bananarama!

i used to have an addiction to bananas. and i don't mean in the cute "had one for breakfast every morning" kind of way. i mean in the "got aggressive if one of my other family members ate the last banana" kind of way. i had withdrawl symptoms if i didn't get at least one a day, and most days it was a minimum of two bananas. i literally could not get enough of them! now i have relaxed a little. i chop one up and have it with my oats in the morning, but i no longer go as far as physically threatening my man if there isn't a banana in the house when i want it.
however, this addiction got me thinking; why was i so incredibly physically dependent on this one type of fruit? so i did some research. and i am proud to report that i still have absolutely no idea why whenever i saw a ripe, golden banana i started tapping the inside of my elbow and screaming "hook it up to my veins!!!". there's just too many healthy, beneficial attributes underneath that sunny yellow skin that i couldn't really pin it down to just one possible thing my body was craving. maybe it was the natural high? (haha) don't panic, it's organic!

so here are the fruits (oh yeah, my humour is still going strong) of my research! hopefully you find them inspiring enough to hook a banana up to your veins! (or at least find them mildly interesting)

• bananas are a good source of vitamin b6.  this is wonderful for a few reasons:

1. vitamin b6 plays an important role in converting tryptophan to serotoin.
2. it also aids in the production of hemoglobin, which is crucial for oxygen transportation around your body (and therefore crucial for life!).
3. it is essential for antibody production, which in turn lifts your immune response to invading pathogens (like a cold!).
4. it also aids in breaking down carbohydrates into glucose, which is the basic energy source for our cells.

• bananas can help lift your mood. bananas contain natural norepinephrine and serotonin, two mood raising neurotransmitters (the chemical messengers of our brains) that will help to lift you out of a blue funk. the b vitamins in bananas have a calming effect on the human nervous system, helping with relaxation. bananas are also a good source of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that the human body cannot make by itself, it has to be extracted from the foods we eat. tryptophan assists in the body's process of producing serotonin (the natural happy drug).
• bananas are a great source of energy. they contain three healthy sugars; fructose, glucose, and sucrose, for natural energy hit. but they also have a low glycemic index (g.i.), so that energy hit is sustained.
• bananas help regulate blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke. bananas contain high levels of potassium (roughy 422mg per medium banana) and low levels of sodium (1mg), which is all good news for healthy blood pressure as potassium helps to regulate healthy sodium levels.
• bananas reduce cramping and promote heart health. potassium is essential for proper muscle contraction and therefore assists with cramping during and after exercise. but also consider that the heart is a muscle that pumps blood around your body by rhythmically contracting (beating), so any food that promotes healthy muscle contraction is going to be good for your heart.
• bananas relieve heartburn as they have a natural antacid effect. they are also a good food for ulcer sufferers to eat, as they lower levels of acid in the gastric juices of the stomach and help to create a protective mucus coating on the wall of the stomach.
• bananas aid in calcium retention, and therefore promote healthy bones. as potassium suppresses calcium excretion, a good dose of potassium (from say, a banana?) helps your body to retain the calcium already in your body.
• bananas have been shown to reduce your risk of kidney cancer, due to their high levels of antioxidant phenolic compounds.
• the high level of b vitamins in bananas help with nerve function.
• eating bananas as a regular part of your diet can reduce your risk of stroke by up to 40% according to research.
• bananas promote a healthy bowel, as they contain roughly 16% of your recommended daily intake of dietary fibre.
• bananas can help reduce PMS, as the high levels of vitamin b6 helps to regulate blood glucose levels which helps to reduce period pain, and other period related aches.
• bananas can help when quitting smoking as the vitamins and minerals in bananas (b6 and b12, potassium and magnesium) help the body to recover from nicotine withdrawls.
• bananas contain high levels of iron.
• interestingly enough bananas are also a natural pain remedy, as they provide relief from minor burns. mash up the flesh of a banana and put it against the burn, then cover.

here are some quick nutritional facts for all you number lovers out there (these are for a medium, ripe banana, roughly 115 gm):

• total fat - 0gm
• total cholesterol - 0gm
• calories - 100gm
• sugar - 14.8 gm
• protein - 1gm (2% r.d.i.)
• potassium - 400mg (10% r.d.i. - recommended daily intake)
• dietary fibre - 4gm (16% r.d.i.)
• vitamin c 10.3 mg (17% r.d.i)
• vitamin b6 - 0.4mg (22% r.d.i.)
• potassium - 422mg (12% r.d.i.)

so go chop one up for your cereal, mash it up for a banana and honey sandwich, or just eat one straight off the bunch.

