395) EMEL PILIHAN : Bananas : I had no idea!! Did you??
06 Sep 2011
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 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 our daily diet.
1. 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.
2. PMS: Forget the
pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contained regulates blood glucose
levels, which can affect your mood.
3. Anaemia: High in
iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so
helps in cases of anaemia.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Constipation: High
in fibre, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action,
helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
7. 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.
8. Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid
effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for
soothing relief.
9. Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between
meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
10. 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.
11. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins
that help calm the nervous system.
12. Overweight
and pressure 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.
13. 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.
14. 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. Similarly, if you
don’t want sex, eat banana!
15. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer
tryptophan.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. 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 percent.
19. 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! I will add one more here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the
INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe then polish with dry
cloth.
Banana is really an amazing fruit but don’t go banana over
banana eh.
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