Go Bananas

Bananas are one of nature’s best energy sources. They help satisfy you when you're hungry and are a good source of vital nutrients, such as carbohydrates for energy, as well as vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and dietary fiber – without added fat.

With three natural sugars and fiber bananas give an instant, sustained and substantial energy boost. In fact, just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.

Plus, a single medium-sized, ripe banana provides fuel for muscle and central nervous system activity and helps your body efficiently use nutrients for good health.

Bananas are the perfect post-exercise snack. During strenuous physical activity, your body loses important vitamins, like B6 and C, as well as minerals like potassium. A banana helps replace these nutrients to maintain your peak performance. This is why many marathon runners and bikers eat bananas after a race.

Certain nutrients in bananas, when eaten as part of a diet low in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of several diseases, including high blood pressure and stroke, some types of cancer and heart disease.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood to help anemia.

Blood Pressure: High in potassium yet low in salt, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

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

Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): According to a recent survey of people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein the body converts into serotonin, which makes you relax, improves your mood and generally makes you feel happier.

Hangovers: 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 rehydrates 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 you 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 to reduce swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins, which can help calm the nervous system.

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

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. Their B6, B12, potassium and magnesium 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 balanced 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 percent.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

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.

Ripening Bananas

If the bananas you buy aren’t as ripe as you’d like, try sealing them in a brown paper bag with an apple or tomato overnight.

To slow the ripening process once bananas reach your preferred ripeness, put them in the refrigerator. The skin may turn dark, but the fruit will be just right for several days.

Go Bananas for Your Health

Ripening Bananas