Bananas and Your Health

[moonstar]

This isn't exactly herbal but it is alternative:

 

Bananas and Your Health!

This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

 

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

 

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 B-6 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. (Also used the same way for ant bites)

 

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 & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking.

The B-6, B-12 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 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!

 

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!"

 

 

[Jason Mc]

Crum-bum and pout. I only regretted missing my mom's banana bread before.... now I'm REALLY annoyed about beng allergic!

 

 

 

Good info to have tho. I'm gonnahave to start making sure Hon has his banana a day. Of course... well away from me.

[Mother]

Not only that but mashed banana as well as the inside skin of the banana peel makes a wonderful facial. It feels strange but leaves the skin feeling wonderfully soft. Mix the mashed banana with a bit of honey and yogurt and it's even better. (course just the honey alone makes a SUPER facial) And you can eat the leftovers.

 

Then don't forget to put the banana peel in the compost or bury it under some roses. Their nutrients do just as well for our plants as they do us.

 

Oh, and then there's frozen bananas. Peel, pop into a zip lock bag and freeze. Use them to make wonderful smoothies or ice cream substitutes. Frozen and dipped in chocolate, or other syrup and dipped in nuts makes a neat desert. And why NOT put bananas in the refrigerator. I keep mine there often. The skins turn brown but the banana itself keeps longer IMHO.

[Guest Guest]

Great info! We've been eating a banana a day for months now, for the potassium and C. Hubby has high blood pressure and takes a daily fluid pill. A banana is the way he gets his potassium.

 

Bananas are about the only fruit I can eat that doesn't give me heartburn or that doesn't hurt my sensitive teeth. The high acid content in other fruits cause both problems. And since I smoke, I especially need vitamin C, because smoking takes it out of your body. There are some days we go without until I can get to town to buy more. I buy them green so they won't ripen too quickly. I have been thinking about drying them to have when I don't have fresh. Do they keep well in the freezer? I may try that also.

 

Kaye

[cartoongirl]

Love Bananas, banana everything!

 

Great news.

[Mother]

Hi Kaye, Bananas keep really well in the freezer for about six months or a bit longer but they don't thaw well. You either have to eat them frozen or use them in some baked goods or mashed in a pudding. I use mine with other fruit both frozen and fresh to make a daily smoothie with no sugar or sweetener of any kind. I buy them by the quantities when they are on sale, wait until they are at the peak of perfection, peel and freeze in zip locks. In our area they have a sale on them about once every four months so try to get enough to last me until the next time. If they are really cheap I buy enough to dry enough for a year at a time or more. I buy them green and dehydrate them as they become ripe but not overripe.

 

Great eating, bananas. I would miss them if I could not get/afford them.