What Good is a Banana Peel?
The incredible, edible… fruit! Bananas are a fantastic snack because they are not only quick and easy to eat, but available everywhere for really cheap! A quick Google search will tell you that they are the most popular fruit in the world. They are very healthy since they are high in fiber to aid digestion, potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure and other heart-relating health, and a slew of things that help give you energy. They are the first ingredient in the BRAT (bananas, rice, apple sauce, toast) diet to stop diarrhea. Bananas can even be a great healthy treat option for your dog. This fruit is one versatile food!
But what about the banana peel? STOP! Don't throw that away! Did you know you can use banana peels for many things? From nutrition to gardening to saving the environment and almost everything in between, the banana peel is more useful than anyone might have ever imagined!
Banana peels are nutritional.
First of all, the peel of the banana– not just the fleshy fruit– contains a plethora of nutrients. They have vitamins B6 and B12 that are good for your body in many ways, including brain cell development and immune system boosting. Magnesium can help reduce muscle cramping and improve bone health. Fiber can help keep your digestive system on track, and potassium is great for heart health, just like eating a banana. They also contain amino acids to help produce serotonin for mood enhancement and antioxidants that protect cells. But besides the obvious making of tea, how else can banana peels get into the human body?
Cook with Banana Peels.
Who knew you could actually EAT banana peels?
The very first step to cooking with banana peels is to wash them to make sure they are clean from pesticides and other harmful chemicals.To add nutrition to your smoothie or tea, blend in a peel. Ferment them to make a vinegar that can be used in dressings and marinades or to clean surfaces around the kitchen. Put them on top of meat while it is cooking for more moisture and to tenderize the meat. Boil them for 10 minutes and puree to add to your muffins, pancakes, and breads. Saute with garlic, onions, and other spices to add to rice. They can even be pickled! Who knew banana peels could taste good while being nutritious?
Water full of heavy metals can even be filtered with the peels. Metals like lead, copper, and cadmium stick to banana peels, which creates an affordable option for filtering contaminated water. Simply cut the peels as small as possible and pack them into a container. Pour the water over the peels, covering them, and let them sit overnight for the best results. Strain the water and repeat as necessary, discarding the used peels in the compost.
Besides human consumption, banana peels can be fed to farm animals. Cutting the peels into small pieces and adding them to an animal's daily diet can offer a more natural food and is better for the environment than a lot of processed animal feed.
Use banana peels to help skin irritations.
Calm the itch caused by mosquito bites! There are chemicals on the inside of the peel that help swelling and stop itching. Clean your bite, rub the inside of the peel on your skin, and leave it there. You can repeat this as needed throughout the day. Additionally, reduce the size of pimples with the inside of the peel by rubbing the pimple, leaving it on for about 15 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water. This process can be good for bites, scrapes, and sunburns and can soothe pain as well. Calm your bug bites, burns, and acne blemishes with banana peels.
The peels of bananas are very useful in gardening.
Everyone probably knows to use bananas in compost piles since they are high in phosphates, potassium, and calcium, but did you know they can be used to ward off bugs? Aphids love to munch on many common garden plants, but they hate the smell of the peel. Just put peels around your plants to keep these damaging pests away. If you line the bottom of your hole before planting seeds with the peels, it will help your plants become super seedlings. Leave peels to soak in water for a few days, strain, and use to water your plants with a liquid fertilizer. Save those peels and take them to your garden!
Use a banana peel for personal hygiene and skincare.
To whiten your teeth, rub the inside of the peel on them, wait a few minutes, and then brush your teeth as usual. Do this every day until you see results. You can even make your hair shinier and nourish it if you blend the peels with water, apply it for about 15 minutes, rinse, and shampoo as normal. Rub the peel on dry skin, including your heels, to soften and moisturize dry, cracked skin. It is even said that taping a peel over a wart overnight can help get rid of it. Tap into the antioxidants and vitamins in the peels daily by rubbing them on wrinkles, leaving them on for 30 minutes, and rinsing them with warm water to reduce their appearance. Save money by using banana peels in your personal care routine.
Do arts and crafts with banana peels.
We know that many fruits and vegetables like beets and carrots can make dye, but so can banana peels. To dye a cloth, boil the peels and soak the fabric until the desired yellow color is achieved. You can make paper by drying the peels and blending them with water until they make a pulp. Then spread them on a screen and squeeze out the extra water. Let it dry, then use it for crafting, decorating, and writing. They can also be used to make paper, jewelry, sculptures, and more! For natural arts and crafts material, consider keeping those banana peels.
What a cool banana peel dude!
Clean your house with banana peels.
Pull out that tarnished old silver and use peels blended with water to polish the silverware. Take the inside of the peel and rub it on your shoes, then buff it off with a soft cloth for shiny leather shoes. Clean your windows and mirrors the same way. You can also do this on leather furniture to clean and condition it! Another idea is to polish wood furniture with this same method of rubbing, curing, and wiping off. With some elbow grease, they can help you get pencil marks left by toddlers off your walls. Rub the banana peel on the wall, let it sit, then buff it off. Get your house looking tip-top just by using banana peels!
Reduce pollution by processing banana peels.
Elif Belgin, from Istanbul, Turkey, was 16 when she won the 2013 Google Science Fair award for using banana peels to make bioplastic– a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based plastic (Istanbul Teen Creates para 1). Using bioplastics can help reduce air, land, and sea pollution, and can be created at home by anyone who learns the process. Keep our environment clean, and try to make your own plastic products from banana peels.
Additionally, bioethanol can be made from fermenting peels and used as fuel to aid in the search for renewable energy. The simple process is to mash banana peels, add yeast to ferment the sugar, and then distill the liquid. This process is another that you can do at home. Using natural ingredients like banana peels can help reduce greenhouse gases and the burden on fossil fuels. Moreover, banana peels are sustainable! Since bananas are the most popular fruit, there may never be a shortage of peels to work with. Help save our natural resources and the environment by using banana peels to replace conventional products that are less desirable for consumption.
Conclusion
The banana is a versatile food, but the banana peel is so much more useful! We are often quick to dispose of them in the trash bin, but they can be used for health benefits, in our homes, improve our gardening, help the environment, and more! Next time you eat a banana, stop and think about throwing away the peel. Instead, ask yourself how you can use it in your daily life.
How did I come up with this idea? I teach a note-taking class every week that uses the "Istanbul Teen Creates Bioplastic from Bananas" as a jumping-off point! Also, I learned the mosquito bite trick while living in Ecuador, where there was no shortage of either bananas or mosquitoes! I tried the peel on the wall because those toddler marks are tricky, and one will try anything to get them off! I also learned about composting and gardening from having a very large garden as a child. I used this information and asked ChatGPT for additional ideas to build upon, creating a really cool article about using banana peels. I hope you found it entertaining and educational. Learn to complete research in my class! Email me if you can't find a time that works for you.
– Misses Dee
About the Author: My name is Delila Wuori, and I've been working in the educational field for over 25 years. It's truly my passion. I love to write and teach a lot of writing classes for all ages. I can show you how to write an article like this! You can visit me at Stone Bridges Academy . Although my time is a little limited because I have 5 children, one of whom is a toddler, if you don't find anything you need, I'd be happy to try to work something out. Please leave a comment below or send an email. I love hearing from my readers and students!
“Istanbul Teen Creates Bioplastic From Bananas.” Kids Discover, https://online.kidsdiscover.com/quickread/istanbul-teen-creates-bioplastic-from-bananas
