bananas

[mary]

BANANAS :P

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 e ating 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 wor k 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 le vels 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 En gland 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 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!'

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !

[skylady]

WOW !!!

That's a lot of great information...

Thank you Mary for keeping us informed on what can help us to be a healthy bunch...

;)

[mary]

a little banana humour..

Edited December 12, 2008 by mary

[⭐ Yippee]

Thanks for the great info, I just love banannas!

Edited January 10, 2009 by Yippee

[js of 9planetreviews]

I always did love bananas. Banana sandwiches, or just plain.

Well, tomorrow am going out and will buy a lot of bananas!

Thanks mary!

js

[mary]

well john did you go and buy a bunch of bananas?

[js of 9planetreviews]

yes indeed I did mary! And ... out of the bunch? I ate like... five by now! So have to go and get more.

Am loading up on bananas! Besides, I love the taste of them.

js

[mary]

well i'm glad to hear that...

they cost about a dollar a lb. here :skeptical:

[owl]

We always have bananas at home. Eat them everyday!

And when my own bananas are ready to be picked :yes: .... they are delicious!!!!!!!!! :jiggy:

....planted them myself....take a seedling of them every time I move...

owl

Edited February 22, 2009 by owl

[mary]

where do you live?

[owl]

where do you live?

Petropolis, RJ, BRAZIL!

Haven't noticed the little banner beneath my soon-to-be-set avatar? ;)

Petropolis is a historic mountain town, an hour away from Rio de Janeiro and its beautiful beaches..... have you ever heard about it? I was born in Rio.

It's Carnival holidays here now.... (I hate it, but brings turists, no doubt to that :lol: )

[mary]

wow pretty...

[owl]

wow pretty...

Wow! You took your time to find a pic from out Cathedral? :)

Yup! It's a beautiful town.

I live on a neighborhood where there's only houses. It's really quiet, well, not as before... there are too many cars on the streets today! Worst on Holidays as people from Rio comes to their vacation houses or small farms in the countryside - and the weather here is agreeable, while Rio is very hot in the Summer.

Oooops! Have to go to bed, it's soooo late!

See you!

[mary]

have a good nights sleep owl...

i think there too many cars everywhere... earplugs mabe...

i walk everywhere i go here where I live....

Edited September 18, 2009 by mary

[Helene]

Oh! I’m a banana lover as well… I love banana splits, banana cream pies, banana ice cream…

[mary]

Study Identifies Vitamin D's Benefits for Diabetic Heart Health

September 2009

Vitamin D may inhibit the build-up of cholesterol in blood vessels, says a new study that calls for vitamin D supplements to improve the heart health of diabetics.

According to new findings published in Circulation, diabetics—a population group at higher risk of heart disease—with low vitamin D levels displayed difficulties in processing cholesterol, putting them at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

"Vitamin D inhibits the uptake of cholesterol by cells called macrophages," explained lead researcher Carlos Bernal-Mizrachi, MD. "When people are deficient in vitamin D, the macrophage cells eat more cholesterol, and they can't get rid of it. The macrophages get clogged with cholesterol and become what scientists call foam cells, which are one of the earliest markers of atherosclerosis."

Macrophage activation is higher in people with disease such as diabetes, and when found in combination with low vitamin D levels, the macrophages become loaded with cholesterol and eventually stiffen blood vessels and block blood flow.

"Cholesterol is transported through the blood attached to lipoproteins such as LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol," he said. "As it is stimulated by oxygen radicals in the vessel wall, LDL becomes oxidated and macrophages eat it uncontrollably. LDL cholesterol then clogs the macrophages and that's how atherosclerosis begins."

And the problem may be solved by simply ensuring adequate vitamin D status via supplements, say researchers from Washington University in St. Louis.

"There is debate about whether any amount of sun exposure is safe, so oral vitamin D supplements may work best," said Bernal-Mizrachi.

Vitamin D refers to two biologically inactive precursors—D3, also known as cholecalciferol and D2, also known as ergocalciferol. The former, produced in the skin on exposure to UVB radiation (290 to 320 nm), is said to be more bioactive. The latter is derived from plants and only enters the body via the diet from consumption of foods such as oily fish, egg yolk and liver.

Both D3 and D2 precursors are hydroxylated in the liver and kidneys to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active "storage" form, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), the biologically active form that is tightly controlled by the body.

Bernal-Mizrachi and his co-workers obtained macrophage cells from diabetics and non-diabetics, with and without vitamin D deficiency. When the cells were exposed to cholesterol and low vitamin D levels, they found that low vitamin D levels in the culture dish resulted in more macrophages becoming foam cells.

On the other hand, when the human macrophages were placed in a vitamin D-rich environment, the uptake of cholesterol was suppressed, and they didn't become foam cells, Bernal-Mizrachi said.

The researchers noted that it may be possible to delay or reverse the development of atherosclerosis in diabetics by helping them regain adequate vitamin D levels.

The next stage in the research is to look at vitamin D-deficient diabetics who also have high blood pressure. Bernal-Mizrachi said he wants to learn whether replacing vitamin D will lower blood pressure and improve blood flow.

[reforce]

I try to take about 2000 IU of vitamin D-3 a day. A lot of doctors recommend vitamin D.

