Banana Skin?

[Mistyparrot]

Misty has always enjoyed a nice banana, Especially if he can eat it sitting on my knee and squash it into my jeans! But his preference has changed. He is not interested in the fruit inside. He now prefers only the skin. In fact he he seems to adore it! Fortunately he is happy to eat it on my desk top rather than my knee and will chew the whole banana skin into a black mush. I think he even eats some of it!

My question is I have read other people advise peeling the banana before giving it. Suggesting perhaps there is something in the skin to be aware of. I wash the fruit first but does anyone know if there is an inherent problem with banana skin ?

 

Steve n Misty

[Talon]

I don't know, but my parrots love to sit on the edge of the bowl of my bananas that I store them in and help themselves to ALL the bananas as a whole. I think that they are safe, never heard differently.

 

I do know that it is best to use organic ones, as I read somewhere that they may have pesticides on them...but I don't buy organic ones, nor have I washed mine...never thought about it,. but I will now.

[danmcq]

Banana Peels are fine to eat for humans, animals and birds. It's to hear you wash them though. Who knows what residue they could have on them.

[Greywings]

Pesticide Residues Found in Bananas:

 

What Pesticide? How Often is it Found?6 Conventional vs. Organic Toxicity7 Other Foods with this Pesticide Thiabendazole 63.7% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Imazalil 26.0% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods 5-Hydroxythiabendazole 7.4% Conventional

vs. Organic

 

Other Foods Azoxystrobin 4.2% Conventional

vs. Organic

 

Other Foods o-Phenylphenol 2.0% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Pyrimethanil 1.5% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Oxamyl oxime 1.1% Conventional

vs. Organic

 

Other Foods Chlorpyrifos 0.4% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Myclobutanil 0.3% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Bitertanol 0.2% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Carbendazim (MBC) 0.2% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods Carbaryl 0.1% Conventional

vs. Organic

Other Foods

[Talon]

Okay...thank you for that...I think...now I don't want to eat anything ever again...

[Talon]

I am the Bookkeeper & Office Manager for a vegetable farm that grows about 400 acres...part of my job entails paying the treated seed, pesticide, fungicide & ALL the chemical bills...

[danmcq]

Washing our fruits with water and vinegar will remove those substances. Everyone should wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly. If you don't, the chemicals and bacteria will be ingested by you and your birds.

[Talon]

I wash mine in High Alkaline water which will remove it as well.

[birdhouse]

I haven't eaten a whole banana in decades. My guys love bananas & the skins. So I'd better be sharing or there will be a bunch of noise until I do. They're more than welcome when I put them in the dish. But they seem to taste best when the fis share mine, for some reason. lol

 

But I have read that banana skins are kind of high'ish on the list for pesticides. Also there seems to be some question about dopamine...? I haven't found anything credible enough to ban them. Just keeping an eye out so far.

 

Bananas also are high'ish in tannins. Too much tannins can cause problems w/digestive enzymes, block vitamin B12 and iron absorption & potentially cause liver damage.

 

So I do let the fids eat bananas & well washed skins. But because of the possible issues, they're something less frequent than a staple, more like a frequent treat, I guess.

[Mistyparrot]

I haven't eaten a whole banana in decades. My guys love bananas & the skins. So I'd better be sharing or there will be a bunch of noise until I do. They're more than welcome when I put them in the dish. But they seem to taste best when the fis share mine, for some reason. lol

 

But I have read that banana skins are kind of high'ish on the list for pesticides. Also there seems to be some question about dopamine...? ...............

 

 

Ahh yes reminds me of a Donovan song in the late 1960s' "Mellow Yellow".

There was a rumour, I assume a hoax that banana skins could be dried and smoked with, shall we say, "interesting" results! I know Misty thinks he can fly but I don't think bananas have much to do with that.

 

Steve n Misty

[birdhouse]

Different smokes for different folks, right? ;>

 

I figure since I get my chocolate high as often as possible, it only seems fair to let the fids go a little bananas occasionally.

[JeffNOK]

What about frozen vegetables? I mix frozen and fresh for Gracie's meals. Do I need to wash the frozen stuff? Is frozen stuff bad?

[Mistyparrot]

I think frozen veg is well cleaned before freezing so it should be OK. In some ways they can be better than fresh veg. Some fresh veg can lose vitamins within hours of picking. Fast freezing preserves these.

Obviously the best is freshly picked organic.

Misty loves still frozen peas and green beans as an occasional treat on a hot day.

 

Steve n Misty

[danmcq]

Steve is spot one. The frozen veggies have been thoroughly clean and also blanched in most cases before flash freezing.