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It’s interesting, but bananas contain three natural sugars at once – sucrose, fructose and glucose, combined with fiber. A banana will give you an immediate, lasting and substantial boost of energy.
Research has shown that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. It’s no wonder, then, that they are the number one fruit for top world athletes.
However, energy is not the only way bananas help keep us fit. They also help overcome and prevent a wide range of ailments. Therefore they should be a natural daily part of your diet.
Depression
According to a recent survey conducted by the magazine MIND among people with depression, many felt better after eating a banana.
This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of amino acid that the body converts into serotonin. Serotonin is primarily known for relaxing you, improving your mood and generally making you happier.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
Forget the pills — eat a banana, which contains vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 regulates blood sugar levels and can also significantly affect your mood.
Anemia
Bananas are high in iron, so they can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood, thereby improving conditions in cases of anemia.
Blood pressure
This tropical fruit contains an extremely high amount of potassium but very little salt, which makes it perfect against high blood pressure.
So much so that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently allowed banana sellers to use the health claim that bananas reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Boosting brain activity
200 students at a Twickenham school in the UK this year helped themselves to better results during exam period by eating bananas.
They ate bananas for breakfast, snack and lunch to stimulate their brain activity. Research showed that potassium-packed fruit can aid learning by making children more attentive.
Constipation
Bananas contain a high amount of fiber. Including them in your diet helps restore normal and proper bowel function. You can achieve this goal without the need to use laxative drugs.
On the other hand, bananas are known to help with diarrhea as well. So regardless of the problem affecting your digestive tract, a banana will always be beneficial to you.
Heartburn
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in your body. So if you have heartburn, try eating a couple of bananas to soothe the pain or ease the discomfort you feel in your chest.
Morning sickness
If you enjoy a banana between meals, it will help you keep your blood sugar level stable. This way you can avoid possible morning sickness.
Insect bites
Before reaching for an anti-bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana peel. Many people have had amazing success with this method in reducing swelling and relieving pain.
Hangover
One of the quickest ways to overcome a hangover after drinking alcohol is to make a banana milkshake sweetened with honey.
The banana soothes stomach acid, the honey restores the level of consumed sugar in the blood, and finally the milk calms and rehydrates your body.
Nerves
Bananas contain large amounts of B vitamins, which contribute to calming the nervous system.
Are you overweight or working hard?
Studies by the Institute of Psychology in Austria have shown that stress at work leads to an increased tendency to consume foods such as chocolate or potato chips.
After reviewing 5,000 patients, researchers found that the most obese people tended to work in highly stressful jobs.
The conclusion of the study was that to avoid panic-induced overeating, you need to control your blood sugar level.
You achieve this by consuming high-carbohydrate foods every two hours. And bananas are much more suitable for this purpose than the aforementioned potato chips.
Stomach ulcers
Banana is used as a dietary food against intestinal illnesses because of its soft texture and gentleness. It is the only fruit you can consume with confidence when suffering from chronic stomach ulcers. Additionally, bananas neutralize excess stomach acid and reduce irritation by coating the stomach lining.
Temperature control
Many cultures around the world view bananas as a fruit capable of “reducing” both the physical and emotional temperature in pregnant women. For example, in Thailand pregnant women eat bananas to ensure that their baby is born with a milder temperature.
Conclusion
So as you can see, bananas are a true natural remedy for many ailments. Compared to an apple, they have 4 times more protein, twice as many carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus content, five times more vitamin A or iron and double the amount of other vitamins and minerals.
Their high potassium content is especially beneficial. All of this makes bananas one of the best fruits available.
