發現香蕉竟有如此功效！

After reading this, you』ll never look at a banana in the same way again!

讀完這篇文章，發現香蕉竟有如此功效！

This is interesting. After reading this, you』ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

這篇文章很有意思。讀完之後，你大概會重新認識香蕉。

Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

香蕉含有三種天然糖分—蔗糖、果糖、葡萄糖。吃上一根香蕉就能給我們帶來即時、持久，大量的能量。

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.

研究證實，僅兩根香蕉就能為90分鐘的鍛煉提供足夠的能量。難怪香蕉是那些全球頂級運動員首選的水果。

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.

但能量並不是香蕉讓我們保持健康的唯一方式。它也可以幫助我們解決或預防大量疾病，所以，香蕉是我們日常飲食的必需品。

DEPRESSION 抑鬱症

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.

據MIND的最近一項有關抑鬱症患者的調查顯示：吃完一根香蕉後，許多人感覺好多了。這是因為香蕉中含有色氨酸，這種蛋白質會在體內轉化成血清素，血清素會讓你放鬆，改善你的情緒，通常會讓你感到更快樂。

PMS 月經前不快的癥狀

Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

不要吃藥啦——吃根香蕉吧。香蕉中含有的維生素B6可以調節血糖水平，這會讓你心情變好哦。

ANEMIA 貧血

High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

香蕉中富含的鐵元素可以刺激產生血液中的血紅蛋白，因此，香蕉有助於治療貧血癥狀。

BLOOD PRESSURE 高血壓

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.

這種獨特的熱帶水果富含鉀，但含有較低的鹽分，正因此，它可以防治高血壓。美國食品和藥物管理局剛剛允許香蕉業做出官方聲明：香蕉可以降低高血壓和中風的風險。

BRAIN POWER 智力

200 students at a Twickenham school ( England ) 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.

為了提高特威克納姆學校（英格蘭）的200名學生的智力，實驗要求他們早餐、午餐和休息時都要吃香蕉，實踐證明，他們的考試成績提高了。研究表明，富含鉀的水果可通過提高學生注意力來提高他們的成績。

CONSTIPATION 便秘

High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

香蕉富含纖維，飲食加上香蕉可以幫助我們恢復正常的腸道運動，不用吃瀉藥便可解決便秘的問題。

HANGOVERS 宿醉

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.

解酒最快的方式就是製作加有蜂蜜的香蕉奶昔。香蕉加上蜂蜜既可暖胃，又可建立起貧化的血糖水平，而牛奶舒緩並重新滋潤您的消化系統。

HEARTBURN 胃灼熱

Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.香蕉富含天然抗酸劑，如果你有胃灼熱的話，吃根香蕉來緩解吧。

MORNING SICKNESS 晨吐

Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

飯間吃點香蕉作為零食，有助於保持血糖水平，避免晨吐哦。

MOSQUITO BITES 蚊蟲叮咬

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.

塗抹蚊蟲叮咬霜之前，試用香蕉皮擦拭被感染的部位。許多人發現，這對緩解皮膚腫脹和發炎有著神奇的療效。

NERVES 神經緊張

Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

香蕉富含的維生素B，這有助於鎮定緊張的神經。

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 chips. 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.

超重而且正在工作？奧地利心理研究所的研究發現，工作壓力會促使人們去食用像巧克力和薯條這樣的安慰食物。在5000名患者中，研究人員發現，肥胖者更有可能從事高壓工作。報告總結出，為了避免恐慌而引起對食物的渴望，我們需要通過每兩個小時攝入高碳水化合物的食物來控制我們身體的血糖水平，維持血糖穩定。

ULCERS 潰瘍

The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

由於香蕉的質地鬆軟柔滑，它可以預防腸道疾病，因此常被作為保健食品來用。而且它還可以中和胃酸，通過對胃黏膜的保護減少對胃的刺激。

TEMPERATURE CONTROL 溫度控制

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.

在許多其他的文化中，香蕉被視作「降熱」水果, 因為它可以降低孕婦的體溫和情感上的灼熱感。以泰國為例，孕婦吃香蕉是為了讓他們的寶寶在出生時溫度不那麼高。

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!』

所以，香蕉才是許多疾病真正的自然療法。當你比較香蕉和蘋果就可發現，香蕉含有超過蘋果四倍的蛋白質，兩倍的碳水化合物，三倍的磷元素，五倍的維生素A和鐵元素，還有兩倍其他的維生素和礦物質…它還富含鉀元素，是最有價值水果之一。所以，也許現在是時候來改變我們都知曉的那句話了，應該這麼說： 「一天一香蕉，醫生遠離我。」