Originally Posted By friendofdd I can't vouch for this, but it may make you want a banana - right now. Any doubts? Check with your doctor. >>>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. < BR> 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 !!! <<<
Originally Posted By Mr X Um, so why should we never put a banana in the fridge? Did I miss something? What if I like my fruit chilled?
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 DH eats 2 banana's every day, he says he feels odd if he doesn't. All these years I thought he was nuts as I am the one who grocery shops for those "not too green, not too yellow and NEVER spotted bananas." He's a great guy and does alot for me too so I just buy the darn bananas. Now I'm thinking that I should be eating them too. I'll have to eat them on the sly after making fun of him for so long. Thanks fodd!
Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 <<Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief>> OK I am gonna try this.
Originally Posted By Schmitty Good Vibes I can vouch for how they help with the nerves. The vitamin B and potassium combination works very well. I'm going to go get a banana.
Originally Posted By LuLu I just read that it's good to put bananas in the fridge to slow ripening. Even tho the peel changes color, the fruit will keep longer. So what *does* give??
Originally Posted By LacyBelle I'm sure glad I had that banana for breakfast this morning. Thanks, fodd.
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Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I just knew we would end up with an ADMIN. LuLu, I also tend to put some bananas in the refrigerator if they are ripening too quickly. It doesn't seem to be a problem with taste (at least for a few days) maybe it's something to do with the vitamins? If they are too ripe, I freeze them for smoothies or just for eating in the summer. I wonder now if I'm destroying something good in them.
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<Um, so why should we never put a banana in the fridge?>> <<They get brown really fast in the fridge, X.>> <<I just read that it's good to put bananas in the fridge to slow ripening. Even tho the peel changes color, the fruit will keep longer. So what *does* give??>> Let's ask Miss Chiquita for some insight. In song form, please, Miss Chiquita. Her 1944 wisdom: I'm Chiquita banana and I've come to say: Bananas have to ripen in a certain way. When they are fleck'd with brown and have a golden hue, Bananas taste the best and are best for you. You can put them in a salad. You can put them in a pie-aye. Any way you want to eat them, It's impossible to beat them. But, bananas like the climate of the very, very tropical equator - So you should never put bananas in the refrigerator. And her thoughts on the topic circa 1999: I'm Chiquita Banana and I've come to say: I offer good nutrition in a simple way. When you eat a Chiquita you've done your part To give every single day a healthy start. Underneath the crescent yellow You'll find vitamins and great taste. With no fat, you just can't beat 'em. You'll feel better when you eat 'em. They're a gift from Mother Nature and a natural additional to your table. For wholesome, healthy, pure bananas - look for Chiquita's label! Hmmmmmm. Miss Chiquita is no longer insisting that we keep bananas out of our refrigerators. The original jingle was written by the banana industry to educate the public about how bananas ripen. Bananas were newly available to many people, and many of them didn't understand how to store bananas, control their ripening, and judge their readiness for consumption. I suspect that this jingle is why many people fear putting bananas in the refrigerator. There's nothing harmful about cooling bananas. What many people still don't understand is that air circulation is as important as temperature in controlling the ripening rate of bananas. Bananas give off a gas as they ripen. This gas furthers the ripening process. You can confirm this with an amazingly dramatic experiment. Start with a bunch of four equally ripe bananas. Place two, still connected by the stem, if possible, out in the open on the counter or dining room table. Place the other two, still connected to each other or not, into one of those clear plastic produce bags that you rip from the roll in the grocery store. Twist the top. Let all four bananas sit for one day. Then check again at two days. You can use this trick to ripen OTHER fruits as well. Just seal them in a bag with ripening bananas. This phenomenon, by the way, is why there was some legitimacy to the "banana hanger" kitchen fad of a few years back. The gas can dissipate faster and cause less rapid ripening of the bunch when the bananas are hanging as opposed to laying on top of each other.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice <<I just knew we would end up with an ADMIN.>> They didn't like me tossing "Hollaback Girl" into the mix... ;-)
Originally Posted By LuLu The Dark Side of Bananas I tend to avoid bananas because of the sugar, so I looked up this info: # You don’t need to eat bananas for the potassium! (Although it is present in bananas, potassium is the predominant nutrient among most all fruits and vegetables. An avocado has twice the potassium as a banana, and dark green leafy vegetables have 3x.) # Bananas are high in sugar, so they should not be eaten if you have blood sugar problems. # Don’t eat bananas on an empty stomach; combining them with a bit of protein will help to normalize the insulin response caused by the sugar in the banana. # Green-tipped bananas are better for your health than over-ripe bananas. #Don't eat bananas during mosquito season--mosquitoes love bananas! There is something about how your body processes the banana oil that attracts these female sugar-loving insects. # On a side note: Because bananas are so popular, rainforests are often destroyed to make way for banana plantations. So I guess the moral is, eat bananas if you like 'em and don't if you don't
Originally Posted By Buzz Lite-Snack I'd eat 'em if I didn't find their smell so odd, their taste so disgusting and their consistency so off-putting. OK, so there's pretty much nothing I like about bananas. They are amusing to look at though. I s'pose that's something.
Originally Posted By chickapin Buzz--you are the only person who seems to share my dislike of banannas! Can't stand the smell and don't like the flavor in anything. No laffy taffy or anything else!
