Bananas

The Average American eats 25 pounds of bananas every year.

When Americans walk the produce aisle, we buy more bananas than any other fruit, according to United Fresh Produce Association. And for good reason. Bananas are loaded with vitamin C, potassium, and fiber, and have no cholesterol, less than half a gram of fat, and just one milligram of sodium. Add it all up, and the fruit makes a perfect snack for almost any occasion—whether you’re looking for something to tide you over at the office, or an energy boost following a strenuous hour at the gym. Just watch where you toss those peels.

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The Tao of Good Health offers six more reasons why you should load up on bananas (“No. 3: Bananas can act as mood enhancers or mild sedatives”).

Still, you may have to moderate your banana consumption over the next decade. The New York Times reported last year that scientists expect a new strain of fungus to spread to Latin America—where the fruit grows—in five years to 10 years that could severely harm Cavendish bananas, the only variety currently exported.

Americans aren’t the only ones who love the yellow fruit. The Morning Banana Diet is hugely popular in Japan—so much so that stores keep running out of the main ingredient. The fad diet caught on after a popular actress in the country lost 26 pounds on it. To follow the plan, just eat a banana or two with room-temperature water for breakfast, have a normal lunch and dinner, and be in bed by midnight.