[strosdegoz]

I do take lots of supplementation too including Vitamin D.

Vitamin D can help you fight cancer, flu and many other diseases.

I also take at least 10 minutes of sun light daily so my body can

create its own vitamin D naturally.

Vitamin D its the only vitamin our body can create on its own without

having to consume it.

[mary]

I do take lots of supplementation too including Vitamin D.

Vitamin D can help you fight cancer, flu and many other diseases.

I also take at least 10 minutes of sun light daily so my body can

create its own vitamin D naturally.

Vitamin D its the only vitamin our body can create on its own without

having to consume it.

your right stro... and the reason it does all those things is because it helps create white blood cells..

which we all know is a very strong part of our immune system.

[mary]

Grapes

Coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease or atherosclerotic heart disease, is the result of the accumulation of plaque build up on the walls of the arteries. This can ultimately lead to a blockage of the vessels that supply blood to the heart or the brain, resulting in a heart attack or stroke respectively.

A study that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition shows that eating fresh grapes may prevent the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol as well as the development of atherosclerotic lesions. Naturally occurring antioxidants in fresh grapes known as polyphenols are believed to be responsible for this beneficial impact.

One polyphenol in particular, called resveratrol, has been shown to help protect against arterial wall damage by “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. Contained in the grape’s skin, resveratrol is found in grapes, grape juice, grape jelly, and wine.

Grapes may also be potent against viruses and tumors because of their high concentration of another polyphenol, tannin. A team of Canadian scientists discovered that grapes eliminated disease-forming viruses in test tubes. Tannin, a virus fighter, seems to be the reason. These tannins are absorbed directly into the intestinal tract where they do the most good.

Grapes also contain high levels of caffeic acid. This acid is a strong cancer fighting substance. Johanna Brandt tells us about her experience with grapes in her book The Grape Cure. She describes how she healed herself with a four-stage program, eating nothing but grapes. She even chewed the seeds.

Time for a Glass of Wine?

Dr. Mercola, author of Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program: The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease and Premature Aging, Optimize Weight and Live Longer says: “While red wine may appear to provide some great health benefits, I do not advise drinking it at all, as I am convinced that the alcohol itself is actually a poison and will unbalance your hormones. Also, drinking two or more glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage for that matter) may offset the benefit and actually increase your risk of certain cancers. So if you absolutely insist on drinking red wine, check on the growing conditions of the grapes used and how the wine is made.

“Additionally, if the wine isn't made with organic grapes, it may not contain resveratrol, which rules out the benefits you seek. It is also important to understand that consuming large amounts of wine or grapes — which have a lower concentration of antioxidants than wine — will likely increase insulin levels and eventually have a negative impact on your health. Thus, it may be most beneficial to eat grape skins and pass up the meat of the grape, which has no resveratrol but a lot of extra fructose.”

[mary]

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 e ating 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 wor k 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 le vels 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 En gland 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 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!'

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !

[mary]

Health Benefits of Orange

Orange is one of the most favorite fruit in the world. Orange is loaded with vitamins, and the most abundant vitamin in orange is Vitamin C. This powerful vitamin protect our body against harmful elements.

Oranges

You have been told many times that oranges are good for you because they have a Vitamin C.

Which is true but there are many other forms of health benefits. Oranges are very full of Vitamin C but in addition to that there are other vitamins called citrus limonoids. These limonoids help fight certain cancers such as mouth, skin, lung, female chest appendage, and stomach and colon cancers in animals.

Researchers are looking for ways to incorporate those studies into helping humans.

Oranges are a great source of iron and they help keep your cholesterol low. Oranges are a good source of calcium that is great for your bones, with Vitamin C and milk as an extra and important source of Calcium can help protect your bones from breaking.

The main source of Vitamin C, oranges can help fight off bacteria and prevent colds and the flu. The Vitamin C is a great way to fight off airborne germs during the winter months. There are many different forms of Vitamin C, which are the actual orange and orange tablets.

Orange is Beneficial in the following cases :

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Tuberculosis
• Pneumonia
• Rheumatism
• Prevent kidney stone
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Helps prevent diabetes
• Arthritis
• High blood pressure
• Persons addicted to alcohol have found that the desire for liquor is greatly reduced by drinking of orange juice.
• Consumption of large quantities of oranges will decrease the outpouring of mucus secretions from the nose.

Nutritional Contents of Orange :

1. Betacarotene, another powerful antioxidant that protects our cells from being damage.
2. Calcium that helps protect and maintain the health of our bone and teeth.
3. Folic Acid for proper brain development.
4. Magnesium helps maintain blood pressure.
5. Potassium helps maintain electrolyte balance in the cells, and is important in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system.
6. Thiamin helps to convert food into energy.
7. Vitamin B6 helps support the production of hemoglobin that carries oxygen to all parts of the body.

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

• Vitamin A : 190 I.U.
• Vitamin B : Thiamine .08 mg.;
• Vitamin C : 49 mg.
• Calcium : 33 mg.
• Phosphorus : 23 mg.
• Potassium : 300 mg.

[reforce]

Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. They are easier to peel than oranges. I will sometimes eat 12 or more a day.

[FialkaRus]

I very like oranges!!!........

[mary]

lol me too