Monday, January 4, 2010

BANANA POWER


Bananas have been found to be beneficial for a number of medical complaints. In addition to lifting your mood, bananas have been found to help you overcome a number of illnesses and conditions.

Here is the current official list of bananas health benefits:

Brain Power: 200 students at a Middlesex school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch in a bid to boost their brainpower. Research has shown the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways to cure a hangover is to make a banana milk shake, 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.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body; so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Smoking: The B6, B12,potassium and magnesium found in bananas help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: A high-potassium snack, such as bananas, can help normalize the heartbeat, send oxygen to the brain and regulate your body's water balance.

Mosquito bites: Next time you are bit, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

PMS: Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anaemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Blood Pressure: Bananas are extremely high in potassium yet low in salt. So much so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is allowing the banana industry to make official claims that bananas can reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke

Ulcers: The banana is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in chronic cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

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 percent.

So reach out for the Banana and whip it in your favourite fruit salad and other desserts.

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