Thursday, September 4, 2008
FRUGAL HEALTH TIP #1
THE BENEFITS OF BANANAS
Tens of millions of Americans have no health insurance. They simply can't afford it!
The cost of prescription drugs is outrageous, and he loss of wages from missing work due to illness can be a real budget killer for many.
It is best to try and stay as healthy as possible, by eating plenty of nutritious foods. Bananas are a great choice to add to your diet. They are low cost, easily available, and have numerous health benefits.
Here are just a few:
Bananas are high in potassium, the mineral the body utilizes to normalize your heartbeat, send oxygen to the brain and regulate the balance of water.
Doctors routinely prescribe potassium for patients with high blood pressure. According to new research in the New england Journal of Medicine, potassium can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke by about 40%!
Bananas are the only raw fruit that people afflicted with ulcers can eat. That is because they neutralize acidity in the body, and coat the lining of the stomach so it feels less irritated.
When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises and levels of potassium are depleted. We can then feel edgy and irritable. Eating bananas restores the balance of potassium and that stressed out feeling subsides.
Bananas are also a good source of vitamin B6, a mood stabilizer. Women with PMS can benefit from eating bananas to help with mood swings during their menstrual cycles.
They also contain other B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Constipation can be a thing of the past for you, if you consume bananas. They ae high in fiber, making laxatives unnecessary.
Are you anemic? Bananas are high in iron, which is needed for the production of healthy blood.
A school in England gave students a banana at lunch and for a daytime snack, and found pupils were more alert and able to concentrate on their lessons.
Finally, bananas are a great cure for hangovers! Make a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. The milk re-hydrates you, the bananas coat your jumpy stomach, and the honey replenishes your depleted blood sugar that is giving you that pounding headache.
Irene Helen Zundel is a freelance writer, educator and mother, and an expert in child development, home schooling and creative parenting and home making.
Visit her online at http://www.irenehelenzundel.com
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About Me
- Irene Helen Zundel
- I am a freelance writer, Reiki master, and educator, with diplomas in teacher's aide and child psychology, and numerous writing courses. I home schooled my son, who was born 10 weeks early and was expected to have developmental and learning lags. In 6th grade, he took an 8th grade standardized achievement test, and scored as a college sophomore in math and English. It inspired me to write a book, which I have given away for free! It is called Make your Kid a Genius, and can be downloaded at my website http://www.irenehelenzundel.com I am passionate about alternative healing methods; especially Reiki, aromatherapy, acupressure, therapeutic massage and music and sound therapy.