THE BANANA

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 proved 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 
your daily diet. 

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 food for helping 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 fibber, including bananas in the diet can 
help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the 
problem without resorting to laxatives. 

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. 

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 
or if you suffer from heart-burn, 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 such as bananas 
every two hours to keep levels steady. 

PMS: 
Forget the pills eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates 
blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood. 

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-chronic ulcer 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, as the high 
levels of Vitamin C, A1, 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 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 its time to change that well-know phrase so that 
we say,"A Banana a day keeps the doctor away!"