Depression
and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), - A recent study
revealed that because of the tryptophan found in bananas, many patients
who suffer depression felt much better after eating a banana. Our
bodies convert Tryptophan into
serotonin and is known to make you relax
and improve your mood.
Nerves
and Stress
- Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
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 by eating a banana.
PMS
- Vitamin b6 found in bananas helps regulate glucose levels that effect
your mood.
Bananas For Expectant mothers
Temperature
control - Many 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.
Morning
Sickness - Bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and
can aid in avoiding morning sickness.
Anemia -
Being high in iron content, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Iron is a known needed supplement in aiding pregnancy. This
also works for anyone who east bananas.
Bananas for a healthy Mind, Body, Heart and Cardiovascular
Blood
Pressure
- Everyone knows that banana fruit is extremely high in potassium,
but it is low in salt content, making it easier to combat 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.
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%! I don't know about you but that's pretty good
news!
Heartburn - Bananas contain a
natural antacid effect in the body, eat a banana for heartburn relief.
Brain Food - The potassium bananas
naturally contain can assist in learning while keeping you more alert!
No wonder out kids wont eat the greens but dive for the bananas every
day! A study of 200 students at a Twickenham (Middle) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to
boost their brain power.
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.
Constipation -
The fiber in bananas is so high that it is an excellent natural source
to aid in restoration of normal bowel movements. No need for an Ex-lax.
Overweight and
work a desk job or other non-active job? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and
crunchy snacks. Reviewing 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.
Other Interesting Benefits of Eating Bananas
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.
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.
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.
Warts -
It
is the high potassium content in the skin of a banana peel that is said
to kill off a wart. You need to rub the wart with the inside
of the banana once daily and should see results within 2 weeks.
Glue - The sap from all banana
cultivars is extremely sticky and can be made into a type of glue when
used properly. I haven't tried this but read about it and now will have
to try it and see how it stands up to weather or water after it is has
had time to completely dry.
When you're finished
eating your bananas:
Throw
the skins into the compost pile! You can also throw all the pruned leaves
and any other part of a banana plant into the compost to add potassium
to the soil content. The sugars in the plant material will also aid in
the breakdown of the compost.
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Cooking bananas and
plantains is something we don't do very often, we enjoy them fresh or in
pudding or banana bread
How to Cook
Cooking Plantains:
(These can be used for regular sweet edible Musa Banana fruit as well)
(such as
Musa Saba,
Musa
Kandarian,
Musa
Cardaba &
Musa
Popoulu)
* Plantains
should be fully ripened for this recipe. If you're growing them yourself
they should almost be black before cooking.
* Use a
non-stick frying pan (or a well seasoned old black skillet) large enough
to hold the length of your fruit to be cooked.
1. Pour in a small
amount of olive oil or melt the butter (to me butter is better tasting)
and
make sure to have enough so that the slices sit in about half deep or fully
covered.
2. Heat the oil or
butter to a simmer like you would French Fries or Cauliflower
3. Place in the
sliced peeled plantain or banana diagonally.
4. Fry them until the desired consistency and remove.
5. Place them in a
colander to drain any unwanted cooking oil or fat like butter
6. Before it cools,
sprinkle them with powdered cinnamon and or sugar.
7. Serve warm with honey
Another way
Using an Oven:
1. Pre-heat the
oven to 350ºF
2. Use a glass
casserole dish, place in a mixture of butter and brown sugar sprinkled
over lengthways sliced plantains or bananas
3. Place in oven
for 15 minutes
4. Add a dash of
Cognac before serving for added flavor
5. Serve warm
This is
another Recipe found:
Here's a fried
plantains recipe courtesy of Alton Brown:
Source - Food TV
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
2 green plantains
Combine water, garlic and salt in medium size glass bowl and set aside.
In a large (12-inch) sauté pan, heat oil to 325º degrees F. Peel plantains
and slice crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Carefully
add plantains to oil and fry until golden yellow in color, about 1 to 1
1/2 minutes per side. (The oil should come halfway
up the side of the plantain). With a spider or slotted spoon, remove the
plantains from the pan and place them on a
cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, standing them on their ends.
With the back of a wide, wooden spatula, press
each piece of plantain down to half its original size. Then place the
plantains in the water and let soak for 1 minute.
Remove and pat dry with a tea towel to remove excess water.
Bring oil back up to 325º degrees F and return plantains to pan and cook
until golden brown, approximately 2 to 4 minutes
per side. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with
salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
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* Remember that Cooking
the fruit does not give you the same nutritional qualities or benefits
as fresh, non-refrigerated banana fruit will.
