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 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.
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.
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: It'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 rehydrate 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.
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-chroniculcer
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. 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 the body's water-balance. When
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 you see, a banana really is a natural remedy for
many ills. When compared to an apples, bananas
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. Being rich also in potassium, it is one of
the best value foods around.
So maybe its time to change that well-known
phrase to say, "A Banana a day keeps the doctor
away"!
