Bananas?

They are such a BIG part of my diet...

Why or why not do you include them in yours?

Just curious!

: )

1. They are hybrid with way too much sugar
2. They are not left to ripen on the tree
3. They are low in sodium



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/02/2008 04:30PM by madinah.

Bananas are such an amazing super food and I love them, but lately I haven't been wanting them as much. When I first went raw, I had banana ice cream daily for 2 months straight...and then ate 1-2 bananas separately. Came to about 6-8 medium sized bananas a day. I listen to my body...it was really loving them. Now I have about 3-4 per week...I now get my potassium from a wide variety of sources. I believe my body was low on potassium when I began this raw journey and this is why I was always wanting a banana! Who knows...I may cycle again with them. Right now I'm all about kale and spinach smoothies with oranges & ginger. :-D

I stopped a few years ago. I dunno...I guess I got 'banana'd out' after eating like 20 a day for 3 or 4 years.....heh..heh.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

A friend of mine sent this to me recently. Thought it was worth posting and take from it what you will. It's merely information...I realize just being Raw in and of itself is a HUGE healer, but I found this info fascinating.

Peace.


A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about
bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of
bananas on the brain. Read on:

After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose
combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial
boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a
strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit
with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also
help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions,
making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people
suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana.
This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the
body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood
and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates
blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin
in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium
yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the
US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to
make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood
pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England )
were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast,
break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown
that the potassium packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more
alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help
restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without
resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a
banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and,
with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while
the milk soothes and rehydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you
suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood
sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the
affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it
amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria
found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and
chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most
obese were more likely to be in high pressure jobs. The report concluded
that, to avoid panic induced food cravings, we need to control our blood
sugar levels by snacking on high ca rbohydrate foods every two hours to
keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal
disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw
fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also
neutralizes over acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of
the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit
that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant
mothers.. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure
their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because
they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up
smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium
found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine
withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat,
sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we
are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium
levels. These can be re balanced with the help of a high potassium banana
snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine,
eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by
strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill
off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the
yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or
surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it
to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three
times the phosph orus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the
other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of
the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well known
phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will
add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the
banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing
fruit !!!

I eat more bananas then any other food. I like to peal them and eat them very simply - just delicious. :=)

There a cheap, year round, easily found and available fruit - Can't knock it for that. :O)

It's not a necessary fruit, but no particular fruit is necessary.
The old hybrid, starchy, blah, blah, argument has been around for years. Silly stuff if you ask me. I eat em or I don't, depends. I just don't eat the huge numbers I used to in my beginning days also. :O)

I usually eat a few a day (or two a day) because they are cheap, organic/fair-trade are easily available for me, and I like how they taste.

My friend, who was already vegan but ate a lot of cooked, started to do many bananas and more raw, and he's now gone from no exercise to lots of energy, happier (though that's multi-factoral), lost weight, exercising, and seems like he's healthier.

[utopiankitchen.wordpress.com]

I lOVE bananas and eat a couple every day. I really look forward to them, especially when I'm really hungry.

I just ate a delicious banana. I like them when they're just turning yellow and have the slight tang, before it all turns to mushy sweetness.

i just ate a banana smoothie with 12 bananas in them....they are an amazing food...

the truth is that most raw fooders are either high fruit or high fat raws...i have choosen the high fruit route because i am very active and high fat simply is not healthy...so bananas are my staple...one banana meal a day at least...

they HAVE to be ripe....lots of brown spots...i only eat the ones most people throw away because they are going bad...LOL

When they are very ripe, the nutrients are in declining state, it is mostly sugar. If you were to leave a ripe banana and and apple for few days on a table, the banana will not survive

disgusting slimey stanky wretched yellow tree slugs, oogy, not in my mouth thanks. bananas are the most vile fruit on the planet to me, i'd rather eat a durian and those smell like nasty sweaty gym socks and taste like burned matches.
oh gross, even the smell of bananas makes my stomach turn over. i have a hard time handling them to give them to the kids without gagging.

Quote

Posted by: phantom (IP Logged)
Date: April 02, 2008 12:25PM

I like them when they're just turning yellow and have the slight tang, before it all turns to mushy sweetness.

Thats the way I like em too. If I take a bite and its in a slightly mushy state then I pop them into the blender with some water and their great. Thats about the only time I blend a banana.

I was mad on them when I started raw

Now I do not eat them often. I feel its so heavy. its to me like how cooked food least to feel. I dont much like the feel in my stomach.

Sometimes though like post training, only a blended nana will do!

i can't eat bananas on the mainland now, i am so spoiled by the super delicious little yummy varieties that are grown here locally. i eat 4-6 per day, but they are tiny (probably equals 1-3 regular "chiquita" style)...

but i buy probably 15-20lbs/week, and since they sit in a bowl on my coffeetable they are decimated in no time by my daughter and her friends who tear through them like monkeys!

Flatten them out and dehydrate them and you've got a great fruit leather that makes some great desserts! Other than that, I rarely eat them.

About six months ago I made the decision to eat only locally grown, seasonal produce and since bananas, sadly, are not indigenous to where I live I've had to let them go.

Funny thing is though, after practically not going a day in my life without a banana, I barely miss them....nor any of the other tropical fruits which I'd become so accustomed to but aren't indigenous to where I live.

