Metzler

Did you know that the average person spends the last 30 years of their lives in sickness?

It doesnt have to be this way. Many older people pride themselves in the amount of drugs that have been prescribed to them. They love to compare their ailments with those of their friends and acquaintances. It becomes a competition to see who is worst off. They even become experts in the mg. of various drugs.

I wonder if they realise that they are making the pharmaceutical companies very rich! Without them these companies would go bankrupt.

I have noticed that so many of my relatives and friends in Ghana seem to think that the civilised way to start the day is with tea, milo or coffee, sugar, milk, white bread with butter and jam and fried eggs. This breakfast is accompanied by a cocktail of tablets they need for their imagined or real conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, caused by or made worse by the very things they are eating.

On the other hand I have a group of friends and know many people here in London who start their day off with water, coconut milk, mangoes, bananas, nuts, and green juices (made from dark green vegetables). The other things they include in their daily diets are oranges, tangerines, raw cocoa, guavas, pawpaw, pineapples, avocado pears, star fruit, beans, black eyed peas, ginger, honey, peppers, water melons and tomatoes. None of these people are sick and none of them take any form of drug.

In many ways the Universe has blessed Ghana and the fruit and vegetables that are available are some of the blessings. These are natures medicines. Every one of them has a beneficial effect on our bodies. Lets look at one of them:-

Bananas

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 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.

Anaemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of haemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anaemia.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Efua Taylor is a consultant in London, UK. She is a 69 year old mother of 5 and grandmother of 10. She has lived in both Ghana and the UK and works extensively with the Black community in London. You can go to her website http://www.effortlessaging.com to know more about her or on Google search.