Banana Power

This is interesting. Well worth the time to read. And after reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Remember - Never, put your banana in the refrigerator.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber.

Tips -

1. If you really love bananas, you can try recipes like banana cake, banana milkshake, even banana bread. You can use the above instructions to open the banana for use.
2. Mash a ripe banana and mix it with natural yogurt to make a delicious breakfast or dessert.
3. To eat a banana at the peak of ripeness, look for one that is yellow in color and lightly speckled with small brown or black speckles. Large brown spots indicate an over-ripe banana with a mushy consistency. Green bananas usually need more time to ripen.
4. Banana peels make very good compost. You may want to save your leftover banana peels if you collect compost for your garden.
5. Some people think that you can open a banana only from the top (the part that is longer.) The best way is to pinch the bottom nub of the banana and the peel at the top will begin to split. This way, no excessive mashing will occur. Enjoy your non-squished banana!
6. Removing the "banana strings" is optional but makes for a better tasting banana.
7. If the banana you want to eat is too green, put it in a brown paper bag for 24 hours and the next day it will be yellow! Alternatively, you may leave the banana at the ready on your counter, where it will ripen nicely on its own.
8. Fry sliced bananas in butter, splash on some rum, and when the rum is hot, set fire to the fumes to impress your guests. Add a little orange juice and cook till hot again, sprinkle with dark brown sugar and serve with cream or ice cream. This dessert is so nice it is illegal in some countries.
9. Ripening bananas give off a gas that causes other fruit to ripen more quickly. This is why some people store them away from the fruit bowl and even hang them up on little wooden stands which is God's way of telling you you have too much space in your kitchen.

Warnings -

• Bananas go bad if kept out too long. However, if the smooth whiteness is spoiled by a little bad spot,
• Keeping bananas with apples may imbue the banana skin bad color (brown instead of yellow).
• If you store your bananas in refrigerator, this will cause them to turn brown/black. However, this is only a cosmetic change. The interior regions of your crescent-shaped produce will stay nice and banana-fresh.
• Do not eat too many bananas, as this will have a constipating effect.
• Some people firmly grasp the banana at either end and break it in the center karate-style. However, this must be done quickly or may result in mushing.
• To tear a banana in half, pierce the skin half-way along its length with a fingernail, just enough to snap the fibres, making a cut about half an inch long. Gently bend the banana away from the cut and the whole fruit should tear in half with no mess or bruising at all.

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 (Middleage) 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 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 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 &Toba©co 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!"