JoeReal

I got this article circulating around, and please treat with caution as I have not verified the source. But it makes for nice reading:


"For everyone....

Bananas...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.

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 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's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex, England) 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.

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 crisps (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. 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. 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 (band aid)or surgical tape!

Rose Bushes: Blend one skin (soft Part) with blender full of water and pour on base of Rose Bush. Promotes healthy roots and new growth.

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 its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps more doctors away."

Bananavilla

Bananas are very healthy in moderation. Gotta watch out though cause that's a whole lot of Carbs.
I wouldn't eat 3 in one sitting unless I was getting ready to go out a do some serious digging around my banana plants
Mike

rane

Well, it seems to be at least partially incorrect It claims bananas contain vitamin B12 which is not the case: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanocobalamin

JoeReal

I think one of the contributors suggested that bananas be taken with milk or cheese, which is rich in vitamin B12. I love to eat cavendish banana wrapped with a slice of cheese.

Bananas and milk when taken together constitutes a near perfect healthy food that would supply all your nutritional needs. Pure vegans, however, do not take milk and other animal-based derivatives, but on the other hand, unknowingly consume fungus, bacteria, amoebas, aphids, thrips, tiny grain beetles, slug eggs, spider legs, mammal hairs and other animal stuff that are impossible to clean from plant produce, totalling to about 4 lbs a year per average adult for a vegetarian diet, and about 1.5 lbs per year for non-vegetarian average diet.

JoeReal

Here's a very credible source to the nutrient analysis of banana:

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/month/banana.htm


While there could be tremendous variation among the different banana cultivars, even within the same cultivar, the values below do not necessarily represent all types of bananas.

Serving size 1 - medium (126g/4.5oz)

Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 110
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Potassium 400mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%
Dietary Fiber 4g 6%
Sugars 21g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 15%
Calcium 0%
Iron 2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.


So for 3 bananas, that's only 330 calories, that's just 16.5% of total daily calorie requirements.

Banana doesn't make the perfect food, nor does milk. But bananas and milk constitutes a nearly perfect healthy food.

MediaHound

I'll be sure to remember that and pass the info on to the next vegans I meet.
Can't wait to see their faces!

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Tropicman

I'm new here,but I've posted on other forums.
I have a banana and glass a milk every morning before I go to work,and again everynite before bed,also at these times I take medication for my heart at nite,and diabeties in the morning.
This combination seems to work well with my bodies need,seems to help the side
affects of the medication I'm taking,the diabetic doctor,wished I'd eat only a half banana and a cracker with peanut butter for more protien than the sugars I get from the bananas.

Bananavilla

Seems the Doc forgot that the carbs in the cracker turn to sugar.
How about scrap the cracker and have half a banana with peanut butter?
Mike

Tropicman

Well the docs pa,did say a spoonfull would be better for me,her exact words was a spoonfull would help the medicine go down!!!
Be like a kid sneaking a spoonfull of peanut butter from the jar,when mom wasn't looking!!!

Chironex

Interesting archived thread that should be re-read. Support your local banana!!

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