Do you know how healthy banana's are?

@nelly5 (1424)
United States
April 9, 2008 2:09pm CST
ALL ABOUT BANANAS, I LOVE THEM!!! health benefits of bananas sorry this is so long, but here are a list of health benefits of bananas: Doctors - Home Remedy 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 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 tolaxatives. Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milk shake, 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. 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 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, there by reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balanced 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! Finally, a postal worker made the following statement: "Folks, when I was carrying mail for the Post Office, I frequently experienced leg cramps at night, and these usually occurred after I had been asleep for! several hours. I went to the doctor, and he wrote me a prescription for potassium supplements, but he also recommended that I eat one or two bananas, one in the middle of the morning, and one as a mid-evening snack. Worked just fine then, and still does." 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." I don't know how true all this is, but I found it very interesting.
5 responses
• United States
28 Apr 08
I love bananas but I had no idea that they had so many good effects on the body. I don't eat them as often as I should. I randomly decided today while in the cafe after dinner that I wanted a banana so I made sure to grab two from the cafe. They aren't ripe yet but hopefully that will change here in a few days and I can have a nice snack.
1 person likes this
@nelly5 (1424)
• United States
29 Apr 08
Yes, they are a very healthy snack, in moderation though, but isn't that how it is with everything. I love them too! Thanks for the response, have a wonderful day!
• United States
11 Apr 08
yum bananas are awesome. I just have something everyone should try doing right now. Say banana 5 times fast. I bet that was a challenge to anybody who is as weird as me to actually try that. Well that was a whole lot of information given right there. I would say bananas are the best fruit in the world second after strawberries. lol :-)
1 person likes this
@nelly5 (1424)
• United States
14 Apr 08
Oh yum, I love strawberries too! Thanks for the response, have a great day!
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
10 Apr 08
Wow...I didn't know all that about nanners...I love them and so does Hubby. In fact, I'm gonna get some today LOL I really need to start picking them up more but I always seem to forget. Thanks for all the great information. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
1 person likes this
@nelly5 (1424)
• United States
10 Apr 08
Yes, that is a lot of information. You know what is weird about the fact that I put this on here yesterday? Well yesterday afternoon a muscle in my leg was crapping up, everytime I walked. So I said, I need a banana. I ate one and a while later, the cramping stopped. I am not sure if it was just a coincidence or if the banana really worked..lol I guess if it happens again, I will eat a banana again and see if it does help. Thanks for the response. Have a great day.
@ersmommy1 (12587)
• United States
9 Apr 08
There is alot of information there. Some of it is true. And they do call the banana one of natures Perfect foods. The mosquito bite and the banana peel sounds interesting. I may have to try that. lol,Just to see if it works.
1 person likes this
@nelly5 (1424)
• United States
9 Apr 08
Yes, it is a ton of information. I had recieved it during a nutrition class at college, and kept the papers because I found it very interesting. Mosquito season is coming, so yes, I am certainly going to try that with the peel, it will be interesting to see if it really works. Thanks for the response, have a great day!
@koalatbs (2229)
• United States
9 Apr 08
Wow nelly5! I knew bananas were good for you but a lot of the information in your post I did not know, like the fact that they can boost your mood and also that the peels can be used for insect bites and also for warts! Who knew?!! LoL! I read something else recently about bananas... if you peel them from the bottom end the little stringy pieces you usually get will not stick to your banana! They said this is the way the primates eat them in the wild! Pretty cool huh?! I tried it and it does work.
@nelly5 (1424)
• United States
9 Apr 08
Well that is pretty interesting about how to peel a banana without having all the stringy fibers stuck to it. I will have to try that. Thanks for the post, have a great day!