Going Bananas

[Merika]

Bananas. 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 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 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, 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!"

[Duke]

I love bananas and only ate them because they were good in cereal. I know there supposed to give you a jolt but it's never worked for me. I just eat them because dey tasty g00d.

[Merika]

When I worked in the shipyards and it was just SO HOT....portions of the ship could be 135 degrees....after PT each morning....we had to either eat a banana or take the potassium pills offered.....just to keep from getting muscle cramps due to dehydration.

I don't particularly like bananas.....but they are such an excellent fruit for anyone who does. Sn00ps LOVES bananas.

[Duke]

How can you not like a banana? The only thing about bananas for me is that they have a very small window in time where I'll eat them. They must still have a touch of green on them and not be that deep shade of yellow or their too mushy for me.

[Star]

I like them that way too duke. i hate mushy bananas. BTW, after reading all that about bananas, I went and got one. my 2nd one today.

I love dairy queen's banana split. YUMMY! They're banana split blizzard isn't too bad either!

[twinkle]

I don't like bananas. I hate everything that is banana flavoured... Sorry, I know I'm silly, but I just don't like it.

A few years ago I hated it. I would go so far and say I have eaten 5 bananas in my whole life. right now I don't particularily not like them. I'll have something/anything else instead .

After reading Merika's post I think I should be eating one each day.


There is one way I loooove a banana: fried in caramel (Chinese style). Yummy.

[Star]

that sounds really yummy twinkle! hmmmm. fried in chocolate would be tasty too.

[twinkle]

It's such a contrast on the taste and structure: the caramel is really sweet and crusty and the banana so soft and smooth... Yummy indeed!

[Merika]

Fried bananas are about the only way I really like them at all. My son likes banana/honey/peanut butter sandwhiches.

[Star]

I have never fried a banana. how do you fry a banana? It sounds yummy! I want to try it!

[Merika]

Heat up some oil in the pan...just like you were going to fry chicken...and throw in your nanners....nicely sliced in quarters. YUMMY! That's a very southern ethnic food. I'm surprised more areas don't to it.

[twinkle]

Never heard of tha either. In my case - or should I say the way my sister's ex bf's case, he would gentley melt the sugar in a pan and ad a litle bit of water so that it does not burn. Add the chopped bananas in and then when they have a coat of caramel, add some susan seeds and put them on a plate.

Prepare a boul of very cold water - add some ice cubes in the summer. As you cut the bananas to eat it, because of the hot sugar, it's too hot to be eaten. Prepare a little bite and gently dip it in the cold water. Eat! The caramel will become hard and the temperature of the banana would drop.

Bon appetit !

Twinkle

I suggest you check out a cooking book just in case.

[Star]

thanks for the recipes! I will try them both. i bet hubby will like the caramel ones. he's got a wicked sweet tooth.

[Merika]

Since he does a manual labor job.....the bananas will help with the leg cramping at night. I know that to be true...since I dealt with it.

[Star]

the guy eats so many bananas i'm suprised he's not turned into a monkey by now. We always buy a few bunches a week (on fridays). we only have 1 left as of now.