Bananas: They're Not Just for Monkeys Anymore

By Deborah Lambeth

Recently, a professor of psychology at the City College of New York released intriguing information about bananas and the effects they have on our body as well as our emotions (ever wonder where the phrase "going bananas" originated?)

Yes, when you buy those weird looking yellow things in the grocery store, little do you know that behind that yellow peel is something that contains three natural sugars- fructose, glucose and sucrose. Besides the sugars, bananas also contain fiber.

Between the sugar and the fiber, a banana gives an instant boost of energy! It is no wonder, then, that the banana is the number one fruit for athletes since two provide enough energy for an intense 90-minute workout.

Bananas can also help with certain emotional and physical ailments. For people suffering from depression, studies have shown that they feel better after eating a banana. This may be because of the tryptophan contained in bananas. Your body coverts the tryptophan into serotonin which helps you to relax, feel happier and improve your mood.

Besides helping with depression, bananas can also relieve symptoms of PMS because of the Vitamin B6 it contains. Eating a banana between meals can help alleviate morning sickness because it helps to stabilize your sugar levels and provide you with the necessary vitamins you and your developing baby need.

Seems like the banana does double duty in the energy department. High in iron, the production of hemoglobin is stimulated by eating a banana and can help with anemia.

Many people who take blood pressure medication are often instructed to eat bananas or drink orange juice. Because orange juice has more concentrated sugar, the banana is the ideal fruit to choose. A banana is high in potassium and replenishes the salt your body eliminates.

In addition to helping your heart, bananas also help with the prevention of strokes and other neurological conditions. A paper in the New England Journal of Medicine states that bananas can reduce the risk of death by having a stroke by 40%!

Ever wonder how you could get rid of that headache that comes from drinking too much? Fix a banana milkshake and add honey. The mix of honey, milk, and bananas helps calm your stomach, replenish your sugar levels, and re-hydrate your body. Speaking of bad habits, did you know that bananas can help you when you decide to quit smoking? The vitamins and nutrients they contain help with withdrawal from nicotine.

Finally, don’t throw away the peel! The inside skin of a banana can help with a mosquito bite and supposedly the outside skin when applied to a wart can kill it (tape the yellow side to your skin.)

If the song in your house is "yes, we have no bananas…" then go to the grocery store and get them! You’ll be getting a big bang for your buck. Yes, compared to an apple, what lurks behind the yellow skin has 5x the Vitamin A and iron, 4x the protein, 3x the phosphorous, 2x the carbohydrate, 2x as much vitamins and minerals, and don’t forget that healthy dose of potassium! So do as the chimpanzees do…go bananas for bananas!