For several weeks now the banana has been the star: high availability, in the peak of its season, great in taste, and the amazing wrapping that it comes in… Nature creates the most perfect packages.
Continuing with the theme of "have a fruit and be calm …". The banana is the best example!
The banana is one of the first fruits we eat and feed to our young. And it's not just for the taste. Beyond the sweet and inviting taste (anyone who thinks he does not like bananas, should taste them during this season), the banana is a treasure trove of essential materials for the body. This fruit is rich in potassium, magnesium, iron, B vitamins, amino acids, nutritional fiber and many other good things …..
In certain languages it is called the fruit of happiness 🙂 perhaps because it is rich in tryptophan that is an amino acid that turns into serotonin, the hormone of happiness: it improves the mood, relieves pain, reduces hunger and improves the quality of sleep. Banana contains a third of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B6 that is essential for the nervous system activity, a balanced state of mind and better sleep…. of course we give it to babies to eat. It is soothing and nourishing.
Even athletes devour this energy bomb. Bananas are high in three types of sugars, and together with the carbohydrates found with it provides available energy for a long time. It is also good for the muscles and provides better recovery after an intense workout.
Bananas are rich in iron that encourages production of hemoglobin, which is good to prevent anemia.
The USFDA allowed banana marketers to claim that the fruit helps reduce risk of hypertension and stroke. The banana is considered the "Queen of potassium" which helps to regulate the heart rate that sends oxygen to the brain. When we are stressed and our metabolic rate rises or when we sweat a lot, we lose potassium and must get it through food. The banana will return it to us.
Studies have shown that eating bananas improves the long-term memory and eating a banana in the morning helps students become more alert and focused.
Bananas and the digestive system:
Heartburn and ulcers – the banana is alkaline so that it makes it easier to maintain Ph balance, particularly for those prone to acidic stomachs.
Constipation – also helpful! The banana is rich in fiber that helps the proper peristaltic functioning of the intestines.
For the skin – a banana can reduce irritation and swelling of mosquito bites by rubbing the area with the inside of the peel. You can try to get rid of warts by attaching the inside of the peel to the wart with duct tape.
Now do you understand why monkeys usually seem to be relaxed and happy … 🙂
So here is a small tip from them about how to open a banana:
Squeeze the tippy-tip (opposite the end that connects the banana to the tree. Not the end we are used to opening) and that creates a slot and the banana can be opened easily. It is most healthy to eat the banana a little yellow or even brown.
The banana is also called the "fig of Eve" and it is told that Adam and Eve took it with them when they were expelled from the garden of Eden. This makes sense because it is more suitable than the fig, both for clothing (better than a fig leaf in both size and texture) as well as for food.
The banana is known to man as food from pre-historic times and still is the basic food of the inhabitants of many tropical countries in which it is native. There are countries in Africa where the average person eats 300 kg of bananas a year.
There are many species of bananas in which the starch does not turn into sugar and therefore they are used in cooking. These bananas are called "plantain".
I still have a lot more to write about bananas and the season has just started, so expect bananas Part II.
In the meantime, have a calm week, nutritious and sweet!
Yours,
Maggie and garden staff
I expect in our organic vegetable baskets (draft only):
Green Fava Beans
Zucchini
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Radishes
Celery
Carrots
Sweet Potato
And a bunch of Turnips- also eat the leaves
Large organic vegetable baskets also:
Coriander
Kale
New Zealand spinach
And potatoes
Organic fruit baskets :
Bananas 🙂
Oranges
And Sweeties
Large organic fruit baskets also:
Strawberries
Mini Watermelon
and Avocadoes
