runner dressed as a banana is 2:47:41 in London in 2016. In a different kind of race, the record for the most bananas peeled and eaten in one minute is eight, set in 2012. [Source: The Gilmer Mirror]

 

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