LETS GO BANANAS

I personally just loove bananas and am so glad to find this info on all the health benefits of eating them.It also makes sense to me why I would have such intense cravings for bananas when I was feeling an anxiety attack coming on.In fact during my bad insomnia or anxiety spells if I ate 3 bananas it would relax me so much my panic would go away and I would sleep in about 15 min.I didn't know then but my body was craving the magnesium,b6,and tryptophan all in one amazing fruit.Now I still crave them during my cycle and come to find out they are a good source of iron as well.The potassium in them naturally gives you energy and helps steady heart rythmn.Believe me I know about heart rythmn problems from my panic days and bananas were certainly my friend.They also help protect our body from heat exhaustion,that is why they grow so abundantly in tropical areas.Not that we have to worry about heat right now lol.So any way I came across an article on raw divas .com and am going to paste it on here for you all to read as it is so interesting. What you waitin for?Go get a banana.haha.A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression “going bananas” is from the effects of bananas on the brain. After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
But energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body conv erts into serotonin, known tomake you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability toreduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a “cooling” fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced withthe help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, “A banana a day keeps the doctor away!”
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe…polish with dry cloth.
BANANA ICE CREAM[this is so good]
IN A BLENDER PUT 1 CUP OF YOGURT AND 3/4 CUP OF YOUR FAVORITE JUICE OR MILK
PUREE AND ADD 4 FROZEN BANANAS IN CHUNKS GRADUALLY PULSING TILL CREAMY.YOU CAN ADD MORE LIQUID IF YOU WANT BUT YOU DON'T WANT IT TO THIN ,I ALSO USE YOUNG COCONUT MEAT INSTEAD OF YOGURT SOMETIMES TO MAKE IT TOTALLY DAIRY FREE AND THICK.
WE HAVE ALSO ADDED AFEW SOINACH LEAVES OR MINT LEAVES AND A FEW DROPS PEPPERMIN OIL AND SOME CAROB TO MAKE MINT CHOCLATE ICE CREAM TOP WITH YOUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS MY kids like it so much they would rather have this than regular ice cream and I would have to agree.Thank God for his greatness and giving us such wonderful gifts to enjoy and keep us healthy.God bless bananas

Homemade skin care and therapuetic baths plus an easy way to make your own nut butters

H i and how are you?Pretty good here.We have definately been going through a bit of stressors but I know God is faithful to supply all our needs.He can be trusted to be faithful and that is where my trust lies.I can't believe that we are halfway through the school year already .We are thinking of homeschooling next year because of some concerns we have but I am a little nervous about it too.If ther is anybody out there that has a good system I would love to hear from you.Well I am sure we are not the only ones having some financial issues right now so I thought today I would share some of the things that work for me to supplement a beauty routine that won't break the bank.Guess what?They actually work better than most of the expensive things I have used before.Sometimes I think God allows us to be broke so we learn to be creative with our recources and also more self-sufficient.I value all the things I have learned how to do due to necessity.It saves us a lot of money and is healthier for us not to mention better for the environmrent.God made us caretakers of the environment and unwittingly we have been letting Him down.It is time to be more concious of the way we live.Also we can leave a legacy for our children of having healthier lives and a cleaner world.Anyway here are a few reciopes I have ccome up with after reading up on natural skin treatments that really help me.One of the things I deal with is large pores,so I read that baking soda and also vinegar were good for that.I elaborated on the basics to also help with moisturizing the skin without causing acne and added a few balancing essential oils to the mix.My basic facial cleansing scrub recipe is
2 TBSP BAKING SODA,2 TBSP SUGAR[ANY KIND]and ENOUGH GLYCERINE OR HONEY TO MAKE A PASTE.I then add 4 drops tea tree oil[prevents acne]6 drops geranium oil,and 6 drops lavendar oil[these two are balancing for the skin]mix together and use a small bit to cleanse your skin once or twice a day.Even with out the oils it works great.For a follow up toner recipe I USE
EQUAL PARTS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR AND WITCH HAZEL OR ROSE WATER [you can add essential oils to this but it is really not necessary if you don't have them]
Now if it is evening you want a heavier moisturizer and coconut oil is very good as even oily skin does well with this.If your skin is really oily mix castor oil with it as that helps cut the oil while still moisterizing.I also use wheat germ oil sometimes as this is really high in vitamin E.During the day when you want something lighter just get one of those 96 cents vitamin E sticks and smooth that on in your dry areas.It works great and is cheap.I hope these suggestions help.Now for a few medicinal bath recipes.Do not combine any of these recipes.these arefor detoxing purposes as written by Anne Louise Gittleman.
FORMULA 1
To help detox from radiation exposure from exrays,air travel,etc,
Run a tub to the hottest water you can stand.Dissolve 1 poundof baking soda in water, and begin to soak.Sip a glass of warm water mixed with1/2 tsp sea salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda.Get out of the bath when the water is cool.Don't shower for at least4 hours.
FORMULA 2
To help detox from metal poisoning from aluminum cookware ,amalgams,antacids,or from carbon monoxide in heavy traffic and pesticides exposure
Run tub with hottest water you can stand.Pour 1 cup of clorox bleach[it has to be clorox ONLY] in the water and soak.Get out when water is cool.Don't shower for at least 4 hours.
FORMULA 3
To help detox from irradiated food andfoodborne bacteria,including salmonella and E coli
Run tub with water as hot as you can manage.Pour in 2 pounds of baking soda.Sip a glass of warm water mixed with 1/2 tsp of baking soda.Get out of bath when cool.
FORMULA 4[the last one]
To help build immunity by raising your body,s acidity which makes you less hospitable for bacteria and viruses,good for preventing illnesses
Run atub with hottest water you can stand.Pour in 2 cups apple cider vinegar.Sip a glass of warm water mixed with1 tbsp organic apple cider vinegar.Get out of the bath when cool
Well these are just a few of the ways we can detox and be healthy using very inexopensive things.God gave us every thing in nature to be well.Last but not least I want to share a technique I came across for making nut butters easily if you don't have a high powered blender.You will need a coffee grinder though but you can get those for like 10 bucks.First grind your nuts to a powder in the coffee grinder and then put in your blender .Add either safflower oil,grapeseed oil or warm coconut oil and a little honey or agave nectar.I doesn't take much.Then simply pulse till it gets creamy.You can even add some flaxmeal to your nut butter to add some extra benefits to it.Sunflower seeds are good in as a nut butter and are inexpensive and highly nutritious and don't contain fungus like peanuts.Cashews are a good choice for mood because they contain good amounts of tryptophan and almond are a powerhouse of magesium and are also a good relaxer.I NUT BUTTER TRUFFLES OUT OF THESE AND GIVE THE KIDS A FEW BEFORE BED TO HELP THEM SLEEP AND KEEP THEIR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS STEADY. I hope you have enjoyed these suggestions and that you can feel hopeful that even if money is tight you can still stay beautiful and healthy.I will have more posts like this in the near future as I feel in todays economy we need to be as self sufficient as possible.God bless