Science
your sponsor
Go Bananas!
They’re not just for the monkeys
Do you love bananas? Thanks to a man named Andrew Preston, you can have all the bananas
you want! More than a century ago this fruit entrepreneur brought this strange, tropical fruit
from Central America to the United States for everyone to enjoy. He made the banana so popular that by the 1920’s
it replaced the apple as the most popular fruit. To this day Americans eat more bananas
than apples and oranges combined.
A Bunch of Banana Facts
•
•
•
•
•
There are almost 1,000 different varieties of
bananas that vary in size, color and taste.
There is a type of banana that actually tastes
like an apple. It’s called the Goldfinger banana.
Over 100 billion bananas are eaten each year.
Americans eat 26.2 pounds of bananas each
year.
Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t
have to pick the little “stringy things” off of it.
That’s how monkeys do it.
Bananas can make you happy! They help the
body produce serotonin which is a natural
chemical that cheers you up.
•
•
Bananas are so healthy that they
may actually help lower the risk of heart attacks
and strokes and lower the risk of cancer.
Because of their high potassium content,
bananas are ever so slightly radioactive! But not
enough to be dangerous
Name That Banana
Want to impress your friends with a banana magic
trick? Use a toothpick to scratch your name or a design into a banana peel before you leave for school.
Pack it in your lunch bag. At lunchtime,
peel your banana and you’ll see that
your name has magically appeared
on your banana.
Test You Banana Knowledge
A. Trees B. Backyard Gardens
C. Largest Perennial Herb D. Bushes
2. Approximately how many bananas
does the average American eat per year?
A. 2 pounds
B. 7 pounds
C. 27 pounds
D. 72 pounds
3. Where do bananas grow?
A. The South Pole
B. Central America &
the Caribbean C. Japan and China
D. Canada
4. Bananas supply 20% of the recommended daily
allowance of vitamin B6 which helps do what?
A. Build a strong immune system
B. Create strong bones
C. Run really fast
D. See through walls
5. Bananas:
A. Are a good source of protein
December 2011
B. Are a good source of potassium
C. Are a large source of dietary fat
D. Contain Cholesterol
6. Most bananas taste best when they are:
A. Green
B. Yellow
C. Yellow with green tips D. Light Brown
7. Most of the time, you eat bananas raw.
But what kind of banana is usually cooked?
A. Bananas
B. Plantain Bananas
C. Manzano Bananas
D. Banana Minis
8. The combination of carbohydrates,
simple sugars and dietary fiber in a
banana do what for you?
A. Help you fly
B. Make you sleepy
C. Make your feet grow extra fast
D. Give you a quick boost of energy
Answers: 1. C, 2. C, 3. B, 4. A, 5. B, 6. C, 7. B, 8. D
1. Bananas grow on:
www.thinknewspaper.net
13