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I have been giving you a recipe in the last few weeks that calls for bananas. I buy a lot of them and I was watching some folks pick some bananas today and couldn't help but think that I needed to write an article on how to pick a banana. Now…

who would've ever thought there is a technique to pick a banana? I always buy them when they still have some green color on them. They're a unique fruit in that they ripen after they're picked. I always choose the shorter, fatter ones, as they just seem to have a better flavor.

And here's a little trick when you are picking them out, look at the bottom end of the banana (not the end where the stem is, but the other end) and make sure it has the fattest end of them all and that will be a good sign. Also, the thinner the skin, the better. And they are in Season most of the year which is rare for most fruits.

When I store them I always store them at room temperature and I only set them down where the both ends are touching the surface, not the middle of the banana as that will tend to bruise them more. And wait until they get a few spots on them as that is the indication that the starch in the fruit is now turning to sugar.

We refer to those spots as sugar spots. Now that doesn't mean they have to be soft and slimy, just a few spots and then they're ready for your dining pleasure. Green bananas are almost toxic to the body; they have to have a golden/yellowish color to them or they are of little to no value to the body nutritionally.

I always buy about 10 pounds a week, as they are one of those higher ranked foods on the human food chain. I like them as the fiber in them is soluble and not a fiber that the body has to deal with in an energy draining sort of way. You're probably thinking, how in the world do I keep them from going bad? It's easy, when they are almost ready, I put them in a real cool place in the fridge and they last for at least a week to 10 days.

They are a perfect combination with all dried fruit. I love them with dates and persimmons and dried mangoes. I had this recipe this morning. First of all I squeezed 1-˝ pints of fresh Satsuma Orange Juice then put the noon stew on! After being in the office for about 1-2 hours, I got to trancing on my dried fruit that I started soaking the night before…raisins; dates; dried mangoes and a couple dried figs in 12-16 ounces of distilled water. So I went into the kitchen and put the ingredients into the Vita Mix (high-speed blender) with 8 Bananas and 2 Persimmons. Well it was another 2 Boy Howdy's and a half a dozen Hail Mary's. I looked out the window at the squirrels, birds and lizards galore while listening to the Temptations, lovin' life and wondering why people don't do this. This is just too good to pass up!

And by the way, bananas yield more per acre (Approx. 30,000 pounds) than any other fruit…almost twice as much as apples yield per acre.

Bananas are also an awesome way to replenish your energy reserves after an athletic event as they have a high Glycemic Index (meaning they get to the body in the form of energy a lot quicker than most other carbohydrate foods) and they just give you that “AAAH” feeling! A wonderful food to nourish the heart and is virtually one of the finest foods you can eat. Enjoy them!

Wayne “The Mango Man” Pickering

PS. Your mind is capable of recording all the information that was ever documented with space left over. But we don't have the systems yet to teach it. But one thing that is teachable is that you are unique and are programmed by what you think of each moment. When you tell yourself that you can remember faces but can't remember names, well your mind does that. So let yourself know you are a tremendously unique individual who is well and trim and rich who deserves the best! Eat good stuff so you'll always be tough! Wishing you great things.

Copyright © 2003 Center for Nutrition, Inc