Eating on Banana Leaves has Bunch of Benefits | Fusion - WeRIndia

It is a very common tradition in South Indian cuisine to eat on a banana leaf. The tradition of south Indian celebrations is to sit on a floor mat and eat food from one’s leaf. There are several benefits for eating on a banana leaf. Below are some of them.

Serving hot food on a banana leaf will leech some of the nutrients of the banana leaf into the food. This is good for health. When serving on a banana leaf, salt, sour and chilly food are served first. The reason behind is that, these three kinds of food stimulate the digestive acids to easily digest the food that will be eaten next.

Banana leaves consist of large amount of polyphenols like epigallocatechin gallate (ECCG). ECCG is found in herbs like green tea and it is beneficial for health. Polyphenols act as natural antioxidants found in many plant based foods. When hot food is served on a banana leaf, the chlorophyll flavor is added to food which gives rice and other curries a unique and tasty flavor.

Other benefits for eating on a banana leaf include easy management of large amount of food. The banana leaf generally has a large surface when compared to an average sized plate. This makes it easy to serve all types of foods in a single serving. The person can enjoy all curries along with rice at the same time. Banana leaves are also easy to dispose off which makes them very ecofriendly especially compared to plastic plates.

Since the banana leaf is made up of organic material, there won’t be any problematic chemical reactions. The food is kept intact due to this. The leaf can also endure heat and manage it very well. As with any green leaf, banana adds a leafy flavor to the food to make it better.

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