Benefits
of Bananas
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 remedy 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 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. 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 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
its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day
keeps the doctor away!"
(Editor's note: The above article came to
us via cyber space and has not been verified by us, though it sounds reasonable,
otherwise we wouldn't be passing it on. Bananas are high in sugar, and those with
blood-sugar disorders should consult your physician or nutritionist.)
Cancer
Prevention News from Johns Hopkins:
1. No plastic
containers in microwave.
2. No water bottles in freezer.
3. No plastic wrap
in microwave.
Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters.
This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.
Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly
poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water
in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Dr. Edward
Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital, was on a TV program to
explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic
containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the
combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and
ultimately into the cells of the body.
Instead, he recommends using glass,
such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the
same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen
and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something
else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer
to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while
ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper.
The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.
Also, he pointed out that plastic
wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked
in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins
to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover
food with a paper towel instead.
Ubiquitous disclaimer:
Any information in this newsletter is offered as interesting information or opinion
and is not intended to be medical advice. Please consult your physician.
Quotations
Worry doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow -
it empties
today of its strength.
Cori Tenboom
Worry is like a rocking
chair.
It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.
Tears are a river that takes you somewhere.
Weeping creates a river around
the boat
that carries your soul life.
Clarisa Pinkola Estes
Love is friendship that has caught fire.
Ann Landers
Whoever
said love is blind is dead wrong.
Love is the only thing that lets us see
each other with the remotest accuracy.
Martha Beck
Save
the Earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.
Poetry
Since my house burned down,
I have a much better view
of the rising
moon.
- Unknown
All night this soft rain from the distant
past.
No wonder I sometimes waken as a child.
- Ted Kooser
Wild
Horse
there's a horse inside me
skittish and wild
delicate and
exotic
always running
magical and powerful and fleet
elusive and untamed
beautiful
and rare
white mane and tail flying
unbridled and free
- Sue
Redding
