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Nini
10-05-2006, 11:26 AM
The "Great" Banana!!!!!

After Reading This, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!

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.

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%!

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 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!"

Veganforlife
10-05-2006, 11:28 AM
Yep! Do you think that's why Alissa chose the banana up top for her search tool? I do!

mbf
10-05-2006, 04:08 PM
Just curious, where did you get this information from?

Mara

star1919
10-05-2006, 04:22 PM
Great post, Nini... Thanks! :D

As for the brain power... I've been in the habit of eating bananas when studying for and just before exams... Sure has worked for me! :p

Seren
10-05-2006, 05:33 PM
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain

They contain B12?? And here I was thinking that you couldn't get B12 in a raw diet without supplementing!!

Revvell
10-05-2006, 05:48 PM
Hmmm. thought this was about Sharon of Colorado. :D

spicyfull
10-05-2006, 08:29 PM
Go Nana...............

Goldsplinter
10-05-2006, 08:46 PM
Just curious, where did you get this information from?

Mara
It would be funny if it's a banana-company.

LOL

dreamrawalwz
10-05-2006, 09:11 PM
Too bad I hate bananas! I can't stand them!!

Nini
10-05-2006, 09:14 PM
mbf-
The PE teacher at the elem. school where I teach sent it to the staff and brought in bananas for us. Do you want me to ask her where she got it?

spicyfull
10-05-2006, 09:24 PM
I need no proof. I already know the Banana is a perfect food that comes in its own container, needs no refergeration and is DELICIOUS and only cost pennies. Thanks for sharing............

esha_99
10-06-2006, 03:45 AM
Appreciate your bananas!

In Australia, a cyclone ruined our whole banana crop. They now cost A$11.99 per kilo! :eek:

eatyourbroccoli
10-06-2006, 10:20 AM
i dont mean to be the dissenting voice here, but i keep hearing/reading how bananas are far too domesticated and that this is obvious even in the organic ones by the fact that they no longer have seeds...and should be avoided

ive also read somewhere that they cause infertility?

i want to say that a lot of this info has been based on teachings by gabriel cousens..but sometimes i get the names of the raw food gurus mixed up.

does anyone have further info on this, either proving it or debunking it and proving the health benefits mentioned above?

...id love my bananas back if they are, in fact, great for us.

:)

Conscious Midwife
10-06-2006, 10:44 AM
And here I was craving a banana smoothie just this morning!!!

guess I need to start buying these 5-6 bunches at a time, my 2.5yo son can eat three in one sitting and I often run out sooner than my next store visit.

On second thought now that I'm home I can but larger quantities and spend the time prepping other treats please freezing some for smoothies.

mbf
10-07-2006, 05:17 PM
Eat your Brocc, that is why I would like to know where this came from! I did search the internet and have not found anything that states bananas nutritional fullness as stated above??

Mara :D

SmilingRawDancer
10-07-2006, 05:52 PM
I found this article on rawguru.com:

http://www.rawguru.com/bananas.html

**Edit**

The source is here: http://www.karinya.com/bananas.htm

paradise
10-07-2006, 06:13 PM
According to this nutritional breakdown of a banana, it has no B12.
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c20Tm.html

Rawzula
10-07-2006, 06:15 PM
I found some useful information about the Banana from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana

Genetically Engineered Bananas? I think not:eek:

mbf
10-07-2006, 07:45 PM
Thanks. Not much nutritional info though, or not as much as posted above. As far as bananas being engineered, they have been humanly " altered" from their natural state :eek: and are a hybrid fruit.

Thanks again for the info!

Mara