BANANAS! Who would have thought?

Has this been discussed before in the threads, because I couldn't locate anything?

I have had restless legs during the night for years and years. Sometimes I thought they would drive me mad. I have tried lots of things to fix the problem, but to no avail.

Then, earlier this year, cyclone Yazzie hit northern Queensland and obliterated the whole banana crop. The remaining bananas for sale went to exorbitant prices, and we stopped eating them altogether. My restless legs suddenly stopped at the same time. What bliss to actually sleep through a whole night without having to get up to stretch or rub my legs. I did not connect it to the bananas because at the same time I had been seeing a Bowen therapist for something else. I thought she had fixed the problem.

Banana prices have only just dropped to remotely reasonable in the last month or so, and we began eating them again. Straight away, I got back the restless legs. As soon as I dropped the bananas, it stopped. Since bananas are not an avoid for me, I was puzzled. But I am rapt to finally know the cause of the problem, and do something as easy as eliminating bananas to fix it. Yay!

Wow snazzy, good for you for finding out what caused it.,I wish I knew what causes my weird symptoms lol

Wow! What a discovery! I am doing an experiment at the moment by not eating grapefruit, apparently it helps with the Phase 1 liver detox and being an Explorer I thought it would be good for me. But...I think it irritates my colon, it's been a few weeks and I will try some in January. Good for you, to enjoy a full night's sleep is sublime!

I have the same problem with you to. I`m not eating banana`s this month and noticed while sleeping at night I felt more comfort.

I`ll do some trial for my self.
Next week.

I think it is fully possible that the banana is a cause for many..  There is a reason why Dr James said that a long time ago..

He knew something, whether from hearing or testing or whatever..

I am learning that just because it is listed does not mean I can have it ALL..

I can have a few things, but always have to give up some other thing.. It's that balancing act that is my life..

For everything I eat, I sort of pay a price.. my mind has no limits so staying compliant is a heavy burden, and lets just say when I read that bananas are on issue, it was much easier for me to give them up.  I wish that would happen with all things.. The answer to bananas and all else is to slice it into small pieces, freeze them or whatever.. just to allow some and be happy with that..

I am glad you discovered this answer.. I learned from it.   

I just emailed my cousin about this and she does love her daily banana but is excited about trying this. I'll have to spread the word around, mention it to my doctor as well.

I do wonder how much of this is from GMO bananas.

Bananas have significant amounts of potassium and amines.

Quoted from snazzyshazz

BANANAS! Who would have thought?

Has this been discussed before in the threads, because I couldn't locate anything?

I have had restless legs during the night for years and years. Sometimes I thought they would drive me mad. I have tried lots of things to fix the problem, but to no avail.

Then, earlier this year, cyclone Yazzie hit northern Queensland and obliterated the whole banana crop. The remaining bananas for sale went to exorbitant prices, and we stopped eating them altogether. My restless legs suddenly stopped at the same time. What bliss to actually sleep through a whole night without having to get up to stretch or rub my legs. I did not connect it to the bananas because at the same time I had been seeing a Bowen therapist for something else. I thought she had fixed the problem.

Banana prices have only just dropped to remotely reasonable in the last month or so, and we began eating them again. Straight away, I got back the restless legs. As soon as I dropped the bananas, it stopped. Since bananas are not an avoid for me, I was puzzled. But I am rapt to finally know the cause of the problem, and do something as easy as eliminating bananas to fix it. Yay!

I cannot explain how eliminating bananas in an O would stop this problem. Bananas increase butyrate in an O's gut. Generally, the banana's B6 helps people sleep. They relax me.

I'm happy for you though.

Sorry to change the subject a little but how have you find your experience with Bowen Therapy Snazzyshaz? What is the issue that you're working on? Have you noticed good effects from it? I have a few Bowen Therapy sessions every 6 months or so (would do more often if I could afford it) for chronic fatigue and various other symptoms that Im also working on with a homeopathy treatment. I look forward to the sessions so much! I love the way it relaxes and grounds me and my posture is totally different when I walk out.

I used to get cramps in the arches of my feet at night when I was young, and my mother told me to eat bananas for the potassium, which did seem to help.  I love bananas, they are a superfood for me.  I have no problems on them, thank goodness.  I never heard of a connection between bananas and restless leg syndrome, but I'm glad you found your solution.  Henriette in Denmark needs to hear this, too, because she posted recently that she thought she might be suffering from restless leg (in the Fresh Start thread).

Quoted from tessieUK

Sorry to change the subject a little but how have you find your experience with Bowen Therapy Snazzyshaz? What is the issue that you're working on? Have you noticed good effects from it? I have a few Bowen Therapy sessions every 6 months or so (would do more often if I could afford it) for chronic fatigue and various other symptoms that Im also working on with a homeopathy treatment. I look forward to the sessions so much! I love the way it relaxes and grounds me and my posture is totally different when I walk out.

