After
reading this, you'll never look at the 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 proved 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 the 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, England) 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 quickest ways 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 (potato chips). 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 levels 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 chronic 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:
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 England 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,
you see, 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."
