NOT all foods that taste good are good for you, and not all foods that are good for you taste good. But high among the things that are good for you and taste good must be placed the truly ripe banana. When Disraeli, prime minister of Great Britain, on a trip to Cairo, Egypt, in 1831, first tasted a banana he exclaimed, The most delicious thing in the world While that may be a matter of opinion, no doubt most persons will agree that bananas are delicious.

The banana does not grow on a tree, for the banana plant has neither trunk nor branches. Strictly speaking, it is an herb, the main stem of which is composed of leaf sheaths. It grows to a height of from ten to twenty-five feet and takes from twelve to fifteen months to produce its fruit. Once having produced a stem of bananas, the plant is cut down, as a plant never produces more than one stem far more characteristic of an herb than of a tree.

Many indeed are the values of the banana. Truly delicious by themselves, they can be used to make appealing milk shakes, banana splits, banana cream pies, and in fruit salads. Coming more and more into use is banana powder, which those few who cannot tolerate truly ripe raw bananas can readily digest. And there are those who like to fry or bake bananas.

Among the many advantages of bananas are their being available throughout the year. They require no preparation and are naturally sealed so as to keep them practically free from bacteria and dirt. (No need to worry about sprays or whether a banana is washed before you eat it) When fully ripe when it has brown spots it is easily digested, at least by most persons, and it yields much energy.

Bananas have less moisture than almost any other fresh fruit about 75 percent. And they have also more sugar than most other fresh fruits some 20 percent. They can therefore take the place of more substantial foods and serve not only as a dessert. Those who would reduce their weight or need to watch it might well try having a few bananas and a glass of milk instead of a regular meal. Especially would such persons do well to have bananas take the place of desserts or between-meal or late snacks.

Bananas are high in vitamins A, B and C. In fact, according to some authorities, they have so much vitamin C that with young children bananas can often be a main source of this vitamin. As for the minerals, bananas have noteworthy amounts of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and sulfur. Bananas also have the power to aid in the regenerating of hemoglobin in the red cells in the blood.

Because of their low protein content, bananas are recommended for those suffering from kidney disorder. When fully ripe the starch in bananas turns to fructose, and so they are recommended for diabetics who cannot tolerate cane or beet sugar (sucrose). Bananas have been found helpful in many cases of peptic ulcers. Strange as it may seem, bananas are food for those who are overweight and those who are underweight, helping to correct both conditions, even as they are aids to remedying both diarrhea and constipation. No question about it, when the Creator made the banana he bestowed upon mankind a fine, nourishing and palatable gift.

For thousands of years bananas have been enjoyed in certain parts of the earth. But in more modern times bananas have been neglected, at least in Western lands, so that the World Book Encyclopedia lists the banana among Fruits Unknown to Our Forefathers. Back in 1912 the Journal of the American Medical Association contained an editorial entitled The Undervalued Banana. Today, however, the banana is becoming ever more valued, because it is a fruit that both tastes good and is good for you.