Hi Tessie. I went to the Bowen therapist for lower back/hip pain, after seeing a chiropracter for a number of times and getting little relief. I do find the sessions with the Bowen therapist helpful, certainly more relaxing than the manipulations from a chiropracter. But, like you, I cannot afford to go as regularly as I would like.

The banana issue for me is a real revelation, and a blessing. But I would not go so far as to say that bananas are the cause of restless legs across the board. However, my experience would seem to indicate a dietary contribution of some sort.

When I did a search, there were many reports on Google that bananas cured RLS!  But that's individual differences for you.

My husband & son are both O's & allergic to bananas... Glad you made the connection

you're magnesium deficient...the bananas exasperate your deficiency

Quoted from mikeo

you're magnesium deficient...the bananas exasperate your deficiency

Can you explain that a bit more? I just did a nutritional assessment for one of my classes, and my dietary intake of magnesium was actually very good.

Quoted Text

Quoted from mikeo
you're magnesium deficient...the bananas exasperate your deficiency

Can you explain that a bit more? I just did a nutritional assessment for one of my classes, and my dietary intake of magnesium was actually very good.

It is NOT what we take in---- but rather --- do we absorb what we take in..

In the cases where there might be such a condition as in the two messages, we might have to change the way we intake the items.. like maybe intake it in the form of juice instead of food.. creating a direct line to uptake, rather then absorbing it in the colon, absorb it even as we are drinking the juice.

What would be foods that would do the above and address the issues mentioned here??
Magnesium foods
Potassium and amines
Bananas increase butyrate in an O's gut. Generally, the banana's B6 helps people sleep. They relax me.

Start here for reading info..

http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm
magnesium
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-high-in-magnesium.php
potassium
http://www.thepotassiumrichfoods.com/
butyrate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butyrate
B6
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6     for diabetics click to read on diabetes .. it mentions Metformin..

Interesting.. could the B6 connection in Rice Bran be a reason why I fall asleep from carbs and rice?? Just meandering all over here..




  

I just been to the doc;
apart from being very healthy and a little anemic
( I have cut down too much on meat etc due to bad economy ) = eat more steaks and liver girl
He said I had drivers syndrom;
When I sit down (as do often )- my nerves are pressed
= I need less computertime and more exercis; walk would be best.

So I went away with doctors orders eat more meat, red wine and walk at least 1 hour a day  

I don´t  eat bananas so that can´t be my problem.

One issue for O's and banana's is that there is a enzyme in them which exasperates allergies to ragweed. So don't eat banana's if your allergic to ragweed. And Chamomile is related to ragweed so don't drink it if your allergic to ragweed

Quoted from snazzyshazz

Can you explain that a bit more? I just did a nutritional assessment for one of my classes, and my dietary intake of magnesium was actually very good.

A few things about magnesium:

1) It's not so much about the total quantity of magnesium, but magnesium's ratio to other vitamns and minerals. Yes, getting too little total magnesium is a problem, but that's not the only problem. High amounts of some nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D, increase your magnesium needs. Your magnesium ratio could be low, even if your total dietary magnesium appears to be adequate.

2) Dietary magnesium isnt' always well absorbed. It doesn't matter if you're eating enough magnesium if your body isn't retaining it.

3) Foods don't always contain as much magnesium as we think they do. Plants get magnesium and other minerals from the soil. Plants grown in magnesium-deficient soil will have less magnesium than the same plants grown in magnesium-rich soils.

I'm assuming that your nutritional assessment consisted of filling out a food diary, and looking up standard nutritional values for all the foods you listed, rather than actually doing lab tests on foods your normally eat. If this is the case, the "standard values" of magnesium in certain foods may be based on foods grown in healthier soils than exist in most farms today. Decades of non-organic farming have depleted magnesium stores of many crops, while  much of the nutrional databases were created decades ago, when soils were healthier.

I'm not saying that magnesium is definitely the problem for you. An imbalance of one (or more) of many different electrolytes can cause restless leg syndrome.

Thanks for all the input about magnesium. I am aware of the various points made about intake vs absorption, etc.

What I was questioning was the basis for the statement Mikeo made that my issue with bananas causing RLS means I'm magnesium deficient, and how bananas exacerbate (I think that is the right word, although at times I certainly did feel exasperated   ) a magnesium deficiency.

He certainly did say exasperate...   I assumed he meant exacerbate but was still trying to work out how bananas would do that anyway...

There might be some nutrient in bananas that increases the need for magnesium and/or interferes with magnesium absorption. I'm not sure. I do know that bananas are high in potassium, which is useful if you're low in potassium, but could throw off your electrolyte balance if you already have enough potassium and are a bit low on other electrolytes.

Makes sense...

why not pm and ask him what he meant in case he doesn't see the thread again?