BANANAS
The expression 'going
bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:
Never,
put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas
contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant,
sustained
and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough
energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the
banana is the number one fruit
with the world's leading athletes.
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep
fit.It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of
illnesses
and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering
from depression, many felt much
better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of
protein that the body converts into serotonin,
known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally
make you feel happier.
PMS:
Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose
levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood
and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making
it perfect to beat blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana
industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to
reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain
Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams
this year by eating bananas at
breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown
that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning
by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action,
helping to overcome the problem
without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickestways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened
with honey. The banana
calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar
levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates
your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn,
try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid
morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with
the inside of a banana skin. Many
people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight
and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure
at work leads to gorging on comfort
food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers
found the most obese were more likely to be in
high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food
cravings, we need to control our blood sugar le vels by
snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours
to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of
its soft texture and smoothness. It is
the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases.
It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation
by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature
control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical
and emotional
temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure
their baby is born with a cool
temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer
tryptophan.
Smoking &Tobacco Use:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they
contain, as well as
the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the
effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends
oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water
balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate
rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the
help of a high-potassium
banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in The New En gland Journal of Medicine, eating bananas
as part of a regular diet can cut the
risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts:
Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a
wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it
on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in
place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy
for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice
the
carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and
minerals.
It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around
So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so
that we say, 'A
banana a day keeps the doctor away!'
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys
are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes??
Take
the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !
