Let’s Go Bananas!

The humble Banana is an interesting tropical fruit, and definitely one to add to your everyday diet to give you a significant energy boost. Bananas are rich in fibre, and contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose, it’s these that give you an instant, long-lasting boost of energy, they are also rich in many minerals and vitamins.

Energy isn’t the only bonus of eating a banana, research has shown them to prevent or overcome a number of common health complaints, making a “Banana a day” an essential part of your diet.

The Healing Powers of the Banana

Here are some of the ailments Bananas can help us out with………

• Depression- According to a survey by MIND, among people who were suffering from depression, most of them felt much better after eating a banana. The reason for this is that Bananas contain “Tryptophan“, a type of protein that the body converts into Serotonin, which is known as a happy chemical, and can improve your mood and relax you.
• PMS -  Hooray for Bananas! The amounts of Vitamin B6 they contain helps regulate blood glucose levels, which can affect our mood.
• Blood Pressure – Bananas are extremely high in Potassium, low in salt, making them the perfect fruit for someone with high blood pressure. Eaten regularly they can potentially reduce the risk of  blood pressure and stroke.
• Constipation – Including Bananas can help restore normal bowel action due to the high fibre content, so put away the laxatives.
• Heartburn – Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, for a soothing relief from heartburn.
• Morning Sickness – Eating a banana in-between meals can help keep blood sugar levels up, and minimize the morning sickness and keep your energy levels up!
• Hangover – Make yourself feel better the morning after the night before with a Banana Milkshake with a dash of honey. The banana will calm your stomach and combined with the honey, will restore your blood sugar levels,  the milk is also soothing on your stomach.
• Giving Up Smoking? – Bananas may help you with the effects of nicotine withdrawal, they contain Vitamins B6, B12, Potassium and Magnesium which can help with controlling stress levels and calm the nervous system.
• Anemia- Bananas are very high in Iron, and can stimulate the production of Haemoglobin in the blood, so can boost Anemia sufferers.

So as you can see, Bananas can boost our health in many ways! and they taste great, I personally love green Bananas! If you are trying to lose weight, either have a banana every other day or just have a very small one.

Please note, if you are suffering from Kidney problems, you must avoid Bananas due to the Potassium and Phosphorus levels.