Sometime last year, my good friend, Mr Tola Faneye, who works in the banking and finance sector, had some discussions with me on what can be used for arthritis and I told him that he should start from the kitchen by looking at spices. His reply was that ginger gives him heartburn and palpitations of the heart. He also mentioned bitter kola as a culprit. He said his doctor advised that he should take them minimally or avoid them totally. Even if it is natural but causes an adverse reaction in your body, please, avoid it.
This week, I will be discussing banana peels. Contrary to what many people believe, banana peels are not only edible but also rich in several key nutrients including potassium, dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fats and essential amino acids, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Magnesium, Potassium, Fiber and Protein. They are used as food for animals, an ingredient in cooking, in water purification and manufacturing of several biochemical products. In fact, cooking with banana peel is commonplace in Southeast Asian, Indian and Venezuelan cuisines where the peel of bananas and plantains are used in recipes.
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How / what banana peels can be used for:
Rub a banana peel on your face to brighten skin and reduce wrinkles
Place a banana peel on closed eyes to reduce puffiness
Use a banana peel as a moisturiser to hydrate skin.
Rub the peel on acne scars to help them fade.
Remove a wart by taping a piece of ripe banana peel over it and leaving it there overnight.
Pressing the peel against sunburn or bug bite to provide relief from itching.
Reduce headache pain by placing one frozen banana peel on your forehead and one frozen banana peel on the back of your neck.
Banana peels can be used in gardens as fertilisers.
The peels can be rubbed on the teeth for whitening.
Below are some potential health benefits of banana peels:
Lowers cancer risk: Banana peels are packed with polyphenols, carotenoids and other antioxidants that fight cancer-causing free radicals. Eating more banana peels, especially green, unripe peels, can increase your antioxidant levels and help reduce your risk of cancer.
Depression relief: The high levels of tryptophan in bananas combined with the B6 in banana peels can help relieve some symptoms of depression and other mood disorders. Tryptophan turns into serotonin as it breaks down, which can improve your mood. Vitamin B6 can help improve sleep, which has a positive impact on mood over time.
Digestive health: Fiber-rich banana peels can help regulate the digestive system, easing both constipation and diarrhea. This can be a particularly important benefit of banana peels for people with Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome.
Weight loss support: Banana peels contain a high level of soluble and insoluble fiber which is known to slow down the digestion process and increase feelings of fullness. Not only are you likely to eat less if you sip banana peel tea during a meal, but it can help to prevent in-between meal hunger pangs.
Promotes sleep: Banana tea has become a popular sleep aid. They are a good source of magnesium and potassium, two minerals that have been linked to better sleep quality and length due to their muscle-relaxing properties.
They also provide some tryptophan, an amino acid that is important for producing the sleep-inducing hormones serotonin and melatonin.
Better eyesight: Vitamin A can help keep your eyes strong and healthy. This vitamin is abundant in both bananas and banana peels.
Low in sugar: Banana tea may be a good replacement for sugary beverages. Only a small amount of the sugar in bananas is released into the water during brewing. Most people consume too much sugar from beverages, which is associated with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, opting for drinks with no added sugars, such as banana tea, can be an easy way to decrease your sugar intake.
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Thanks, pls how to prepare it and the daily dosage?