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We know bananas are a tasty, healthy snack, but most of us just toss those weird strings on them along with the peel. But we might need to rethink that action because those strings are actually packed with goodness.
First of all, they’re not called stings, the technical term is “phloem bundles.” Of course, that name doesn’t make them more appealing, but the phloem is a “complex tissue that transports food and water in a plant.” So they’re giving the banana the food, nutrients, minerals, and water it needs to grow.
That means those strings we’ve been throwing away all this time are bringing the good stuff to the banana as it gets ripe. And eating them means you get more of the nutrients in the fruit.
If you somehow never even noticed bananas have strings, good for you. And if you feel like you just can’t bring yourself to eat something called a phloem bundle, no matter how healthy it is, just make a smoothie and toss in the whole, peeled banana so you don’t even have to see them.