And I must admit that ever since making that transition I actually feel better. My digestion's improved, my energy's up, my skin just glows...hmmmm Maybe there's something to this eating close to home thing after all.

Anyway, I'd say if you enjoy them and they make you feel good, go for it. Why not? What works for me or for others might not necessarily for you. I notice that when I really listen to my body, it generally tells me what it needs.

~lanie

"Beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing lies a field. I'll meet you there." ~Rumi

i think bananas smell nice

i wish i could find the ones with the seeds

where could i find them

i feel silly asking but are they in hawaii?

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> disgusting slimey stanky wretched yellow tree
> slugs, oogy, not in my mouth thanks. bananas are
> the most vile fruit on the planet to me, i'd
> rather eat a durian and those smell like nasty
> sweaty gym socks and taste like burned matches.
> oh gross, even the smell of bananas makes my
> stomach turn over. i have a hard time handling
> them to give them to the kids without gagging.


I laughed so hard after reading your comment, coco! :-D I know a few people who feel the same way as you do about bananas (including my husband).

Thanks for the chuckle.

Lots of love to you,

Wendi
XOXO

madinah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 1. They are hybrid with way too much sugar

True, the current ubiquitous yellow commercial bananas are cultivars, from the Cavendish, which originally came from a banana plant in a Saigon botanical garden. The previous commercial banana, called Gros Michel, also from Southeast Asia, was being wiped out by Panama fungal disease in the 1960's. Both varieties are genetically natural triploids, meaning they have three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two and are seedless.

Like pears, bananas do not lend themselves to ripening on the plant, but for different reasons. (Pears ripened on the tree turn mealy) Banana "arms" ripen virtually all at once producing ethylene gas which stimulates the ripening of the adjacent fruit. That's why they can be shipped long distances by cutting them before ripening starts. In Costa Rica I saw people cut the "arms" of bananas and hang them in the shade, picking off the ripening fruit daily until finished. My group did the same thing and it worked great.

Too much sugar. That's hard to define. They're starchy when unripe and get sweeter as they ripen. But the maximum sugar content hasn't changed from the original plant. The standard method to reproduce bananas is to take cuttings from mother plants. I guess you could say commercial Cavendish bananas are all clones from the Saigon Mother Plant.

I eat bananas and they are a major source of my carbohydrates for most of the year given my location. As for ecological and economic issues. They are shippable and we can become more ecologically efficient in that method. Economically, I buy fair trade bananas and avoid supporting the large profit-driven corporations who have ridden roughshod over the developing countries where bananas are grown.

When I visited Costa Rica I "discovered" there are lots of different kinds of yummy edible bananas. A great treat after a lifetime of eating one kind of banana.
Happily in California we can occasionally get some different bananas, like red ones and little finger ones, and I sampled a few others at the Berkeley Bowl in the Bay Area last year.

Some days I get up and I feel like bananas like today. I have had nothing but bananas today. I didn't and don't intent to make a mono eating day today eating bananas but if thats where my signals go then OK. Gone bananas. :=)

Good points uti. I eat bananas but prefer plantain.

"disgusting slimey stanky wretched yellow tree slugs, oogy, not in my mouth thanks. bananas are the most vile fruit on the planet to me, i'd rather eat a durian and those smell like nasty sweaty gym socks and taste like burned matches."

^^I laughed very hard. Coco, what was your diet pre-raw?

I have banana phases. I am on an up phase right now. Then I will tire of them and eat less. Then I will miss them and eat more. Ad nauseam.

They're a great source of amino acids (22/23), and a NICE source of tryptamine. <3

hee hee, glad to give you a laugh!

before raw, i grew up with a hippie mom so it was all brown rice with tofu and bean sprouts vegetarian. i had a taste for Teh Healthy deeply ingrained already, lucky me

I have a Friend who is on 80/10/10 who eats 10 to 15 Bananas a day. I normally don't eat any on my Diet, but when I visit her, and eat her Diet, I feel Great. They seem to be lacking in Water....Durian too, which we also eat.....WY

I am not a banana fan. I do eat them sometimes because they are cheap and provide lasting energy, but I rarely enjoy them.

Madinah,

Plantains, eh. How do you prepare plantains raw? My friends just bought a big box, but they are cooked vegans. I assumed you had to cook them to break the starch down.

That's was another thing in Costa Rica. We stayed at a Tico (Costa Rican's name for themselves) beach town, Playa Uvita, which is on the edge of a coastal National Park. Surfing is no good there, so the foreign visitors tend to be there for the quiet and the Ticos came to play on the weekend. We stayed at a very laid back little "resort". For a very reasonable amount they had a darling rotund cook who made what ever home style food my group wanted. Her plantains were sliced and lightly fried on a griddle and were eaten with beans and rice. For the 3 rawies in my group she made a juice from Guanabana (type of soursop fruit). It had some sort of endorphin releasing compound in it that put us in instant bliss. We were living off of watermelons, bananas, papaya and some other fruits we could just walk down the dirt main srteet and buy off the local cantina/markets or we could hitch up to the highway and get stuff from a bigger market.

I liked bananas when I was a kid (my birthday "cake" when I was 1 was a banana with a candle stuck in it) and then I went through a phase where I wouldn't eat them, and I can trace that phase to bad food combining. Very often we would have some kind of grain-based cereal for breakfast and then chop a banana up over it, this, of course, would lead to indigestion and eventually I disliked bananas. I did grow out of it and now I eat bananas occasionally, I prefer them frozen.

So David, what do you eat?