If you want a quick energy booster, there's no better snack than a banana. Bananas have three natural sugars; sucrose, fructose and glucose-combined with a fiber, a banana gives an instant and sustained boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90 minute work out.

Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, so called because it cannot be digested by the small intestine-which then ferments in the large intestine, often causing wing. Because ripe bananas are very easily digestible and rarely cause any allergic reactions, they are a popular solid food for babies.

Bananas are also found to beneficial to preventing or curing these ailments:

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

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep the 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 in reducing the sweeling and irritation caused due to insect bites.

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

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The nutrients in Bananas help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Ulcers: Banana is used as a 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 chronic cases. It also neutralizes acidity and reduces the irritation coating the line of the stomach.

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 increases, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balance with the help of a banana snack.

Anemia: High in iron, Bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin and help in the cases of Anemia.

Green Bananas or Plantains are indigestible and unpalatable when eaten raw. Because they are rich in tannin, they can taste bitter, though some of this flavors disappears when cooked. Plantains contain more starch than Bananas because they are eaten before they are fully ripe. Some research has linked low incidence of stomach and bowel cancer with a diet high in indigestible starch.

So a banana is a natural remedy for many ills. When compared to an apple it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorous, five times vitamin A and iron and twice other vitamins and minerals. So next time you see a banana don't hesitate to grab a bite!

----------------

Here's a delicious Banana recipe to get started -

Banana Cream Pudding

Bananas-4
Chocolate sauce-1 cup
Powdered sugar- 1 cup
Little chocolate powder - 2 Tblsp.

Cut the banana into big pieces. Mix the chocolate sauce and chocolate powder to make a cream. Then add the banana pieces into this cream. Mix the powdered sugar into the cream. Set this mixture for sometime in a freezer until the pudding becomes soft to medium hardness.