Read 94 times since Monday, August 08, 2011
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Well, while apples are good, bananas are even better.
Bananas are a very nutrient-dense food, and this combined with their portability makes them ideal for the health-conscious person on the go. However, bananas do more than just taste good and fill you up; they also have many other health benefits you may not be aware of.
Did you know that bananas are good for your heart and nerves? Potassium helps with muscle contraction, which includes your beating heart.
Potassium also helps with digestion, for the same reasons that it helps your heart. The muscles your body uses to push the food through and break it up are greatly assisted when you eat a potassium-dense food like bananas.
Bananas are also good for your kidneys and bones. Again it's due to potassium; this nutrient helps the body to hold on to calcium, instead of letting most of it go to waste.
Calcium prevents kidney stones, which is something you probably want to avoid. Kidney stones are definitely not good for you.
Calcium is, of course, also good for your bones. Calcium helps build up your bones, thereby decreasing your risk for getting osteoporosis.
Bananas contain mood enhancers as well. They contain a nutrient called tryptophan, which helps the body produce serotonin.
Serotonin is what gives one the feeling of being happy, calm, and relaxed. Bananas are great!
Additionally, bananas are also a mild sedative. Serotonin also makes you feel somewhat sleepy.
Just to recap, bananas are good for your heart and nerves, assist with digestion, prevent kidney stones, build up bone strength, prevent osteoporosis, and make you feel happy and sleepy. Bananas are awesome!
Bananas can do more than that though; bananas are good for your blood too. They are rich in Vitamin B6, which does a couple different things.
Vitamin B6 assists your body with converting tryptophan to serotonin. It helps the body make hemoglobin, which is an essential ingredient of blood.
This vitamin is also important in making antibodies. These little guys boost your immune system.
Vitamin B6 does more; it also converts carbohydrates into glucose, thus helping maintain blood sugar. Bananas do it all!
And last, but certainly not least, bananas are a good source of dietary fiber. This nutrient helps with the digestive process.
Bananas are also recommended by doctors for children. It helps firm up stool, so children who are suffering from IBS can have some digestive relief.
This magnificent fruit contains 16% of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber for an adult- in one serving! Most foods don't even come close to that amount in a single serving.
But what is the best thing about bananas? They are affordable and available!
Bananas are sold at every super market that contains fresh produce. They are usually pretty cheap too! Destry Masterson is a health, fitness and nutrition expert. She has written articles about diet and exercise and recommends http://www.treadmillsensei.com for information about treadmills.
Contact Info:
Destry Masterson - MyOnlineArticleWriting@gmail.com - Twitter: @DestryMasterson
|
|
