Bananas, my natural healer!

Cloudy days have been overstaying their welcome more this time of the year than the previous years in our woods. I have to find ways to combat SAD (seasonal affected disorder) for dark clouds affect my mood every year. From September to February, I feel sometimes, in a sad mood, not depressed but just a feeling of being under the clouds. It somehow triggers memories of years gone by, that easily make me emotional, though I’m able to manage it well, and I have to thank God for that.

It’s not as worse as when we used to live in California. In California, when it hit the month of September, there’s a gloomy touch in the air when Fall season arrives. It’s still sunny, but you can feel the dampness, especially the area where we used to live being close to the beach. I used to start getting sick in September without fail. My SAD got some relief when I was told at a health store that Gaba plus can help with SAD. And it did, but I cannot take it long term as it has a side effect.

When I’ve embraced eating plant based food, where I lost a lot of weight, I started to get familiarized with the benefits of each vegetable and fruit I’ve been eating. This year, the Celery juice has been giving me a lot of energy and it helps with SAD during this time of the year. I started taking calcium with Vitamin D3 and it’s been helping with SAD also. I’ve added more bananas in my fruit daily intake and I’ve discovered that it helps with SAD also! What do you know!

If You Think Bananas Are Just For Monkeys, Think Again

These 25 ways to use and eat bananas will blow your mind!

1. Bananas help overcome depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin — the happy-mood brain neurotransmitter.

2. Eat two bananas before a strenuous workout to pack an energy punch and sustain your blood sugar.

3. Protect against muscle cramps during workouts and night time leg cramps by eating a banana.

4. Counteract calcium loss during urination and build strong bones by supplementing with a banana.

5. Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation.

6. Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

7. Strengthen your blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas.

8. High in potassium and low in salt, bananas are officially recognized by the FDA as being able to lower blood pressure and protect against heart attack and stroke.

9. Eating Bananas For Digestion
Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body.

10. Bananas act as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the bowel. They also produce digestive enzymes to assist in absorbing nutrients.

11. Constipated? High fiber in bananas can help normalize bowel motility.

12. Got the runs? Bananas are soothing to the digestive tract and help restore lost electrolytes after diarrhea.

13. Bananas are a natural antacid, providing relief from acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.

14. Bananas are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids.

For Natural Healing From A Simple Banana

15. Eating bananas will help prevent kidney cancer, protects the eyes against macular degeneration and builds strong bones by increasing calcium absorption.

16. Bananas make you smarter and help with learning by making you more alert. Eat a banana before an exam to benefit from the high levels of potassium.

17. Bananas are high in antioxidants, providing protection from free radicals and chronic disease.

18. Eating a banana between meals helps stabilize blood sugar and reduce nausea from morning sickness.

19. Rub a bug bite or hives with the inside of the banana peel to relieve itching and irritation.

20. Control blood sugar and avoid binging between meals by eating a banana.

21. Eating a banana can lower the body temperature and cool you during a fever or on a hot day.

22. The natural mood-enhancer tryptophan helps to relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The list of fruits and vegetables with tryptophan is huge! It calls for another blog to enumerate them.

23. Quitting smoking? Bananas contain high levels of B-vitamins as well as potassium and magnesium to speed recovery from the effects of withdrawal.

24. Remove a wart by placing the inside of a piece of banana peel against the wart and taping it in place.

25. Rub the inside of a banana peel on your leather shoes or handbag and polish with a dry cloth for a quick shine.

Oh, and remember — bananas make great snacks and delicious smoothies.

from: https://www.foodmatters.com/article/25-powerful-reasons-to-eat-bananas?

Last, but not least, my close relationship with God has helped enormously with SAD for before I become a Bible believer Christian, my SAD was more of a depression than anything because it was throughout the year as far as I can remember and would get worse when Fall season starts.

Hopefully, March will bring more sunlight and beautiful days ahead. I always hope for brighter days and they are not far from sight! I can bet on that!

More Sunny Days

The weather is changing and I can feel the change in my mood and body. I am getting more motivated to do some light workouts nowadays. My diet remains the same as usual, the green smoothies seem to be as perfect to have than winter time. Though, I kept up with preparing it almost everyday during winter. Best of all, I’ve maintained my weight! Intermittent fasting is still a way of life, which I am so used to now.

However, Springtime is surely happy days. The sun always keeps me in a better mood. It indulges me to have a much better outlook.

The time change this month had screwed up my sleeping habit and it’s only recently that my circadian rhythm finally is back to normal and I’m able to establish my inner clock to work in my favor again with regards to a restful sleep.

According to Dr. Mercola:

“A number of studies indicate that springing ahead to Daylight Saving Time (DST) may be hazardous to your health. Although the one-hour time change may seem minor, when it comes to your body’s internal clock, it actually is a big deal.

The latest study suggests turning your clock ahead for DST may set the stage for a small increased risk of heart attack the following day.¹

The findings were published in the March 2013 edition of the American Journal of Cardiology.² The study showed a small rise in heart attack rates the Sunday following the shift to DST, the Saturday night when you lose an hour.

However, the study showed a small tick downward the Sunday following the change back to standard time, when you gain an hour. Given that heart attacks appear to increase following the shorter night, it is reasonable that sleep deprivation may be to blame.

There are numerous studies showing the adverse health effects of sleep deprivation. But the studies involving one-hour time changes point to just how sensitive your body is to seemingly insignificant changes in your diurnal rhythms.

The lead researcher of the featured study speculates that a more significant result may be found with a larger sample size—the population in this study was quite small. When you consider these results in light of prior studies, the issue becomes more of a concern.”

Reading this made me realize that I had a lot more sleepless nights during the week after the time change or Spring Forward. When I can have a good and restful sleep, I can feel the goodness it brings to my mood and my body temperament. My blood pressure reading is good. I just wish that whoever is responsible for these time changes will stop changing the time. If I can choose, I want it to just stay on daylight saving time.