BANANA FACTS..

[franks]

Bananas for that ! they taste horrible , you get better results from low sodium v-8 juice , less calories( 50 per 8 oz) , more potassium ( 872mg per 8 oz), and vitamin a 40%daily value and vitamin C 120% per 8 oz glass , no comparision

taste is one thing, but nothing beats first generation foods (fruits, vegetables, non processed) for health benefits.

[tsmandy]

Sadly, many scientists believe the Banana we currently know and love will be all but extinct sometime in the near future.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science...cbccdrcrd.html

[mikey_stl]

Bananas... This is very interesting.

After Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas. Containing 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 haemoglobin 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 the 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 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 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 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 crisps. 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: 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!"

P.S. Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!
__________________________________________________ ___

~Kisses.

HTG

Thanks for the info -- can I eat your banana?

[gummi baer]

And have you heard Kirk Cameron's spiel on how the banana proves the existence of God? Don't know where that leaves pineapples or coconuts, though.

[Eklipse]

I thought they were just for deep throating practice.

[wendy48088]

* Deleted *

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

Thanks for the info -- can I eat your banana?

LOL Only IF I allow you to! Hehe..

~Kisses.

HTG

[a994]

And, don't forget, back in the glory days of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco, there was the Great Banana Prank. One of the local bands, Country Joe And the Fish, claimed that one could scrape the soft dryish residue from the insides of banana peels, dry it inside an oven, and then smoke it to get high. They passed out joints rolled from dried banana scrapings one night at the Fillmore Auditorium and for the next few weeks, local fruit stand owners and supermarket managers must surely have wondered why all of a sudden young people with long hair and freaky clothing were showing up at all hours and purchasing all of the bananas that were on stock. Of course it all turned out to be a hoax.

It has also been suggested that British pop/folksinger Donovan referred to this in his 1966 hit song "Mellow Yellow" in which he sang that "electric banana [is] the next phase."


P.S. Wendy and Hara, I like your new avatar pictures. You both look stunning!

[Felicia Katt]

Funny. I was eating a banana when I saw that pic. I kinda gaged. >_>;

you never saw a banana split with nuts before? LOL

meow

FK

[a994]

you never saw a banana split with nuts before? LOL

Or "The Banana Splits And Friends?"