Go Bananas!! Everything You Wanted to Know, and Then Some!!

If you want a quick fix for flagging energy levels, there's no better snack than a banana. Containing three natural sugars, combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proved that just 2 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 keep us 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
Bananas are 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 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.

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.

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 mild soothes and rehydrates.

Mosquito bites
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. May 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 snaking on high carb 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
May 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.

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 he 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 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 bandage 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, three times the phosphorous, 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 we should change that old saying to " A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"*

(*This was sent to me in an email, which I am sharing with all of you. Of course, it did not address the most important benefit of bananas- blogging energy! Information is deemed reliable, but not guarantee!.)

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