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. (Which is probably why
you see professional golfers on TV with a banana snack on the back
nine.)
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 fiber, including bananas in the diet can
help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem
without resorting to laxatives. (I thought bananas were binding????)
-
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 stomache and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted
blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your
system.
-
Heart-burn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body
so 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 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 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,
there by 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, takea piece of banana skin and place it on
the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in
place with 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!"
