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.

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!