After reading this, you may never look at a banana in the same way again.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. Bananas contain three natural sugars — sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fibre. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

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.

Depression: According to a 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 the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

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

Blood pressure: It is extremely high in potassium, yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so that the US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain power: Two hundred students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: Being high in fibre, including bananas in your diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: 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.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

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

Mosquito bites: 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.

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

Ulcers: Banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralises over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking: Bananas can help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalise heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be

rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, “eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40 per cent”.

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape.

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.

And bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time. — Agencies