all about bananas (not recipes but...)

[bassjunkette]

hi all a friend on another board posted this and I didn't know where to put it so here it is....

THE BETTER BANANA

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:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.


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
So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, 'A banana a
day keeps the doctor away!'

PASS
IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

PS:
Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one
here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and
rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit
!!!

[Buddenstocks]

Yeah...I'm smitten with bananas, haha. Everytime I go grocery shopping I buy a huge thing of them and just eat them all week.
But....why can they not go in the fridge? I never put them there, but I'm just curious.

[bassjunkette]

I have no idea. I've never put them in the fridge either

[SophieCatastrophe]

if you put them in the fridge they go really gross, like a green/brownish colour and go really hard. Also, they last longer if you keep them away from other fruit - not sure why though!

I loooove bananas especially frozen bananas in the summer!

[CretHAN Hop@aol.com]

I've heard that too ^^
Keep them away from other bananas and they won't get ripe as quickly.

[nikki626]

the fridge thing...as bananas ripen and start to brown, the fridge actually makes them brown faster, thus making your bananas go bad more quickly.

keeping them away from other fruit...this is just a guess, but here goes...ya know how whenyou get avocados n they're not quite ripe n to speed up the ripening you put them in a paper bag n they ripen faster? well, that happens cuz the gases given off by the fruit helps speed up the process. so i'm guessing that byhaving bananas near other fruits giving off gases it may speed up the ripening of your nanners...

brown nanners...in case anyone doesn't know, brown spots on nanners is actually a GOOD thing. the brown isn't rot, it's sugar oxidizing, meaning that naners with a few brown spots are sweeter than nanners with no brown spots. but also, if your nanner is almost blakk then i would probably find a newer nanner...

and thanx for all the great info on nanners....i'm sure to be passing this along to my friends =)

[Nag_Champa]

Thank you for this!

I've really never been a fan of bananas, but after reading this I'm going to start eating them anyways.

Eating one helped me yesterday after getting sick the day before. :] I was getting tiiiired from not eating all day.

[CrybabyCry]

neat stuff.
Yay for bananas.. I like mine in rice crispies.

[DarcyFox]

Bananas are Great!! But be carefull were you buy them from.

I developed a sudden intolerance to bananas last year and i have finally worked out why. It turns out that i am not allergic to the bananas them selfs but the pesticides sometimes used on them.

The reason this is real problem with bananas is that they are really really good at soaking up any pesticides around when they are growing, more so then other fruits. So even if you don't go organic on all your foods it is a good idea to get organic pesticide free bananas + They taste way better

Also the good news is that most of the pesticides go away when you cook the bananas so that means lots of banana cake!!!

[gemma_mct]

yeah apparently bananas give off ethanol so when you want to ripen other fruits let them ripen next to some bananas, but not for too long because it happens faster than you think. i've always liked bananas, i used to eat banana sandwiches when i was little and i've loved them ever since. also banana can be used to bind things together if you are vegan and not using eggs for baking which I think is really cool. bananas are great

[theCutestPinCushion]

Also, they last longer if you keep them away from other fruit - not sure why though!

bananas secretly hate other fruits. idk i just made that up.

[FluffyHellion]

wow O_O

i always thought that i was just allergic to bananas but now i'll have to try shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joes to see if their organic ones dont make my tounge itch...


i have to got take my pesticide ridden bananas from Albertsons out of the fridge now xD

[banana]

Another benefit of bananas potasium...if you have leg cramps, eating a banana a day will stop that.

[ratbastard]

"the fridge thing...as bananas ripen and start to brown, the fridge actually makes them brown faster, thus making your bananas go bad more quickly."
ahhH! yeah i told my boyfriend this and he doesnt believe me.. he says they do the same thing out. at my moms we never put them in the fridge

the fridge thing...as bananas ripen and start to brown, the fridge actually makes them brown faster, thus making your bananas go bad more quickly.

keeping them away from other fruit...this is just a guess, but here goes...ya know how whenyou get avocados n they're not quite ripe n to speed up the ripening you put them in a paper bag n they ripen faster? well, that happens cuz the gases given off by the fruit helps speed up the process. so i'm guessing that byhaving bananas near other fruits giving off gases it may speed up the ripening of your nanners...

brown nanners...in case anyone doesn't know, brown spots on nanners is actually a GOOD thing. the brown isn't rot, it's sugar oxidizing, meaning that naners with a few brown spots are sweeter than nanners with no brown spots. but also, if your nanner is almost blakk then i would probably find a newer nanner...

and thanx for all the great info on nanners....i'm sure to be passing this along to my friends =)

[lemon dropkick]

I used to eat bananas a lot until I realized where they come from is pretty far away(India,Brazil, Ecuador to name a few). I think Mexico does too, which isn't THAT far, though

I'm not bitching at any of you or trying to sound preachy....I mean I still buy clothes that were made in sweatshops half a world away and I work at huge retail chain(to get insurance) for crissakes, I'm just trying to do what I can, I guess.