healthy body tips

If you want a quick fix for: The following are the health benefits of banana.

#1. FLAGGING ENERGY LEVELS:  
There's no better snack than a banana. Containing 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 minutes 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.

#2. 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.

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

#4. ANEMIA:  
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.  

#5. BLOOD PRESSURE:  
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt making it the 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.  

#6. BRAIN POWER:
Eating bananas at breakfast, break and lunch by students,research has shown that the potassium packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert and boost their brainpower.

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

#8. HANGOVERS:  
One of the quickest ways of curing 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.

#9. HEART BURN:  
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from heart burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.  

#10. BLOOD SUGAR:  
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

#11. 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.  

#12. NERVES:  
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

#13. 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 a banana on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.  

#14. 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.  

#15. 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.  

#16. SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder):  
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.

#17. SMOKING:
Bananas can also help people to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, and the potassium and
magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

#18. 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, there by reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high potassium banana snack. 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%!  

#19. 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!  

Did you know… 
1. Did you know bananas are the most popular fresh fruit in the United States? 


2. Did you know bananas received a new name each time a different group of people discovered them? 
(Some of these included “banna”, “ghana” and even “funana”!  The people of Africa are credited for giving the banana its permanent English name.) 


3. Did you know bananas are the fruit choice of many athletes?  
(The reason --- they have both a high amount of carbohydrates as well as potassium!  Potassium is a mineral that helps the muscles work.) 


4. Did you know you can store ripe bananas in the refrigerator; the peel turns brown but the fruit inside will still be good?  


5. Did you know there is a banana primarily used for cooking? 
(It is called a “plantain”.  It is used like a potato in many tropical lands.) 


6. Did you know there are several different varieties of bananas? 
(These include “finger bananas”, “red bananas” and “plantains”.  The popular yellow banana, “Cavendish” is the one we commonly see in grocery stores.) 


7. Did you know that an average person eats 33 pounds of bananas each year? 


8. Did you know bananas have been produced for over 1 million years? 


9. Did you know more than 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once a month? 


10. Did you know that Dole packs single bananas in a special way specifically for school food service?.
(There are 150 single packed bananas in a case.  These are always consistent in size, quantity, and quality and are pre-washed and pre-trimmed; 
ready to serve from the carton!)

So you see a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.When compared to apples: Bananas have four times the protein, twice the amount of carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.A banana is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.So may be its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say:  A BANANA A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY!!  No wonder Tarzan was so fit because of BANANAS...!