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BANANAS
for Good Health
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Fruits and vegetables
BANANAS
for Good Health
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 fibre,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 your daily diet.
Anaemia: 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 food for helping to beat blood pressure. So much so that
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 abanana. 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.
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
andirritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B
vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Instituteof
Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on
comfort food likechocolate 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,tryptophan.
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 swearthat, 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-known phrase so
that we say, "A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
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