Pass the Banana

[cateyes1]

 













A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class

told his class about bananas.

He said the expression 'going bananas'

is from the effects of bananas on the brain.

DID YOU HAVE YOUR BANANA TODAY























Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana

in the same way again.













 
 


















Bananas contain 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 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 (England) 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 chips. 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.

InThailand, 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 &Tobacco Use: 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 it's time to change that

well-known phrase so that we say,

'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys

are so happy all the time!

[plennis]

Very interesting.  I always knew I liked bananas!  It is good to know they like me too.

[candyterrius]

Next to oranges, banana is one of my favorite convenient fruit to carry around when I’m on the go.

[sarabtrayior]

I never knew all this, I'm going to eat more but my hubby hates them because his mom put them in his lunch and he would'n eat them and she would put them back in his lunch and so on and so on and so on. I would have traded the fruit for something else and would not have had that problem. I only purchased them when I was pregnant, but "hid" them so my hubby would not see them...

[lvstephanie]

With the fact about how bananas are the favored fruit of athletes, it mentioned only about the energy effects of the fruit, but neglected one of the other major reasons why athletes like them... Bananas are high in potassium, which is key in the neuro-muscular system. Athletes consuming foods rich in potassium tend to suffer from fewer muscle cramps, and if a person does have cramps, bananas tend to decrease the recovery time.

[kapeh12]

With the fact about how bananas are the favored fruit of athletes, it mentioned only about the energy effects of the fruit, but neglected one of the other major reasons why athletes like them... Bananas are high in potassium, which is key in the neuro-muscular system. Athletes consuming foods rich in potassium tend to suffer from fewer muscle cramps, and if a person does have cramps, bananas tend to decrease the recovery time.

I can vouch for this whole-heartedly.  I'm trying to compete as an adult figure skater, and was constantly suffering from muscle spasms.  Then after consulting a nutritionist, I started taking magnesium supplements and eat a banana or 2 most every day - and the spasms practically vanished overnight.

Recently I've gone without bananas for about 2 weeks as I was lazy and just didn't go to the store to pick up some more, and even though I was still taking my magnesium - those spasms started coming back.  I picked up a fresh supply of bananas this weekend, and I'm already feeling much better!

I guess it also helps that I've always liked bananas too.