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some (healthy) reasons to eat your easter eggs!

happy easter everyone :)

i realise that not everyone belongs to an easter celebrating faith (i don't, but i respect everyone's different beliefs as long as they don't expect me to believe them or judge me when i don't), but easter is one of those all round holidays that everyone can celebrate. who in this world doesn't like extended weekends or socially acceptable reasons to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner (in moderation, of course! only two, or maybe three, eggs per meal...right??)

it's common knowledge that chocolate en masse (eating it in large quantities) is not good for you. but really, eating anything in large quantities is not good for you! moderation literally is the key!
however, beyond all the nasty health claims about chocolate (high sugar content, high fat content), there is another side to chocolate's personality that will make easter all the sweeter. it is actually good for you...

first off, i need to clarify something: (this may break your heart, but hear me out!) these health benefits don't apply to white and milk chocolate, as white chocolate is not actually real chocolate and milk chocolate has many additives (sugar, milk, nougat, caramel... et cetera) that raise the levels of nasties and negate the healthy benefits. so, if you do want to reap the benefits of chocolate, try to get dark chocolate because it has less nasty additives and a higher cacao percentage, which equals more goodness for you.

now to address the 'fat' issue. the fat in chocolate is composed of three kinds of acids: oleic, stearic and palmitic, and in roughly equal portions. oleic acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that helps to keep your blood vessels healthy, and stearic acid is a saturated fat that has been shown to have no effect on cholesterol levels. it's only the palmitic acid that is a cholesterol raising problem. but, in moderation, two out of three ain't bad.
 
so, what about these health benefits?

• chocolate contains flavonoids. these handy little guys are a type of flavonol, which is the compound in plants that fights off toxins and aids in their healing process. how does chocolate contain things from plants? chocolate comes from the seeds harvested from the cacao plant. the flavonoids that you ingest when you eat chocolate act as a natural antioxidant in your body, helping to prevent and heal cell damage.

• these flavanoids also help to reduce blood pressure, and promote blood flow to the brain, which in turn increases brain activity and increases all associated processes (concentration, problem solving, things like that).

• chocolate can also help to lower cholesterol. the polyphenols in cacao inhibit the oxidation of LDL cholesterol in your blood vessels (which basically means chocolate stops the build up of gunk on the walls of your arteries) which in turn lowers your chance of heart attack and stroke.

• chocolate can actually help to make you happier! the carbohydrates in chocolate initiate higher levels of serotonin production in your brain, and chocolate also increases the levels of endorphins (the things that make 'other' happy situations make you feel so good). both serotonin and endorphins are the naturally occurring substances responsible for creating a sense of euphoria and happiness in your brain.

• chocolate has very recently been reported to reduce your chance of suffering a stroke. just one serving of chocolate per week will bring your risk level down by 22%.

• chocolate has natural caffeine in it, so it raises your levels of alertness. call it an afternoon pick-me-up!

• chocolate also contains theobromine, a stimulant that helps to reduce coughing by supressing the coughing reflex.

a little note on serving size.
i know i've just been banging on about how brilliant chocolate is, but despite it's incredibly alluring health benefits, it is still a high calorie, high fat food. even in its natural cacao state. so eating it all day every day is going to lead to the positive aspects being far outweighed (literally) by the negative ones. the recommended daily intake of chocolate to get all the wonderful bits is about 100 grams of dark chocolate a day. but keep in mind that if you add 100 grams of dark chocolate to your day, you need to balance it out by removing an equal calorie source, or exercise a little more.

ps!
if you are a non-dairy eater like i am, and you're not the biggest fan of dairy alternative chocolates, some dark chocolate brands (usually chocolate over 70% cocoa content) are dairy free purely because of the high natural cocoa content. but check the ingredients carefully.


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