Green Bananas

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yello said:
Wow! Didn't know that! The t'interweb is full of authoritative looking pages talking of potassium rich bananas. Just goes to show, I guess, that one can always find find something to support a view.


They do contain a fair amount, but there are plenty of other foods just as high or higher. Potatoes for example.
 

longers

Legendary Member
Its always an education on here.

What do we need potassium for?
 

yello

Guest
magnatom said:
They do contain a fair amount, but there are plenty of other foods just as high or higher. Potatoes for example.

Ah well, that's a bit different then! They are a better source of potassium then some foods but not as good as others then. Their packaging and general composition makes them, on balance, an excellent food for an athlete. Though I'd love to see Roger Federa munching a potato court side! :rofl:
 
longers said:
I knew someone who had a deficiency following chemotherapy.


Yes, but not due to a dietary deficiency! I chose my words carefully. :rofl:

You can have conditions which lead to issues, and as you say chemo, but for the vast majority of us, there are no issues with potassium.

I'm not a great believer in the supplement market.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
ColinJ said:
(Elements are only created or destroyed in nuclear reactions, not in chemical reactions such as ripening.)
Wot about lithium, then? I was distressed to be told in some recent programme about rare earth minerals that all the lithium in existence had been created in the Big Bang and it was no good waiting for a supernova to make us some more, so we had better not waste it.

My local shops sells plantains. It took me a while to realise that these are not in fact green bananas, but now I can do a passable matoke stew.
 
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trustysteed

Guest
we get fruit at work every day but recently they've been giving us semi-ripe bananas. i could leave my banana till the following day but sometimes i'm just too hungry! which is why i was wondering.
 
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trustysteed

Guest
bauldbairn said:
Mmmmmm!!!! Dates - not had them for ages.:smile: Just going out shopping.:rofl:

singles night at the supermarket?:biggrin:
 

Wolf04

New Member
Location
Wallsend on Tyne
ASC1951 said:
Wot about lithium, then? I was distressed to be told in some recent programme about rare earth minerals that all the lithium in existence had been created in the Big Bang and it was no good waiting for a supernova to make us some more, so we had better not waste it.

My local shops sells plantains. It took me a while to realise that these are not in fact green bananas, but now I can do a passable matoke stew.

ColinJ is correct elements can't be destroyed or changed except in nuclear reactions even Lithium. They can be reacted with other chemicals to form different compounds but the earth still has it's full quota of Lithium it's probably just hiding.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
There are obviously quite a few CC members who didn't pay attention in their school science classes so here is a little refresher course for you - pay attention at the back! :becool:

Elements are the purest substances in nature. The smallest amount of an element that you can get is an Atom. Atoms are actually made of sub-atomic gubbins (Electrons, Protons, Neutrons...) but as far as the 'real world' is concerned you can forget about that stuff and just let the physicists worry about it.

Many substances are Compounds consisting of Molecules created by chemical reactions between atoms. In planet Earth conditions, some elements don't actually seem to like existing as individual atoms. The atoms in the elements Hydrogen and Oxygen for example tend to go around in pairs. Those elements also have a great affinity for each other so if they are mixed together, at the slightest excuse (a lighted match will do!) they will undergo a chemical reaction (also known as a very loud bang!). The result will be molecules of water.

Hundreds of years ago, people used to think that you could transmute one element into another if you went about it the right way. Actually, they were right because if you happened to have a man-made nuclear reactor or a natural one like a star handy you could do just that. Mixing a few powders together, adding essence of frog and reciting a few magic verses doesn't do the trick though so the old Alchemists were doomed to failure when they tried to make Gold that way.

Gold is an example of an element that is pretty antisocial. It is quite happy to hang about by itself under normal circumstances rather than reacting with all and sundry. It is possible to form compounds between gold and other elements but it takes a bit of effort.

Gold belongs to the family of elements known as Metals. Not all metals are as antisocial as gold. Iron, for example is by comparison the life and soul of the party! Add iron to water and air and before you know it you have a good rust thing going on. Some metals are a bit too friendly though - the aforementioned Potassium being a notable example. Those who didn't fall asleep in their chemistry classes will vividly remember what happened when teacher mister Jones dropped a pellet of potassium into a beaker of water. His safety glasses and the straw bales surrounding the beaker were good clues that something interesting was about to happen! Yes, it undergoes a really violent reaction - you don't use a hose on a potassium fire! Fortunately, the potassium in your bananas (or spuds!) has already reacted with other elements to form relatively stable compounds. This is why you don't explode when you eat a banana sandwich. If you see somebody about to bite into a potassium sandwich, stand clear, insert earplugs and wear an offal-proof gown! :smile:

PS I've just read that in the entire history of mankind the total amount of gold discovered on Earth is only about 160,000 tons - amazing, eh!
 

yello

Guest
No, actually I didn't do chemistry at college. Sorry about that. So would someone that did like to tell me how stable potassium gets into a banana in the first place then, and at what point? And why do bananas get a different quantity to, say, apples? Or is that biology? Didn't do that either.

Seriously though, I asked a genuine question. I don't take kindly to being addressed as an idiot simply because I ask about something. Even if there is a smiley stuck on the end.
 
Dates are good. I took some on my ride today. They said they enjoyed it.

I prefer them in a Nakd Cashew Cookie but I'll eat them any old way.

I'm just not getting in to the Potassium discussion.
 
Crackle said:
Dates are good. I took some on my ride today. They said they enjoyed it.

I prefer them in a Nakd Cashew Cookie but I'll eat them any old way.

I'm just not getting in to the Potassium discussion.


Could I interest you in a discussion about zinc perhaps?
 
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