18 Healthy Things a Banana
Can Do for You
After you read the attached it might cross your mind that
the
FORBIDDEN FRUIT was not the apple, but the banana.
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 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 wor k 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 &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 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!"
PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS
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
