Introduction
Meat is an animal flesh that is eaten as food. Meat consists of largely muscles, but fat and
other tissues are also considered meat. It provides protein, vitamins, minerals, and fat necessary
for health and growth. Based on an article in http://www.nih.gov/, it is stated that consuming red
meat on a daily basis can improve the risk percentage of having cancer and cardiovascular
disease mortality. It is also stated that the researchers recommend people to take substitutes or
other food such as fish, poultry, nuts, and the like whenever people consume red meat per day.
Hydrochloric acid is a strong compound naturally produced a human’s stomach to break
down food. So to say, it gives fat all over the body and improves the risk of mortality. The
researchers suggest using banana heart as a substitute since it can be a substitute meat material
for some meat-related products, and it is healthy.
The researchers conducted this study in order to lessen the Filipinos who became obese
and underweight. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), poverty is known as the
main cause of malnutrition because most of the Filipinos are not eating the right kind of food
they eat. In the Philippines, many people can’t afford a nutritious food that’s why the number of
underweight people in the Philippines is increasing. Also, some of the Filipinos were eating too
much meat that causes you to become obese. Thus, this study aims to help these kinds of
Filipinos to improve their healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, many Filipinos will benefit in this study
because this product is not that just healthy but also easy to make and inexpensive.
Body
Banana plants are the largest plants on earth without a woody stem. They are actually
giant herbs of the same family as lilies, orchids and palms. Banana plants can grow to heights up
to nine (9) meters and look very much like a tree. They are the largest plant on earth without a
woody stem.
Also, banana is a fruit of the genus Musa of the family Musacae, one of the most
important crops and widely consumed fruit in the world. Bananas are one of the most widely
consumed fruits in the world. The Curved yellow fruit packs a big nutritional punch, wrapped in
its own convenient packaging and easy to eat. As stated in www.bananalink.org.uk, it is believed
that the earliest written reference to banana is in Sanskrit and dates back to around five-hundred
(500) BC. Bananas are suspected to be the first fruit in the earth by some horticulturists.
According to http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/brief-history/home.html, bananas were
originally found in South East Asia, mainly in India. They were brought west by Arab
conquerors in 327 B.C. and moved from Asia Minor to Africa and finally carried to the New
World by the first explorers and missionaries to the Caribbean. The mass production of bananas
started in 1834 and really started exploding in the late 1880’s. Before the 1870’s most of the land
that bananas were grown on in the Caribbean had been previously used to grow sugar. After this
time low marsh land started to be drained along with forests that were cleared in Central America
for banana mono crops.
The banana blossom, also sometimes called the "banana heart" is the flower that grows at
the end of a banana fruit cluster and is often used in Asian and Indian cooking as a substitute for
meat. The distinguish of that red meats are a complete harm to human health. It is just discovered
that banana blossom can relatively obtain health benefits just like meat. Aside as substitute
Other Asian and Indian cuisines add the sliced banana flower to meat stews, stir-fries,
soups, and rice or noodle combinations. It is also used in cold salads, with the salad mixture
presented to the diner in one of the large purple-red outer bracts. These terms are variously
translated as “banana blossom,” “banana heart,” due to the flower’s physical resemblance to that
organ, or “plantain blossom. Banana flower is rich in vitamins, flavonoids and proteins. The
flower has been used in traditional medicine to treat bronchitis, constipation and ulcer problems.
It eases menstrual cramps. The extracts of banana flower have antioxidant properties that prevent
free radicals and control cell and tissue damage.
Humans have been eating meat throughout evolution, and in today’s consumption it has
been a large part to the digestive necessity and nutrition intake. However, the meat we eat today
is immensely different from the meat our ancestors ate. Based to an article on Authority
Nutrition, animals roamed free and ate grass, and anything that is natural to them back in the day.
The meat from this animal is completely different from the meat derived from animals that was
born and raised in a factory, fed grain-based feed, then pumped full of antibiotics and hormones
to make it grow faster.
Today, some meat products go through even more processing after the animals are
slaughtered, they are smoked, cured, and then treated with nitrates, preservatives and various
chemicals. However, with the variety of its sort it is significant to distinguish between the
different types of meat: Processed Meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking,
curing, salting or adding preservatives. This includes sausages, bacon, ham, salami and pâtés.
These foods aren’t just microwave meals and other ready meals.
According to the website http://www.vegetarian-
nutrition.info/positions/english/vegetarian-meat-substitutes.php, it existence with a study
conducted, people start eliminating meat from their diets due to its health facts such as meat is
also known to give people fats and cholesterol, which in turn, the latter focuses more on
vegetables rather than meat. That said, people lack the required amount of protein our body
needed.
This is where the need of alternative meat enters. Alternatives for meat give good news
for vegetarians, because the alternatives provide protein and vitamins without the consumption
of fats and cholesterol. What is more is that the alternative for meat is recognized that five to ten
times more protein can be produced per acre of land when it is consumed as vegetable protein
instead of being converted inefficiently into animal protein and meat. What is more is that it
conserves significantly water and other resources.
Conclusion
The researchers therefore conclude that the banana blossom can be an effective alternative meat
source because of the following:
1. The banana blossom can relatively obtain health benefits from meat. It is rich in variety
of vitamins including vitamin A, C and other minerals. It could also be a safe alternative
on improvising a complement dish since the banana blossom is good for the health and
treated in several Asian and tropical cuisines as vegetable.
2. Also, it is a safe alternative to chemical food preservatives. Not only the banana blossom
can be a main source in making a healthy nugget, it could also be used in other meat
products specification like burger patties, even hot dogs and other processed products.
Thus, it is universal on safe alternatives for it can be utilize to variety of edible dish. Its
fruit is very rich in essential nutrients that humans need.
3. Lastly, bananas will always be a part of the environment. It will always be a main factor
that is not limited because it’s grown everywhere and easy too grown. Consumers can
easily purchase these certain materials without costing too much. Utilizing the banana
blossom is also another way of saving budget and providing a healthy lifestyle at the
same time. It is natural, health-friendly and affordable to everyone in the society.
Recommendation
The highest-rated burgers in terms of water-holding capacity, yield, shrinkage and shear
force were the formulations containing substitutes based on green bananas.
Although fat contributes to a series of physical and sensory attributes such as softness,
juiciness and yield, it is possible to reduce the lipid content in beef burgers without depreciating
the quality of food through the use of the following fat substitutes: oat flour, apple peel flour,
green banana pulp flour, green banana peel flour and green banana pulp.
People who looking for meat substitutes considers two things: one is a high-protein
alternative for meat such as peas and soy, and the other is fiber-rich and nutritional food, to
which the banana blossom fall into place. Having a fibrous texture and a neutral taste, it is easier
for the banana blossom to absorb flavor. Based on the foregoing findings of the study, the
following are recommended for future enhancement of the banana heart as a substitute meat for
nuggets.
Reference:
Hernanadez, W. et.al(2015, February 15). An Investigation on the Effectiveness of Banana Heart as an
Alternative Source of Meat Product. Banana Heart Nugget.
https://bananaheartnugget.blogspot.com/
http://community.plu.edu/~bananas/brief-history/home.html
http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/positions/english/vegetarian-meat-substitutes.php
http://www.nih.gov/
www.bananalink.org.uk
