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Banana Fruit: Plantain Health Benefits
Banana and Longevity
Folk physicians of ancient Persia and India regarded this golden fruit as nature?s secret of perpetual youth. Even today, banana is known to promote healthy digestion and create a feeling of youthfulness. It enhances calcium, phosphorous and nitrogen retention which in turn helps in the regeneration of healthy tissues.
Banana (or Plantain) Health Food
The banana is of great nutritional value. It has a rare combination of energy value, tissue-building elements, protein, vitamins and minerals. It is a good source of calories since it is rich in solids and low in water content as compared to any other fresh fruit. Bananas are a good source of Vitamin C which helps to rebuild the immune system. Bananas are also relatively easy to digest as compared to other foods and so they are invaluable to those with compromised immune systems. Vitamin C also increases the absorption of iron and increases the formation of blood, these two health benefits of bananas make it ideally suited for those with anemia or blood related problems. Bananas can also be included in a diet for high blood pressure as they contain potassium which helps to reduce and control high blood pressure. Furthermore, bananas do not contain even trace amounts of fat, cholesterol, or sodium which makes it a healthy food option even for restrictive diet plans. There are several types of bananas which are classified according to their taste and the color of their skin. Red bananas have a red peel and the flesh of the fruit is light pink in color. Red bananas are best if they are allowed to ripen fully at room temperature. They can be used to add a dash of color and sweetness to a mixed fruit platter. Apple bananas are smaller than the usual varieties of bananas and are yellow in color. They tend to ripen much faster and so it is important to check on them regularly to ensure that they do not get spoilt. The baby banana is one of the smallest varieties of bananas and they are yellow in color. They are very sweet and are perfect for infants and toddlers. It is best to blend these bananas into a thick puree before feeding it to infants. Baking bananas are very large and are often used in baked dishes as a unique and exotic substitute for potatoes. Ripe banana health benefits are very varied and so the health benefits of ripe bananas should be taken into account when deciding on a diet plan.
Banana for Energy
A large banana supplies more than 100 calories. It contains a large amount of sugar that can be easily assimilated by the body. This makes it a good source of quick of quick energy and an excellent means to recover from fatigue. The use of bananas has been found beneficial in the treatments of several medical conditions such as intestinal disorders, constipation, arthritis, gout, anemia, allergies, kidney stones, tuberculosis and urinary disorders. A single banana can provide 33 per cent of a person’s daily requirement for Vitamin C, 41 per cent of a person’s daily requirement for Vitamin B6 and 30 per cent of a person’s daily requirement for Manganese. A single banana can also provide 23 per cent of a person’s daily dietary fiber needs. It is best to eat two bananas to ensure that one meets a significant amount of one’s dietary requirements through this fruit alone. The health benefits of plantains and the advantages of the banana fruit cannot be stressed enough and many dieticians recommend that you include at least one banana in your daily diet plan.
Home Remedies with Bananas
Eat banana at night to get relief from constipation. If suffering from diarrhea you can use raw bananas. Boil the raw banana, mash it and add a pinch of salt and butter. Eat it to get relief from diarrhea. This is considered to be one of the most important health benefits of raw bananas. To increase the effectiveness of bananas for diarrhea, you can puree a small amount of ripe banana and add a teaspoon of honey to it. Apply this spread to a slice of well done toast as the toast will help to absorb excess fluids within the gastrointestinal tract as well as provide bulk to the stools which helps to reduce the severity of diarrhea. In order to treat chronic constipation with bananas, you can slice a banana along with a pear and an apple. Drizzle a spoon of honey over the chopped fruits and if you wish to you can sprinkle a spoon of crushed nuts over this fruit platter. Bananas, pears, and apples are all excellent sources of fiber and this will help to reduce the risk of constipation. Honey is very easy to digest and helps to provide your body with several amino acids and healthy sugars while nuts help to provide your body with several essential fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Have this fruit platter every morning as this will provide your body with the dietary fiber it requires.
