It’s common practice for many people to peel off the dangling strings from the flesh of a banana before eating one, but this could be a mistake. Did you know that they’re safe to eat, and healthy too? The fibrous, pale yellow strings that run vertically along the fruit have a name—phloem bundles. They play a vital role in the growth of the banana while it’s still attached to the tree. The strings act as arteries, providing transit routes for food and water to nourish the fruit as it grows. Dr. Nicholas D. Gillitt, director and vice president of nutrition research at the Dole Nutrition Institute in North Carolina, told HuffPost that phloem bundles are essential for the “adequate disposition of nutrients throughout the plant.” Besides being of use to the plant, the phloem bundles are completely edible. “Since they are intended to do a specific job … they would be …