Going bananas...

I seem to go through phases with foods. I can survive on one dish for weeks before I get bored and take up another. It might be beetroot this month and kidney beans the next. At the moment, I seem to have a thing for bananas; the smell and then the taste of the banana flesh is intoxicating to me.

Reading up on Bananas, I found out that Americans eat more bananas than any other fruit; that's about 12 kilos per person per year. However, Ugandans dwarf that figure, consuming nearly 230 kilos per person per year. Bejesus!

After a debate in work the other day about how many it's safe to eat before you get poisoned by the potassium they contain, I did some research. There are many stories out there warning against eating too many but you'd have to consume somewhere in the region of 250 in one sitting to feel any adverse effects from potassium. You'd burst well before being poisoned by the potassium.

Contrary to popular belief, bananas do not grow on trees. No, they grow from a root system that produces an above ground stem. The plant is officially classified as a tree like herb and the banana is actually a berry. Bananas are the only fruit to contain the amino acid, tryptophan and vitamin B6; these help our bodies produce seratonin, which help counter depression.

The health benefits of eating bananas are many, with claims that they can help lower blood pressure, ease mosquito bites, help with stress and even cure warts. If all the claims I've read are true, bananas will soon be hailed as the new wonder drug, more versatile than aspirin! Go buy a bunch today, before some supermarket slaps a superfood sticker on them and their price trebles.

For more on bananas...

Today's run at 11:40
Distance	5.03 km	Time	27:40
Pace	5:30 min/km	Cadence	80 spm
Comments: Grey.