Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Whoever said 'eat a banana to help performance nerves'

Thank you!

I'm just home from sitting a practical exam, and I'm sure the banana helped me feel grounded and ready to concentrate.

I'm sure I passed, and I'm so pleased it's all over.

Hooray! And thanks everyone who helped me on my previous thread regarding the musical periods.

Eating banana?

You know, IMO everything that people say is good for performance etc just has a psychological effect on us. I don't think it has anything to do with our body.
But haven't tried banana yet!

you are what you eat

(webarticle on one of the earth's healthiest ffoods)

Isn't the potassium from bananas useful to the brain?

Apple, very nice link to the earth's healthiest foods!

Don't eat sugared items (including juices) or chocolate before performing. High blood sugars play havoc with thinking, focusing, confusion can interfere, all because of eating the wrong thing. (Even breath mints, cough drops, etc could be a problem to you when you need all your wits about you in performance.)

Singers have to be careful of what they eat or drink before performances - they are very cautious. Musicians should be aware.

What do people do?

ha .. i actually keep sugar free breathmints in my pocket.. something about having something in my mouth is a bit of a panacea.

i do a pretty rigorous deal every Sunday and hate the times when nervousness overcomes me. .. the waves of trepidation, the trembling hands, even tho i've done it for years.

i really dislike bananas but now eat one every morning before service.. it really seems to help.

Banana + Red Bull, I'm ready to perform!

LOL

Oft given advice in public speaking to reduce nervous tension is to imagine your audience in their underwear. So, in addition to eating a banana perhaps you should envision your audience as monkeys eating bananas.

In their underwear?

Man, that would be an instant diarrhea formula for my stomach! Plus the fact that I would never perform well with caffeine in my system.

Hmm, at least your performance would be finished more quickly.

Bananas do contain potassium and a natural beta-blocker, but in extremely small quantities. It's mostly a placebo effect.

(But if it works, then who really cares why?)

Elena, half of Duo Scarbo, recommends eating a banana! AFter their debut at Carnegie, we partied at JonNYC's home the next day...all taking turns playing his Bosie (yes in front of the pros!). Kathy K (maine) brought a large bunch of bananas for those nervous!

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!

This is interesting.

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

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

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 recent 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 that 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.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. 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.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to 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 e ating 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.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The 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 chronicled cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

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

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also 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 normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your 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%!

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. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, 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 So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIENDS

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time!

I will add one more here; Want a quick shine on your shoes? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit!

Bananas are cheaper here than bread. I already eat them daily. Perhaps I should substitute them for my entire diet.

Bananas 'n garlic. Two panaceas that will take care of everything.

As with chicken soup for a cold, can't hurt, might help.

Tomasino

Is there NOTHING bananas won't help with? Facial toning masque, anyone?

What I'd like to know is, where do they get all those vitamins and minerals? From the air? They grow in the air.

(Recall George asking and puzzling: "What's the difference between chinaware and earthenware? They have earth in China.")

My guess is that this professor is the owner of chickitas or something? (although I reckon that most things mentioned are rather accurate as far as I can see, or know. Maybe a bit exxagerated, but still stand true)

But yes, I LOVE bananas and so do my kids (aged 4 and 2). BTW, when they are watching baggs bunny they insist on a carrot! Talk about the bad influence of cartoon, huh?

Nice list JBiegel, seems that the only thing bananas does not cure is heartache...

I'll try one for lunch, can only do good !

Ragnhild

So that explains Elvis's fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. How else could anybody go on stage so calm dressed like that!