I received this in my email and was amazed!
After Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!
Bananas. Containing 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 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) 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. 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 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:
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, 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!"
FYI- Bananas
Great information! I like them more now!!!
Banana: The Wonder Fruit! No wonder I'm always so happy (almost always) :-)
No wonder I bought 2 big bunches yesterday.
I ran to Walmarts and bought 2 cavendish babana trees for $3.99 each!
I eat 3 bananas a day,after my heart attack,10 yrs ago,I started eating them,and quit a 4 pack a day smoking habit,and haven't missed them since,now if I can only cut back on my 40 cup of coffee a day, I keep folgers in business!!!
Well Tropicman, you did great conquering the cigs!! That is so fantastic. I lost both my parents to smoking.
There is a new bottled water out at Publix called "Water Joe" and is a caffeinated water. I started drinking for a boost on hot summer days- it's really good and cut down on my coffee.
Great information on 'nanas... Thanks. With 180 banana trees we eat them seven different ways from Sunday... And the dogs love them! Peel a banana within 20 yards of them and they coming running and sit to be given a treat! Now, if they could only peel them themselves!
My Gosh, Aloha! 180 Banana trees! That's fantastic! I hope someday to have that. This weekend I planted 4 species of bananas- plantain, regular?, cavendish and apple banna. My nephews are so excited at the idea of a "round" banana. I think we planted a total of 11 trees and I am dying today. I feel like I rolled down a rocky hill. We have to dig a huge hole and bust thru the coral rock shelf then add good dirt. I am so very excited tho that at some point we will have bananas too!
Is there any interesting and good tatsing banana that you can suggest that I find for my garden?
Great info..but too much tryptophan will make you sleepy..thats whats in turkey that puts everyones lights out after Thanksgiving dinner!!LOL
OH, I thought it was the wine with dinner??!!!!
Cyber - I just love the Apple Banana...all of our trees are that except for a stand of IceCreams, Popo Ulu and some Cuban Reds. The Apples are so firm, meaty, sweet with such a good flavor!!
Yes...you must be pooped!
This weekend I put ferns and elephant ears around the banan trees that I planted last weekend to give it an even more tropical look.
The banana trees seem to be adjusting well to their new home. The apple banana has 2 babies!
Apple banana???
Now, that one sounds like a banana tree that belongs in my yard. LOL!!!!!!!
I'll just be happy when I find a banana tree to produce bananas in this zone. Everyone else has luck, but not me.
:(
Janet
An apple banana is really good. It's a small, plump banana- not all that round. I'll take pictures when mine fruits. Someone recently posted a picture of a banana tree in the midwest that was still growing new leaves. Maybe you can go back to the tropical threads and find it and ask that person how they are doing it. There was a picture with it, if that helps.
Down here, they grow like weeds. We are very lucky!