Sports fans would have noticed that almost every world-class athlete would resort to that wonderful tropical fruit in between games or during rest periods. This is most apparent in tennis,when the cameras detect every move the players make during the rest periods.

Federer at rest - spot the banana?

Sharapova's at it too

Nadal - Its Good For You

So what’s this big thing about bananas? For athletes…a lot. It is a rich source for potassium which is abundantly lost by the body during sweating; lack of which causes cramps and weakness.

It also contains 3 readily digestible sugars (sucrose,fructose and glucose) which can easily be digested to generate energy almost immediately. Even for non-athletes, bananas provide several other advantages:

1. Reducing Depression: 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.
2. Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood to improve anemia.
3. Blood Pressure: extremely high in potassium yet low in salt. 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.
4. Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
5. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins (esp B6,B12) that help calm the nervous system.

For the technically-minded, take a look at what’s in it: