Got this in an email from a friend. I still have to check out the facts, but if the info's correct, then I definitely have a new favourite fruit!
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After Reading THIS, you'll NEVER look at a banana in the same way again!
Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose
combined with fibre, 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 the perfect way 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 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 fibre, 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.
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.
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: 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 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%!
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 carbohydrates, 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 its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
"Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose
combined with fibre, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy."
I love bananas. Portable, delicious, and that handy dandy no muss peel.
But I also know that a lot of women think of them as a trigger food. They have a relatively high glycemic index, which is where that "boost of energy comes from" and why long distance event races usually hand them out and why they always told my sister (who had low blood sugar battles) to keep them on hand - they are quick to enter the blood stream. I know that diabetics are suppose to avoid bananas due to insulin stress.
If we're going to talk best fruits, let's talk kiwi:
A study conducted by Dr. Paul Lachance of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., evaluated the nutritional value of fruits to determine--ounce for ounce-- which provides the most nutrition. The analysis determined the nutrient density of the 27 most commonly consumed fruits. Nutrient density is a calculation frequently used by dietitians and nutritionists to reflect a food's nutritional value. The findings, published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, rank popular fruits on the basis of the amount of the daily value they provide per 100 grams of fruit
The study found kiwifruit, with an index of 16, to be the most nutrient dense of all fruits , followed by papaya (14), mango (11) and orange (11). On the basis of the number of calories it takes to get 1% of the daily value of a nutrient, kiwifruit, citrus and papaya share the excellent category for fruits most appropriate for weight control.
Kiwifruit has the highest level of vitamin C--almost twice that of an orange--and magnesium, a limited nutrient in the diet and important for cardiovascular health. Kiwi, papaya and apricot outranked bananas and oranges as the top low-sodium, high-potassium fruits. By FDA standards for nutrition labeling, kiwifruit is considered a good source of potassium. Likewise, kiwifruit was found to be a good low-fat source of vitamin E, which is unusual and important, as most good food sources of vitamin E are also high in fat. It is also considered by FDA's definition to be a good source of dietary fiber.
I love Banana's myself, infact I always encourage people to have them. I used to eat a banana between swim practice and yoga, it kept me going for an hour and a half of yoga .. and you know that feeling like you could eat a cow, horse, and whatever wanders in front of you after a swimming workout? Takes that away Oh! And one time I hiked for an hour and a half with the flu, and thought I might pass out, I had a banana and it helped. heh.
I may have a new favourite fruit!
Oh! And one time I hiked for an hour and a half with the flu, and thought I might pass out, I had a banana and it helped. heh. 
(as close to a kiwi as I could find)
