Amazing Banana

[DieselPump]

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about
bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of
bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

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 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 &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!

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!"

[Highlanda01602]

Pretty cool. Bananas and oranges are always going to be in my diet.

And did you know, you can throw a banana 4.3 times farther than an apple? Due to the crescent effect, it grips air and levitates!

[pistonpump]

cool article

ive always loved banana's, i mean ALWAYS.

[pistonpump]

id rep you but ive thrown out to much of myself in the last 24 hours lol.

[prld2gr8ns]

And did you know, you can throw a banana 4.3 times farther than an apple? Due to the crescent effect, it grips air and levitates!

LOL, going to remember that.

[dlew308]

the banana....my new weapon of choice

Pretty cool. Bananas and oranges are always going to be in my diet.

And did you know, you can throw a banana 4.3 times farther than an apple? Due to the crescent effect, it grips air and levitates!

[dlew308]

Not that I ever would, but what's the reasoning for not putting a banana in the fridge?


[QUOTE=DieselPump;862993]A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about
bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of
bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.

[billm311]

man I knew there was a reason i loved bananas. Thanks, now i can tell others why they are so good besides the usual "its filled with vitamin b and potassium"

the mosquito thing is very interesting.

last year my roommate made a big stink with onlookers by throwing and apple over our dorm. well, I have a better arm than he does anyway, but n now, how about beating him....with a banana!

[pistonpump]

i dont know if its true but i was told if you eat bananas you will actually attract more mosquitos than someone who didnt.....haha sounds far fetched but i kinda believe it.

[Highlanda01602]

[QUOTE=dlew308;863931]Not that I ever would, but what's the reasoning for not putting a banana in the fridge?

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about
bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of
bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.

Yeah, I want to know this too! I read the entire article waiting for the response... I bet it turns into some yellow monstrous creature... the BANANA-TOR
I think I'll just have to find out for myself then. If I don't report back in 15 mins, call the cops!

[Highlanda01602]

I think I'm gunna go make myself a banana-sandwich

[jjohn]

Very nice! I didn't know a banana had HTP in it. I knew turkey did, but a banana? Cool!

[tunnelrat]

i eat 3 a day, one with my morning shake, and two pre-wo. they definitely help boost and maintain energy.

i always have 12 or so on hand, to piss the wife off :bb3: .

[dlew308]

any update why not to put em in the fridge?

[zbtboy]

any update why not to put em in the fridge?

The skin will turn black quickly, but the actual banana stays fresh longer from what i hear. Its also good to place it next to fruit that you want to ripen faster cause the banana releases ethelene gas.

[peece]

You are all a barrell full of monkeys

good read thanks!

[Highlanda01602]

any update why not to put em in the fridge?

From the little that I could muster online...
"A ripening banana converts the starches in the fruit to sugar. By chilling the fruit, the process is stopped and the fruit doesn’t ripen anymore. It’s fine, I guess if you want to keep them at a certain level, or like cold bananas. They just shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator until they have ripened to the desired sugar level." - "Kate in the Kitchen" Banana Facts, Jack « Kate in the Kitchen

lol... don't ask... it was the result from the search engine!


So yes, I suppose you could halt the ripening process if you had a reason to. Say you want to make a recipe with fresh bananas in about a week, but you don't want to waste the dozen you have already... stuff like that.
OR OF COURSE - you could eat 2 for "90 minutes of vigorous activity" for six days straight instead, duh.

[-bman-]

ever put a banana in your lunch box cooler?? it makes everything taste like bananas even my potato chips

[StanChampion]

Good read. I love bananas and have always used them in my 2-3 shakes per day.

[iDShaDoW]

i dont know if its true but i was told if you eat bananas you will actually attract more mosquitos than someone who didnt.....haha sounds far fetched but i kinda believe it.

Yea, I've actually heard that somewhere too, dunno how true it is though.