You Are What You Eat
Banana's
...and their benefits!
I have currently just started my yoga therapist training at Atmavikasa in Mysore, India...and they are absolutely bananas about bananas!! At first I thought that perhaps it was just because India is abundant with fresh, ripe fruit and bananas are the simple staple for any diet and a great fruit carb for keeping up the energy for practising yoga.
Later I learned they are more than just a simple healthy snack, not just by research but by my own experience.
It is recommended for us to eat 4 big bananas (or 10 small bananas) after our morning practise, before we eat anything else. And why stop there? Eat bananas all day if you want to! In fact, just only eat bananas, dream about bananas, and perhaps one day you might just look like one. And that is certainly not a bad thing, for here are just a few health benefits I have researched:
Firstly, these brightly coloured, sunshine nourished fruits are packed with vitamins and minerals that can boost not only your health, but also your mood. The shape itself is curved like a big happy smile combined with its rich sweetness and smooth texture making it the perfect guilt free snack! So forget the chocolate and reach for the bananas, for not only do they look radiant, but they make you feel radiant too! This can be attributed to the fact that they contain vitamin b6 and Tryptophan (used in medicines), the nutrients and amino acids that fights depression, and helps release serotonin (a feel good chemical) to enter the brain faster.
Bananas are the Queen of Potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining blood pressure, keeping the heart healthy, the kidneys happy and the brain alert. Potassium can also help to diminish fluid retention and therefore reducing the effects of stomach bloating. With around 460mg potassium and only 1mg of sodium, a banana a day can keep the doctor away.
Bananas are also high in FIBER (both soluble and insoluble). Fiber is a natural digestive aid that keeps the digestive tract in great shape, encouraging regular and healthy bowel movements. The soluble fiber has the tendency to slow down digestion (great for upset stomachs) and helps to keep you feeling fuller longer. So it stabilises blood sugar levels and therefore reduces cravings. Hello flat stomach!
Bananas are the top source of instant energy food for any physical work out with its " anti-tired" agent to make your body stronger. This includes building stronger bones as well as muscles because banana contains high amounts of iron, magnesium and calcium. Not only does it make you stronger, but it can also help to increase flexibility. Can't touch your toes? Eat more bananas.
Bananas not only make you FEEL great, but make you LOOK great. With them being packed with vitamins and natural oils, they help soften skin, moisturise hair and adding a brightness to your eyes, giving the body an overall appearance a healthy glow from inside out. This I can speak from experience! Just one week of regularly eating lots of bananas and these effects have already taken place.
There are also many natural banana recipes for face and hair masks, also using the peel to whiten teeth or rub on infected skin and mosquito bites.
"Too much sugar?"
I hear this a lot when I go through periods of consuming high amounts of fruits. It's a conditioned response, for most of us are believed that ALL sugar is the enemy.
Even I had got confused over this subject from time to time and doubted my own eating habits.
However, a friend (nutritionist and fruitarian) kindly explained to me the importance of sugar and the different types.
"Firstly, every single cell in our body consumes sugar, this is the fuel it uses to create energy - sugar and oxygen. The sugar is carbon essentially...like carbohydrate. So like a car, the body needs fuel to run.
The problem is that the word sugar has been used to mean so many different things but not all sugars are the same. So our choice is not whether or not to eat sugar, but rather what type of sugar we use.
There are 4 options:
1. Complex carbohydrates - found in starches, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread etc. These take a lot of work to break down into the simple sugar our body uses. They are like dirty fuel in your car. Sure if can run on, but a lot of bad waste is also created. (Not saying they should be eliminated from the diet as they surely have their own benefits, but less consumption of these are best for the body.)
2. Galactose - this is milk sugar and is not a great option. Although it is a simple sugar, we loose the that ability to digest dairy after about two years old.
3. Glucose - this is a primary vegetable sugar and is a great option. It is a small simple sugar that can easily be absorbed by the body. Although it does require the help of insulin to take it to the cell
4. Fructose - a fruit sugar. This is the most simple of all sugars and does not even need insulin to be transported to the cell. Absorbed easily, like clean burning fuel.
It is important to note that there is more sugar in bread than in fruit! It is just in complex form so we forget it is sugar.
So the moral of this story, if you don't eat sugar, what else is your body going to run on? The simple choice is what type."
So if you are wanting a healthy body, relaxed mind, intelligent brain, increased energy, better sleep and a healthy glow.....go bananas!!
Yoga Therapist Training at atmavikasa centre of Yogic Sciences, Mysore http://atmavikasayoga.in #yogainmysore #atmavikasa #yogatherapyindia
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