Bananas

[gymnastjlf]

Bananas

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 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 & 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 its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit!

[chrissy]

this must be a popular article-----some one on another board i visit posted this, also!

[rinne]

Great, I love bananas but why can't you put them in the fridge? Actually I never would put them in the fridge but I do put them in the freezer for smoothies.

[penguin]

The skin gets dark and the banana won't ripen in the fridge, but there's an urban legend that bananas become poisonous when refrigerated, which is complete bunk.

To ripen, leave bananas out at room temp. Once desired ripeness is attained, you can refrigerate to stop keep them longer, but the skin gets to looking gross.

Open Original Shared Link

[AndreaB]

Has anyone ever said big things come in small packages? The banana would certainly qualify for that. For some reason I'm mildly allergic to bananas so I can't eat them very often anymore. It's a pity when they are so good.

I don't know about the fridge aside from the fact that they turn brown pretty quick. I love to freeze them for "ice cream" (sorbet). I use frozen berries with non frozen bananas for smoothies. I allow myself to eat smoothie or sobert one a week if that.

[VydorScope]

Bah to all that, eat bananas cause they taste good and forget the rest.

[miles2go]

Great, I love bananas but why can't you put them in the fridge? Actually I never would put them in the fridge but I do put them in the freezer for smoothies.

I read an article just recently that debunked that adage. It said that while it makes the skins turn brown, it actually slows the ripening process, so while not particularly aesthetic, putting your bananas in the fridge isn't really a bad idea.

I still don't plan to do it. I buy as many as I think I can eat within a week and enjoy having to eat that last banana, anyhoo.

I also put them in the freezer for the smoothies.

[jerseyangel]

In my best Homer Simpson voice: Bananas, is there anything they can't do?

Another thing I have found for anyone who makes homemade ice cream with Vance's (or probably any other non fat milk sub)--blend whatever recipe you're using in the blender with a banana or two first, before freezing. Makes the fininshed frozen product softer! And yummy

[CarlaB]

I've also heard that the inside of the skin is good to shine the leaves of your houseplants. Never tried it, who has the time to shine houseplants???

[rinne]

Okay, interesting to know that it just slows the ripening by putting them in the fridge. I always thought it would make them mushy.

I've read that you can use the inside of the banana peel to polish shoes.

[dionnek]

Actually, that is the only way I will eat my bananas (from the fridge)

It will stop the ripening (I like mine slightly green) and yes, after a few days the skin will turn brown but the banana won't ripen anymore so you can keep it in the fridge a lot longer and still eat it. The only bananas in my house that sit on the counter are for banana bread

FYI - if you want to try this at home don't put it in the fridge too early b/c it WILL stop the ripening and if you don't like "green" bananas like I do, then you won't like it in the fridge (it also makes them harder to peel for some reason when they are refrigerated).

[Green12]

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

I thought bananas were binding and good for "D"?

[queenofhearts]

I thought bananas were binding and good for "D"?

Not for me! I always disliked bananas & avoided eating them. Even the smell put me off. A few years ago I decided I should learn to like them since they're so good for you. I managed to eat about half of one, then had stomach cramps & violent diarrhea. Tried again, 2 years later, same result. Decided that I had a reason to dislike them, though I had never known they disagreed with me when I was young-- must have had the experience before I really was conscious of it, & the dislike got hardwired! It's really weird because I really love fruit & can eat almost any variety without distress. And bananas are supposed to be super-digestible. Go figure!

Leah

[jerseyangel]

Interesting. Bananas are my safe food--I eat one in the morning if I need to be somewhere But after the last couple of years, I'm not surprised at how any food affects an individual.

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

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[4getgluten]

This is very interesting stuff. I love bananas and usually eat at least one a day. Except yesterday, when I had a terrible hangover... I wish I knew about the banana-honey milkshake then. Oh Well, next time. Oh wait, there won't be a next time. I'm never drinking again.

[miles2go]

Aargh! Does anyone else do a rotation diet just for health reasons?

Day 1 is sorghum or potatoes, day 2 is squash. Day 3 is rice and beans and day 4 is corn.

[prinsessa]

I must be the only person who doesn't like bananas. The only way I like them is almost green, in banana bread or in a milkshake. I just don't like the consistancy. My kids love them though. My daughter loved them so much that she got really constipated as a toddler from eating too many. My kids now have a two banana a day limit

[shai76]

I eat a tleast one banana a day, often more. They are great in smoothies, and I also use them to replace cereal. I cut up a banana, add raisins and dates, then pour vanilla rice milk over it all. Yum.

I think it's weird that bananas are actually an herb not a fruit.

[ianm]

Yuch, bannanas. I do not like the taste or smell of bannanas and they go out just as fast as they go in.

[queenofhearts]

Queenofhearts,

I'm in the same banana boat you are! Very allergic to them, also allergic to avacado and Laytex. (They have the same protein)... I kept trying bananas too, I love the way they smell and taste but good googly moogly they don't like me

It must not be the protein with me because I can eat a barrel of guacamole-- it's one of my favorite comfort foods. But it's kind of reassuring to know I'm not the only banana-hater in the world! Everyone in my family is crazy about them, & they are continually amazed that I dislike them since I love fruit so much. But it sounds like several folks on this board share my feelings-- when I see them I always say "Them thangs is p'izin!"

Leah

In my research and writing my blogg I found out the in the 20s - 30s and 40s babies with celiac disease were fed bananas. Lots and lots of bananas and they helped ward off celiac disease until they were adults when they called it Non-Tropical or Tropial-Sprue.

Good thing I wasn't diagnosed back then, or I'd surely have died!

[Carriefaith]

That's very interesting Thanks!

[lindalee]

In my research and writing my blogg I found out the in the 20s - 30s and 40s babies with celiac disease were fed bananas. Lots and lots of bananas and they helped ward off celiac disease until they were adults when they called it Non-Tropical or Tropial-Sprue.

I have since learned my (late) Auntie that was on a feeding tube with celiac disease was one of these 'banana babies' from the 20s. She lived on bananas, so much so, my grandfather had banana shipped to a banana what they called back then a 'babana ripening room' he had kept in the town they lived in. And now my 85-year old daddyO has begun telling me old stories of the tranchula spiders that would nestle into the hands of the bananas and the great stories centered around them they would tell. But as time passed Auntie developed seizure associated with foods, and she told me that bananas caused them as she grew up. It kind of makes sense... because as the news is coming out about secondary food intolerance/allergies we are learning that we can't eat the same thing in large quanities we develop problems.

I have linked an area of my blogg with the historic newspapers with these banana baby articles.

Open Original Shared Link Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link I'm still working on adding to this have more to post...

Yes, I was 15 months when dx and vaguely remember my mother telling me that is all I ate. LL

Bananas

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 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 & 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 its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit!

thanks for this...its great info. LL

[taz sharratt]

i too thought banannas were bindeing so cut them out of my diet, im glad they are actually good for you so im reintreuceing them, i love smoothies and they just dont taiste the same without a B as it helps make it a bit thicker like a mcdonalds shake ( not that i eat them anymore). i soooo miss my nannnas, this is good news.

[ms-sillyak-screwed]

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