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Banana
Nutrition Facts
No cholesterol
Very low in saturated fat
Very low in sodium
High in dietary fiber
High in potassium
Very high in vitamin B6
High in vitamin C
Its
the bicycle riders best friend, a potassium pipeline
that instantly picks up a sagging pumper.
Its
a diarrhea sufferers ally, a soothing substance
that may stop what you most want stopped and help replace
what youve lost. It helps to replace electrolytes,
the very tiny electrical charges needed to power the body
and maintain fluid balance.
Its
a helping hand against high blood pressure that may help
keep your numbers low.
Its
a tropical fruit, a large berry, thats handy and
healthy, providing 452 milligrams of potassium, 33 milligrams
of magnesium, and just over 2 grams of fiber. Studies
have shown that people with high levels of potassium in
their diet have a lower incidence of hypertension, even
if they dont watch their salt intake.
The
banana shares many benefits of its fruity brethren: Its
low in calories, fat, sodium, and much of its fiber is
soluble the kind that can help lower cholesterol.
It stands out, however, because it has lots of potassium
and a respectable amount of magnesium. Thats why
its a favorite fruit of most athletes and often
is recommended for people with diarrhea or high blood
pressure.
Bananas
are also a very good source of vitamin B6, providing one-third
of the RDA in a single serving.
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Banana Nut Bread
Makes 1 full-sized loaf or
2 small loaves
- Preheat
the oven to 350.
- In
one bowl, combine:
4-5
tablespoons Canola Margarine
2 eggs
2 or 3 very ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
- Use
a potato masher, fork, or spoon to squish the banana
and mix the ingredients together. It is alright for
there to be small (1 centimeter) chunks of banana in
the batter, but you want most of the banana to be reduced
to mush.
- In
another bowl, combine:
1
1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- Combine
the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients
are blended together.
- If
you like, stir in additional ingredients here, such
as chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cherries or apricots,
or chocolate chips. A handful (about a half a cup) is
about right.
- Pour
the dough into greased baking pans and bake until a
toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Small
loaves take around 30 minutes, a normal-sized loaf takes
around 50 minutes.
- Remove
from the oven. This bread is great warm, but it is excellent
cold too.
After
they have cooled for 5 or 10 minutes the loaves can be
removed from the pan to cool. Once they are cool they
can be individually wrapped and frozen.
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