Banana or plantain has been widely used as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana till it becomes a smooth paste. Cover your face with it and leave it for 15-20 minutes before rinsing with warm water followed by splashes of cold water. Pat it dry. You can also make a moisturizing face pack out of pureed bananas. Puree a small piece of banana and add enough fuller’s earth to it to make it a thick paste. Scrub your face well to get rid of the uppermost layer of grime and dead skin cells and then apply this paste to your face. Allow the paste to dry completely before washing it off with cold water. Fuller’s earth helps to absorb excess sebum from your skin and so this face pack will leave your skin fresh and smooth. Use this pack at least once a week to help provide your skin with the vitamins it requires to remain healthy and wrinkle free. If you have dry skin, you can add a teaspoon of coconut milk to this paste as coconut milk contains several healthy fatty acids that will help to fortify your skin and prevent wrinkles.
Mash one ripe banana in one cup of milk and drink it at least 2-3 times a day to treat skin allergies.
You can use banana peel inside out for treatment of warts. Use the peel inside out and cover the wart by taping it. Once the peel turns black remove and continue this for some weeks to get relief from wart.
You can use banana peel for treating poison ivy rashes. Rub the peel inside out over the rashes; it soothes the skin to provide a cooling effect. If your skin is very sore, rubbing the peel on your skin may actually increase your discomfort. In such a case, you can use the blunt side of a knife to scrape the insides of the banana peel so that you get a thick grainy paste. Gently apply this paste to the affected portions of skin to help reduce the irritation and inflammation.
Banana peel can be used if you have bruised yourself. Tape it overnight to see the positive results in the morning. If the bruising is rather severe, you can use this method twice or thrice a day to help reduce the discoloration and speed up the healing process. Make sure that you rinse and dry the area gently before applying a new piece of banana peel to your skin as this will increase the effectiveness of this treatment. The banana peel health benefits are of immense use in the treatment of warts and one can follow this same method of treatment for bruising on persistent warts.
To get rid of hangover you can drink banana milk shake mixed with honey. Banana helps in soothing the stomach and body. In very severe cases, where ingesting food causes nausea and vomiting, you can puree a small banana along with an apple and slowly consume one spoon of this mixture at a time. Drink only small amounts of liquids for the first few hours and then have this mixture once more. This will help to stabilize your gastrointestinal system as well as get rid of the waste products in your digestive and urinary system.
If you are pregnant, and want to avoid leg cramps, eat bananas before going to bed.
Eat three bananas a day to prevent ulcers. It will help to soothe your stomach and reduce the ulcer pain.
Consuming a banana after every meal helps in reducing the heartburn. This can also be used to help treat acid reflux and GERD.
To decrease menstrual bleeding drink the mixture of boiled banana flower with buttermilk.
Consuming two tablespoons of burnt banana leaves mixed with honey helps relief hiccups.
Rubbing banana peel inside out is the best remedy for mosquito bites.
Bananas can help Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) sufferers as it contains natural mood enhancers and trypotophan.
It contains high levels of Vitamin C, A1, B6, and B12 which helps people give up smoking. The potassium and magnesium found in bananas helps the body recover from the effects of withdrawal symptoms.
Eat bananas in every form ripe, raw, cooked, milkshakes and desserts. It helps in treating many ailments related to your body.
Drinking extract from the stem attached to the banana cluster helps kill tuberculosis bacteria.
To combat alcohol addiction drink a small glass of the boiled mixture consisting of 3 banana peels, Tabasco, water or milk from 1 coconut, brown sugar or sugar loaf to taste. Let it ferment for 3 days and add snifter of liquor. Do this for nine days.
When it comes to the health benefits of bananas, it is not only the many uses of the fruit and the peel that are important. Banana flower benefits are invaluable to women with menstrual problems as they help to stabilize blood flow.
Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
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