Bananas

[Gypsiyee]

my mom sent me this today with a bunch of fun little facts about bananas.. I found it pretty interesting and think I should eat them more often, if for nothing else than just for the energy thing o.O I always thought bananas were one of the worse fruits for you because of fat or something.. can't remember why I was told they were bad.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

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 (England) 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 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 &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.

[Ouchyfish]

Very cool facts. (My mom sends me stuff like that, too-lol)

It made me think of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnzLbcpwOqQ

[leah]

the hangover remedy suggestion sounds DELICIOUS, which is a pretty impressive accomplishment given how nauseous i am i hate being sick. nothing has sounded appetizing to me today except this lonely can of 7up that is my best friend right now

[10sun]

Well, if you weren't preggers, then you wouldn't be sick.

[araby]

interesting! I got two bananas at the store last night because it seemed like the only thing I could eat that wouldn't make me sick. also, I've been having awful foot cramps (plantaar fascitis) and they seem to help..with the potassium.

I've been sick for two days (cold and stomach too), fever for two nights and theraflu isn't working..neither is whiskey. maybe I'll get more bananas.

[Tae-Bo]

bananas dont even have all that much potassium

edit: you can replace the word banana with a buncha different fruits and vegetables in that list of facts and it would still be true

[Gypsiyee]

hey killjoy get out of my thread!

if that's true why does it compare it to the apple at the bottom

[Tae-Bo]

well i give that they have slightly higher values of vitamins and minerals than commonly eaten fruits like apples and oranges but if you compare them to grapes and different berries, or stuff like spinach and lima beans, theyre pretty much the same as far as nutrient density goes. they are highly nutritious but so are a ton of other things that have less sugar. i dunno.. i dont believe the banana slanted media.

[Darcler]

During band stadium practices, if we got dizzy or felt sick, the boosters gave us a banana. I had this funny shake in my left leg that wouldnt allow me to keep practicing, a banana helped.
It was a food the hospital gave me as my night time snack when I was on bedrest while pregnant with JJ. My morning blood sugars were always good after it.
Add to that, bananas as fucking delicious.



p.s. there is no spell checker on the site anymore, is there.?

[araby]

"I stuck a banana up my ass and it cured my gayness!"
-satisfied banana consumer

[Jennay]

I love bananas but they have to be at an exact ripeness for me to eat them.

[Harrison]

I can personally debunk the "ulcer" remedy. Bananas raped my stomach when my stomach was less than healthy.

[Jennay]

Hmm, something similiar happened to me Harrison. For about a year, I could not eat bananas. Whenever I did, I got horrible stomach cramps, my insides felt swollen,my temp dropped, and I became shaky.

[araby]

you thought one attacked you?

[Jennay]

that banana abuuuuuused me. Abused.

[Harrison]

That's really fucking funny.

[The Kizzy]

the hangover remedy suggestion sounds DELICIOUS, which is a pretty impressive accomplishment given how nauseous i am i hate being sick. nothing has sounded appetizing to me today except this lonely can of 7up that is my best friend right now

Pregnant from a banana?

In boot camp, they would always hand out bananas as snacks when we were running all day.

On a side note. I love frikking bananas, but I hate anything banana flavored. Does that even make sense?

[Martrae]

Yep, since I love peaches but anything peach flavor is just plain nasty.

[Darcler]

Love grapes but avoid anything grape flavored.

Oh, Cranberry Sierra Mist or whatever its called, tastes EXACTLY like the red flavored Nyquil. Grooooossssss.

[Gypsiyee]

What! I had the diet cranberry sierra mist the other day and *loved* it - if you had the regular maybe it was just more syrupy, I don't know, but I thought it was yummylicious.

[Darcler]

We were at Target getting Hailey some pants the other night. Kids got cranky as it got late so I bought them a soft pretzel to share. It came with a drink. I didnt want it but decided to try the Cranberry stuff. It was shocking how horrible it was lol. Gid thought the same. Maybe it was just "regular", as I like Diet Coke better than regular, but it has scarred me from drinking that stuff again.