Banana – Health Remedy
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 is not the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent numerous illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to your daily diet.
• Allergies: High in potassium a banana boosts potassium levels regulating possible allergies or sensitivities to foods.
• Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood.
• Blood Pressure: High in potassium, low in salt, bananas are perfect to reduce blood pressure. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved 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 by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed banana can assist learning by creating alertness.
• Constipation: High in fiber, bananas help restore normal bowel action, overcoming the problem, thus, one can avoid laxatives.
• Depression: A recent survey conducted by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. Bananas contain tryptophan, a protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to help you relax, improve your mood and generally inducing a happy feeling.
• Hangovers: One of the quickest ways to reduce hangover aftereffects is to drink 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. If you suffer from heartburn, eat a banana for soothing relief.
• Hypoglycemia: A deficiency of potassium can result in hypoglycemia. Bananas contain a high level of potassium.
• 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, rub the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
• Muscle functions: Bananas are high in potassium. Potassium is important for nerve and muscle functions, can aid in reducing hypertension.
• Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Osteoporosis: A study conducted by Deborah Sellmeyer, MD, an adjunct professor at the University of California at San Francisco. Sellmeyer, whose results appeared in the May 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism– the women who were given potassium supplements lost less calcium. High in potassium bananas are recommended to reduce risks of osteoporosis.
• Overweight—stress at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Observing 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.
• PMS and Painful Periods: Eat a banana. The vitamin B6 regulates blood glucose levels, which helps level your mood.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
• Smoking & Tobacco: The B6, B12 bananas contain, as well as the 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 rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
• Strokes: Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine, reveals eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
• Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal dis orders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. Bananas also neutralize 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.
• Warts: Those keen on natural remedies 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!
Recommended Daily Intake of Potassium: The minimum recommended daily intake of potassium is 3.5 grams. Symptoms of Potassium Deficiency: Bad circulation, bluish tint to skin, Chronic-Fatigue Syndrome, diabetes, earaches, edema, headaches, heart palpitations, hypertension, insomnia, intestinal pain, muscle weakness, oppressive breathing, pain in the eyes, prolapsed uterus, swollen glands, tissue anemia, and water retention.
A banana contains:
86 calories in a medium banana
1 gram of protein
3 grams of dietary fiber
26.9 g carbohydrates
23.9 g sugar
467 mg Potassium
43 mg Magnesium
27 mg Phosphorus
7 mg Calcium
1.3 mg Selenium
.4 mg Iron
trace amounts of zinc, manganese and copper
95 IU Vitamin A
11 mg Vitamin C
22.5 mcg Folate (important during pregnancy)
.7mcg Vitamin B6
.6 mg Niacin
.31 mg Pantothenic Acid
.67 IU Vitamin E
Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Metaphysician – Certified Hypnosis and Regression Practitioner, Author and Speaker. Dr. Dorothy facilitates Emotional and Spiritual Healing (ESH) for all diagnoses – clearing baggage, fears and limiting beliefs. Then, you can live the life you desire.She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one’s daily thoughts and feelings. https://drdorothy.net