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BANANAS
Bananas are great bad habit breakers!
"Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man,
but coaxed downstairs a step at a time."
-- Mark Twain
After years of dieting we tend to form bad eating habits, especially if your dieting philosophy is based on deprivation rather than healthy alternatives. If you skip breakfast, by mid morning your energy levels are probably dropping and you will feel slightly pap. In some instances you probably either grab another cup of coffee laced with sugar, a packet of chips or even a chocolate bar, which will give you an energy boost and make you feel better almost immediately, but mostly this lift is short lived. By lunchtime your energy levels are dropping again and the need for another boost is evident.
The banana is one of those gifts from nature that can fill almost all our needs. It comes specially packaged in its own unique wrapping, and there is no need for any long and tedious preparation. You can simply break the top, peel and eat. The banana is also one of those fruits that you can eat anywhere at anytime, in the car, on the run or even on the way to an important meeting.
If you want a quick fix for those flagging energy levels there isn't a better snack than a banana. Bananas can also help prevent and overcome a whole host of illnesses and conditions, and so should be something you add to your daily diet. From [ Anaemia ] and [ Blood Pressure ] problems to [ Constipation ] and [ Depression ], a banana is the natural alternative. Studies show that eating a Banana can improve
[ Brain Power ], cure [ Hangovers ], relieve [ Heartburn ], helps avoid
[ Morning Sickness ], soothes [ Mosquito Bites ], calms [ Nerves ], can stop panic-induced food cravings, reduces [ PMS ], neutralises over-acidity which causes
[ Ulcers ], [ Controls Temperature ], and can even cut the risk of death by [ Stroke ] by as much as 40%! Bananas can help [ SAD ] sufferers, and those wanting to quit
[ Smoking ], as well as relieving [ Stress ]. It's even believed that the Banana skin can eradicate [ Warts ]. They are readily available at most shops, and are in season for a good part of the year. So if you want to break some of those bad habits like eating chips or chocolates to lift your energy, grabbing a pill to relieve heartburn and stress or calming your nerves, think first, peel a banana and eat the natural way!
The following are Benefits of eating a Banana:
(Taken from Chet Day's "Today's Health Tip by Helen C" www.chetday.com )
- ANAEMIA:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.
- BLOOD PRESSURE:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely 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 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 fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
- 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.
- 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 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 neutralises 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, 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 the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
- STRESS:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalise the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water-balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, there by 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!
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.
BANANAS
Benefits:
Drawback:
- Can cause intestinal wind if unripe
Healthy, filling and conveniently wrapped, banana are one of nature’s ideal snacks. Bananas are grown in most of the world’s tropical areas. They are harvested when still green, and begin to ripen during transportation. Most are still not fully ripe when sold and they should be stored at room temperature until they are ripe. They will then keep in a refrigerator for four or five days if they are wrapped in newspaper. Although the skin may turn brown, the flesh should stay fresh, firm and cream-coloured. I like to buy a bunch of bananas and place them in a glass fruit bowl on our table, where anyone can grab one for a quick, healthy snack.
Unripe bananas contain ‘resistant’ starch - so called because it cannot be digested in the small intestine - which then ferments in the large intestine, often causing wind. Because most of the starch content turns to sugar as the fruit ripens, bananas are not only sweeter when ripe, but can also be much more easily digested.
Because ripe bananas are so easy to digest, and rarely cause allergic reactions, they are a popular solid food for babies. They are also good for treating childhood stomach upsets; in the USA, children with diarrhoea are often fed the ‘brat’ diet - comprising bananas, rice, fresh apple sauce and toast. As children, my grandmother commonly gave my brother and I, mashed banana on toast when we were suffering from any tummy ailment like diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting - not that I ever need encouragement to eat a banana.
Perhaps the banana’s blandness (although I find them tasty and delicious ;o) is the reason why many sufferers of stomach ulcers report that it is a soothing food. Several attempts have been made to investigate the medicinal impact of bananas and [ plantains ] on stomach ulcers and there have been claims that bananas may stimulate cell and mucus production in the stomach lining; by thickening the stomach walls and sealing its surface, they may help to heal existing ulcers and stave off new ones.
Bananas are a good source of potassium, which is a vital mineral for muscle and nerve function. Potassium also helps to regulate blood pressure. They also contain a high level of natural sugar in both their fresh and dried form, which they release quickly into the bloodstream. This explains why many athletes, especially tennis players, often eat bananas before, or even during a competition.
‘Green Bananas - otherwise called PLANTAINS’
Plantains, which are colloquially known as ‘green bananas’, are indigestible and unpalatable when eaten raw. Because they are rich in tannin, they can taste bitter, though some of this flavour disappears in cooking.
Plantains contain more starch than bananas because they are eaten before they are fully ripe.
Fun Facts!
Did You Know?
- Weight for weight dried bananas contain about five times more kilojoules than fresh.
- India produces more bananas than any other nation.
- Linford Christie, the Olympic gold-medallist sprinter, includes fried plantain in his breakfast before competing or training.
- In east Africa bananas are fermented to make beer.
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