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 proved 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 your daily diet.
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 fiber, 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.
Heart-Burn: Bananas have a natural antacid
effect in the body so if you suffer from heart-burn, 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 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, 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 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 you see 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-know
phrase so that we say, "A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
