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BANANA - the wonder food

 

DOCTOR'S HOME REMEDY: : 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

proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous

90-minute workout.

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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! It'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: Since they are 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 & STRESSED AT WORK? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in

Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort foods 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. Try a banana or two.

 

 

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-chroniculcer 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. The B6

and 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 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 it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, " A

banana a day keeps the doctor away " !

 

Enjoy them.