B is for Bananas
April 2nd 2011 19:45
Category: What's Really Good For you
The letter of the day in the A to Z blogging challenge is B. B is for Banana.
I have a habit of buying up all the bad bananas at my local grocery store.
I head straight for the slightly aging bananas the grocer puts in a special barrel, or has bulk wrapped, or thrown in a paper sack.
Perfect...I pass up, "No thanks, bright yellow bananas," I say, "See you in a few weeks, green banana" I have always rooted for the underdog.
Bananas are a staple in my diet. The first thing I do when I get my poor overlooked babies home is to peel the skin off. Then I place in a container with a lid and pop them in the freezer.
Word of the day - Bananas.
What do I do with the bananas? I make them into simple, simple, simple smoothies. I place a frozen banana in a blender, pour water over it and blend. I can drink/eat that plain...or add a little something from my fridge; piece of a peach, some pineapple, strawberries...or cinnamon, cocoa or my favorite - spinach! It turns a pretty shade of green tastes delicious. Seriously. Plus, it is healthy....
Some Banana Facts from Raw Food Nation
* Bananas contain about 20% daily value of vitamin B6
* Bananas are also a good source of vitamin C (about 15% daily value)
* 11% of your daily value of potassium comes from just 1 banana (that’s about 400mg)
* You can get 4 grams of fiber from one banana
* A banana has 467 mg of magnesium
* They are only 110 calories (wow that’s nothing!)
* Bananas contain plenty of carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of energy.
Health Benefits:
The potassium found in bananas helps to regulate blood pressure and may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Potassium also helps normalize the heart beat and regulate the body’s water balance.
Great for stress, during periods of high stress our body’s potassium levels tend to be depleted. Bananas are a great way to restore those levels naturally.
Potassium is also essential for helping muscles to contract properly during exercise and reduces cramping up (oh, that’s why athletes prefer them!)
Bananas are rich in Vitamin B6. Lack of B6 in a diet can cause weakness, irritability and insomnia.
B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan into serotonin, and also helps the body make hemoglobin, a crucial ingredient of your blood.
B6 is also essential for antibody production to maintain a healthy immune system.
Bananas help improve your body’s ability to absorb calcium (which leads to healthy bones.
By suppressing calcium excretion in the urine bananas minimize the risk of kidney stones.
They are rich in fructooligosaccharide, a prebiotic that nourishes the probiotic (good) bacteria in the colon.
These probiotics produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our body’s ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms.
Bananas contain plenty of carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of energy.
The health benefits from a single banana are quite impressive. This little overachiever certainly earned his word of the day status!
Runner up for Word of the Day is....Blender ,without my little red blender, the smoothie would not be possible. Thank you, Mr. Blender.
I have a habit of buying up all the bad bananas at my local grocery store.
I head straight for the slightly aging bananas the grocer puts in a special barrel, or has bulk wrapped, or thrown in a paper sack.
Perfect...I pass up, "No thanks, bright yellow bananas," I say, "See you in a few weeks, green banana" I have always rooted for the underdog.
Bananas are a staple in my diet. The first thing I do when I get my poor overlooked babies home is to peel the skin off. Then I place in a container with a lid and pop them in the freezer.
Word of the day - Bananas.
What do I do with the bananas? I make them into simple, simple, simple smoothies. I place a frozen banana in a blender, pour water over it and blend. I can drink/eat that plain...or add a little something from my fridge; piece of a peach, some pineapple, strawberries...or cinnamon, cocoa or my favorite - spinach! It turns a pretty shade of green tastes delicious. Seriously. Plus, it is healthy....
Some Banana Facts from Raw Food Nation
* Bananas contain about 20% daily value of vitamin B6
* Bananas are also a good source of vitamin C (about 15% daily value)
* 11% of your daily value of potassium comes from just 1 banana (that’s about 400mg)
* You can get 4 grams of fiber from one banana
* A banana has 467 mg of magnesium
* They are only 110 calories (wow that’s nothing!)
* Bananas contain plenty of carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of energy.
Health Benefits:
The potassium found in bananas helps to regulate blood pressure and may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.
Potassium also helps normalize the heart beat and regulate the body’s water balance.
Great for stress, during periods of high stress our body’s potassium levels tend to be depleted. Bananas are a great way to restore those levels naturally.
Potassium is also essential for helping muscles to contract properly during exercise and reduces cramping up (oh, that’s why athletes prefer them!)
Bananas are rich in Vitamin B6. Lack of B6 in a diet can cause weakness, irritability and insomnia.
B6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan into serotonin, and also helps the body make hemoglobin, a crucial ingredient of your blood.
B6 is also essential for antibody production to maintain a healthy immune system.
Bananas help improve your body’s ability to absorb calcium (which leads to healthy bones.
By suppressing calcium excretion in the urine bananas minimize the risk of kidney stones.
They are rich in fructooligosaccharide, a prebiotic that nourishes the probiotic (good) bacteria in the colon.
These probiotics produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our body’s ability to absorb nutrients, plus compounds that protect us against unfriendly microorganisms.
Bananas contain plenty of carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of energy.
The health benefits from a single banana are quite impressive. This little overachiever certainly earned his word of the day status!
Runner up for Word of the Day is....Blender ,without my little red blender, the smoothie would not be possible. Thank you, Mr. Blender.
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