Bananas can help quit smoking

 

We know from the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but familiarizing some more about what the bananas can do for optimum health, who needs a doctor?

I am not really a banana eating person. Had been eating banana far in between and only if the strong urge is there or else I pass it. A strong desire has to be felt before I grab for one and when I do, it is just for one piece.

For one piece, I am very choosy, too.  I go for the smaller sizes, which to me are the original, local bananas I learned eating growing up. These are the type that starts green then ripens up yellowish-reddish color with tiny spots all over and thin-peeled, as you can see in the picture.

The widely sold bananas in the market today

There are also bananas that retains more of their greenish color and lightens up a little when they ripen and are big. I had probably too many, too soon growing up in Leyte of this kind that I feel disgorging just by looking at it now. They are, to me, the precursor of the Cavendish bananas, the most commonly sold bananas in the world market today.

But, how I wish I haven’t developed an aversion to eating these affordable and richly beneficial fruit. For whatever health afflictions I have now, perhaps, it could be attributed to lack of banana consumption.

Before discussing the new found benefit of bananas, let me just mention what we know already about the contents of this fruit in providing nutritional and medicinal value.

Natural News. com has this to say about the health benefits of this admirable fruit: Bananas are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. They also provide us with a source of energy. They contain a lot of iron, which is extremely helpful to those suffering from anemia, as it stimulates the growth of hemoglobin in the body. They contain a lot of potassium; this helps to alleviate high blood pressure and prevent bone loss by countering the damage done by a diet high in sodium/salt. Potassium is also excellent for relieving menstrual cramps and is also excellent for fluid retention, making bananas a sure winner for women who suffer with these symptoms. It also helps minimize the risk of kidney stones. Vitamin B6 also helps to balance blood-glucose levels, thereby alleviating mood swings often associated with PMS.

Bananas are an excellent food source for those suffering with ulcers, as they lower gastric juice levels and build a protective coating in the stomach. Therefore, they are also excellent for helping to alleviate heartburn symptoms. Simply rubbing the inside of a banana skin on a mosquito bite can help to alleviate the itching and irritation caused by the bite. They are also known to alleviate morning sickness in pregnant women. They also contain pectin, which is known to alleviate constipation naturally.

Bananas contain tryptophan, serotonin and norepinephrine, which help alleviate depression and also help one to relax. The B vitamins found in them also help to calm and soothe the nervous system. Vitamin B6 also alleviates the symptoms of irritability and sleeplessness. They are a good first food to introduce to infants, as they are easily digestible and non-allergic.

Because of their sweet taste, bananas also help to curb cravings for sugar and other unhealthy sweet snacks. They are also helpful in preventing age-related macular degeneration and strokes. Even the peels serve a few useful purposes. They make an amazing fertilizer in the garden, especially for roses. Simply bury a few peels near the plant or bush, and they will normally cause the roses to thrive. Pimples are able to be dried out naturally by rubbing the inside of the banana peel on the affected spot on the skin.

Now, what is this new find about the banana?

Experts are now saying that being rich in vitamin-B and many other minerals, that banana can help one quit smoking, too! What it does is it helps reduce the stress of nicotine withdrawal, while at the same time helping you deal with it – both physically and psychologically.

No wonder I could not let go of my cigarette, my cigar and my tobacco pipe.

 

Heroin found amongst bananas distributed for sale in Lidl stores in Madrid

Spanish police was reported by El Mundo newspaper to have recovered 25 kilos of heroin hidden in boxes of plantains intended to be sold at Madrid supermarkets.

Plantains are a member of the banana family. They are a starchy, low in sugar variety that is cooked before serving as it is unsuitable raw. It is usually fried or baked.

The alarm was raised when staff at Lidl supermarkets unpacked the boxes of bananas which had been distributed from Mercamadrid to the company’s stores in the city, and discovered one-kilo packages of heroin hidden beneath the fruit.

The cargo of bananas came from Ivory Coast and Ecuador and believed to have been used to smuggle the illegal drug into the country but was delivered by error to the Spanish capital’s central wholesale market.