[b]BANANA[/b]
[b]Health Benefits[/b]
Creamy, rich, and sweet, bananas are a favorite food for everyone from infants to elders. Sports enthusiasts appreciate the potassium-power delivered by this high energy fruit.
[b]Cardiovascular Protection from Potassium and Fiber[/b]
Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. Since the average banana contains a whopping 467 mg of potassium and only 1 mg of sodium, a banana a day may help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as bananas, helps prevent heart disease.
[b]Soothing Protection from Ulcers[/b]
Bananas have long been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage.
[b]Improving Elimination[/b]
Bananas can help normalize movement through the digestive tract and ease constipation.
[b]Protect Your Eyesight[/b]
Carrots will keep your eyes bright as a child. Eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Fruit intake is protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. By simply tossing a banana into your morning smoothie or slicing it over your cereal, topping off a cup of yogurt or green salad with a half cup of berries, and snacking on an apple, plum, nectarine or pear, you've reached this goal.
[b]Build Better Bones with Bananas[/b]
Build better bones by eating bananas? Yes, enjoying bananas frequently as part of your healthy way of eating can help improve your body's ability to absorb calcium via several mechanisms.
Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms.
[b]Promote Kidney Health[/b]
Regular consumption of whole fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, is highly protective. Eating more than 75 servings of fruits and vegetables per month (which only translates into 2.5 per day) cut the risk of kidney cancer by 40%. Among the fruits, bananas were especially protective. Eating bananas four to six times a week halves your risk of developing the disease.