Popsicles Full of Sugar Luring You? Try Frozen Bananas Instead

With summer come the sugar-filled popsicles and of course, sugar shock.

Did you know that you can find a sweet solution in frozen bananas?

Yeah, just cut a banana in half, put in the freezer, eat with a little almond butter, and you have the most tasty concoction.

Now,  a number of people think that the banana is a no-no, but it's not as high in sugar as you may expect. It's only 51 on the Glycemic Index, which means that the sugars in the fruit have a medium to slow affect on blood sugar levels.

Now learn about bananas' many benefits, which I found in a newsletter from nutritionist Liz Lipski, who, in turn, got her banana facts from www.corsinet.com.

• Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose which when 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.
• Providing 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.

In addition, bananas can help with the following:

• Depression: According to a recent survey 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 the perfect way to beat high 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 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 re-hydrates 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. (Fascinating!)
• 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 crisps. 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 carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. (Oops -- they left out the fact that it's good to eat protein and/or fat at the same time.)
• 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 t hat 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: 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. (Really?)
• 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 rebalanced 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 phosphorus, 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 it is time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

---

Wanna learn how to take a banana on the go and keep it fresh? According to www.bananasaver.com, you can just get a banana protector storage container, which protects individual bananas on the go from getting bruised until you eat it. Apparently, this storage container is ideal for backpackers, bikers, children's lunches and others.

It even has a popsicle slot so you can make your favorite frozen banana pops.

Comments

[Joe T.]

I've taken to popping frozen blueberries. Seems better than popsicles. Just buy the bags of frozen blueberries sold in the freezer section of your supermarket. Only problem I had once was wondering how I bruised my hand, when I saw a blue mark.