THE BANANA
If you want a quick
fix for flagging energy levels
there's no better snack than a banana.
Containing 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
your daily diet.
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 food for helping 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 fibber, including bananas in the diet can
help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the
problem without resorting to laxatives.
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
trypotophan, a type of protein that the body converts
into serotonin known to make you relax, improve your mood
and generally make you feel happier.
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
or if you suffer from heart-burn, 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 such as bananas
every two hours to keep levels steady.
PMS:
Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains
regulates
blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
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-chronic ulcer
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, trypotophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking, as the
high
levels of Vitamin C, A1, 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-know phrase so
that
we say,"A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"