Monday, December 21, 2009

Going Bananas--The wonders of Banana


 Pushpa this one's in response to your call.  I was giving up. Thanks to Rani we had another good post. Deepa post something.

 A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class
 about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the
 effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

 Never, put your banana in the refrigerator! !!
 This is interesting.
 After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

 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 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 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 ( England)
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.

 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 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 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, 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!"


 PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I
 will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE
 of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry
 cloth. Amazing fruit !!!

1 comment:

  1. Thank u Lakshmi for giving us good qualities of banana in detail.I was under the impression that it helps in gaining weight and very bad for sugar patients.Thats why i was avoiding banana all these days.( I dont have sugar but i have family background. and u know my weight.)Today onwards iwill start taking.

    ReplyDelete