When school starts back the supply of bananas will have recovered from Cyclone Harry and they will be affordable again as a lunchbox staple – and a good thing too, because bananas are brain food.
Of all fresh fruit, bananas have the highest level of vitamin B6, which is necessary for normal brain function, and potassium, essential for the healthy functioning of the nervous system. They also help your body produce serotonin, the natural chemical responsible for mood control.
Bananas also have the highest level of all fruits of complex starch (as found in wholegrains) and dietary fibre, and have six vitamins – A, B1, B2, B6, B12 and C. Plus they come in their own sterile wrapping!
It looks as bananas grow on trees, but it’s actually a giant herb. They are one of the few fruits that ripen well off the tree, which means they can be transported when they are green and rugged, then ripened where they are to be sold. Choose unblemished fruit, a little on the green side, if you don’t want to eat them immediately.
A tropical plant, bananas don’t like the cold and the skin will discolour if they are put in the fridge. However, you can freeze them – just take the skin off and freeze them whole.
After our enforced break from bananas, 2007 may see us back to our average consumption of 15kg a year each.
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