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RawRobin
03-17-2006, 02:20 AM
Gotta love 'em :D

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 way 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.
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 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%!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the pro tein, twice the carbohydrates, 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!" If your roses are covered with Aphids, drape banana skins over the branches, I'ts amazing, but in a day or less, they are GONE! I've tried it, and I couldn't believe it, no more aphids, as long as I save my banana skins for the rose bushes!

smorgasborg
03-17-2006, 03:14 AM
Yes! That makes me so happy because I have been eating loads of them lately. My family is always so suprised how fast we go through a bunch of bananas. There isn't a raw recipe for banana bread is there? It's so great to know that the foods you crave are good for you. :) Yum

Indi
03-17-2006, 04:28 AM
Love them too!

Raw has set me free!

I used to keep my fruit intake low because I followed the anti candida diet rules. No more of that!

When i first went Raw, my daughter took photos of all the bunches of bananas piled up in the kitchen. :)

It became a huge talking point.

Now everybody accepts it as normal!

Bananas make an excellent base for fruit leathers, ice cream, smoothies...
How would i stay raw without them? :)

Gosia
04-02-2006, 05:48 PM
There is more. :)

Here:

(by kingkai234 at rawschool boards)

"Bananas: The perfect food for humans

The old expression, "An apple a day keeps the doctor a way," may need to be revised. Quite possibly the world's perfect food for us humans is the banana. After all, we're primates by natural design, and the most common food eaten by all other primates is the banana. In fact, the most common fruit eaten by humans is the banana.

The banana is a great food for numerous reasons. Most commonly known is that they are high in potassium, which can help lower blood pressure, increase concentration, and aid in recovery from illness. But bananas are packed with many other nutrients, including several B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, amino acids (protein), dietary fiber, etc.

Bananas are a high-energy food, especially if they're eaten correctly (in accordance with natural rhythms). Athletes have eaten bananas for years before and during games to replenish potassium, electrolytes, and carbohydrates. Since the introduction of sports drinks and candy bars--all of which are loaded with chemicals-- bananas have probably taken a backseat, but there's no denying that plain ol' water and a few pieces of fruit (bananas included) are far superior than any prepackaged PowerBar or PowerAde.

The useable iron in bananas help to relieve anemia-like symptoms, helping regulate blood pressure, which, in turn, provides the body with energy. In fact, every system in the body is affected positively by bananas in some way. The digestive system is coated and cleansed; the nervous system is acted upon, thereby helping the body relieve tension and stress; the lymphatic system is boosted by the number of antioxidants found in the fruit; the circulatory system is cleansed and nourished; mental clarity increases while the mind and body are calmed due to the tryptophan found in bananas.

As for providing the body with the energy and protein it needs to build strong bodies ... ever hear of a puny gorilla? Approximately 60% of their diets are comprised of bananas! Genetically, we're very similar to the gorilla and other primates, making us prime candidates for a banana-dominated diet. Women can use them to beat morning sickness, they can be used to alleviate withdrawal symptoms, they reduce acid within the body, and they are available year-round for the taking.

I've met people who are allergic to bananas and am quite convinced that their symptoms (upset stomach for the most part) are due to one of two things: Either bananas are 1) improperly eaten or 2) a candida albicans infection has occurred, which would make it difficult to eat any fruit without feeling physically upset. Oftentimes, people eat fruit with other food, which causes the fruit to stay undigested for too long, leading to fermentation in the gut. If yeast (fungus) is present--as it is in most people who have taken antibiotic batteries in their lives--debris in the digestive tract will be kicked up by the fiber found in bananas (and many other raw foods) that could easily lead to upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. After a thorough cleanse, people allergic to bananas should be able to eat them again, but as with anything in life, there are always exceptions.

I find that eating bananas in between other meals is a great way to eat more fruit throughout the day and also enjoyable snacks. Bananas are easy to carry, they don't have to be washed, and they're just the right size to eat as a meal all by themselves. Lately, my routine has been to eat fruit in the morning, a banana or two for brunch, a salad for lunch, a banana or two about 4 pm, and a salad with vegetables or a cooked meal for dinner. Doing this, I haven't been hungry in between meals, have been energized more than my coworkers who are zapped by the end of the workday, and never feel heavy or bloated throughout the day.

Yes, it does seem as though bananas are nature's perefect food. The next time you feel hungry and just gotta have a Snicker's or a bag of chips or whatever, reach for a banana instead. You'll be glad you did."



Above all intelectual arguments: bananas are mmm mmm mmm.


Gosia

squidly
04-02-2006, 06:19 PM
people are always amazed at how many bananas I and my daughter go through but they are great
- by themselves
- in smoothies
- banana date pie
- raw dipping chocolate (banana is maon ingedient)
- banana ice cream
- monkey's tails (bananas dipped in chocoalte, skwewerd and frozen)
- rasberry and banana pie
- banana rolled in dried coconut

and the list goes on - I could not live without them

ArcticMist
04-02-2006, 09:13 PM
Thank goodness for bananas!! I would probably not eat half the stuff I would if I did not have bananas. Thank goodness they are cheap too!! Shhh don't tell anyone how much we are consuming they might raise the price! :eek: :p

fiddler
04-02-2006, 09:16 PM
I absolutely LOVE bananas!!

As posted by others here, my local grocery stores have not carried Organic for a couple weeks now. However, I'm able to get an organic case of bananas from a wholesaler --- waiting for the case of green bananas to turn brown/ripe in a few more days to devour them -- yum.

The other day I ate 24 bananas plus a bunch of other fruit and greens :)

Arky
04-02-2006, 09:21 PM
I only wish I could find proper bananas WITH seeds, rather than the genetically-weak, hybridised, rubbish with excessive sugar and no discernable seeds whatsoever.

THEN, I'd consider them a healthy food. As it is, I do consume them in moderation but not in the manner that gurus like Doug Graham recommend - he is fortunate to be able to afford to source non (or at least less) hybridised varieties, which may be eaten until satiated, without fear of overly-taxing one's insulin response.


J.

karenisraw
04-02-2006, 09:47 PM
Shhh don't tell anyone how much we are consuming they might raise the price!

Is that the truth or what.

I felt slightly depressed today and I cut up a banana and ate half and within 5 minutes I was happy again.

k

Gosia
04-02-2006, 10:10 PM
"I felt slightly depressed today and I cut up a banana and ate half and within 5 minutes I was happy again."

We buy bananas by boxes. They make my kids happy too! :)

Gosia.

divaitalia
04-02-2006, 10:59 PM
Where do you find PROPER bananas and non hybridized ones?

I LOVE BANANAS!!!!!! :D

aromaticwings
04-02-2006, 11:21 PM
"I felt slightly depressed today and I cut up a banana and ate half and within 5 minutes I was happy again."

We buy bananas by boxes. They make my kids happy too! :)

Gosia.
Hahahaha, today I told my Non-raw hubby I can not wait till I can afford to buy oranges and bananas by the case.. He looked at me with wide eyes.. "by the box? Why?" I proceeded to explain.. He shrugged and said.. as long as you do not waste them...