Except For The Taste And Texture, I Like Bananas

 

 

No, I’m lying. I don’t like bananas. They are gross and disgusting and offensive to my tastes and senses. But I eat them. I don’t eat them from April through October because banana eaters attract mosquitoes, but I eat them. In fact, I ate one just now, because I believe bananas are good for me. At least I believed that until about 20 minutes ago.

Here’s why I thought bananas were healthy:

• Four times the protein of an apple, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron.
• Energy: Two bananas provide enough for a strenuous 90-minute workout.
• Depression and SAD: Contain tryptophan, a protein that converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier, and limits Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• PMS: Vitamin B6 regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
• Anemia: High in iron to stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood.
• Blood Pressure: High in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure.
• Brain Power: Potassium-packed fruit makes students more alert.
• Constipation: High in fiber to help restore normal bowel action.
• Heartburn: Natural antacid effect for soothing relief.
• Nerves: High in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Strokes: Bananas can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40 percent.

 

It turns out this information, this eRumor, available widely online, is unsubstantiated, which means it is mostly wishful thinking, probably written by an enterprising greengrocer somewhere. At least that’s what TruthorFiction says:

TruthOrfiction.com checked with one of the biggest distributors of bananas, the Chiquita Banana Company. A spokesperson told us that bananas are a wholesome, nutritious food and a good source of important vitamins, minerals, and macro nutrients including vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, and dietary fiber. He said that although he would like to say that everything in the eRumor is true, he is not able to and added that much of the email is based on assumption.

So you know what that means. No more bananas for me. Yipee!

 

10 Minutes Of Sunshine A Day Keeps The Doctor Away (I Have Graphs, So It Must Be True)

Okay. About 45 percent of Americans die from heart disease.

 

 

Nearly 42 percent of us are vitamin D deficient.

 

Of Americans who have heart failure, 96 percent are vitamin D deficient.

 

So you do the math. About half die of heart disease, close to half are vitamin D deficient, and almost all of those who have heart failure are vitamin D deficient.

Do you see a trend here? It may be worth looking at your vitamin D levels to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, among other things.

“Researchers found that patients with very low levels of Vitamin D were 77 percent more likely to die,” says Science Daily, “45 percent more likely to develop coronary artery disease, and 78 percent were more likely to have a stroke than patients with normal levels.”

 

So, more than 40 percent of us are nearly 80 more likely to die, probably from a stroke, because we are not getting enough vitamin D.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information agrees (NCBI): “Given that vitamin D deficiency is linked to some of the important risk factors of leading causes of death in the United States, it is important that health professionals are aware of this connection and offer dietary and other intervention strategies to correct vitamin D deficiency.”

 

The good news is that this is something you can fix immediately. Just go outside in the sun for 10 minutes every day to get your vitamin D, says WebMD: “Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is produced by the body in response to sunlight. It is also occurs naturally in a few foods -- including fish, fish liver oils, and egg yolks.”

 

Walk in the sun and stoke up on omega-3s. Could it be any easier than that. Just don’t tell the FDA what you’re up to….

Stop And Face The Music Or You Might Miss The $3,000,000 Violin Guy, Too

The man playing violin in the corner of this mass transit entryway is Joshua Bell, an award-winning violinist. His violin is worth more than 3 million dollars.

Because Bell is out of context, he is barely noticed, much less appreciated. During this performance, he collects $32, a big step down from the $100 per seat paid to watch him just two days earlier at a sold-out theater in Boston.

I doubt that I would have appreciated his performance, although I likely would have dropped a dollar or two into his case.

As this article from Dr.Mercola suggests, why not take a moment to recognize the beauty around us, especially in unexpected places?

No Joke: Laughter Makes You Healthier And More Fun At Parties

Remember the Monty Python Killer Joke skit where people actually die laughing? Laughlab is looking for the genuine article, the world’s funniest joke. They have collected and rated more than 10,000 jokes, two of which are copied here. Tell me which you prefer, or submit your own (G-rated) joke.

Joke 1

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep. In the night, Holmes wakes Watson up: "Watson, look up at the stars, and tell me what you deduce."

Watson says, "I see millions of stars and even if a few of those have planets, it's quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life."

Holmes replied: "Watson, you idiot, somebody stole our tent."

Joke 2

Two hunters are in the woods when one of them falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be breathing. His eyes are rolled back in his head.

The other guy whips out his phone and calls 911. "My friend is dead! What can I do?" The operator, in a calm soothing voice, says: "Just take it easy, sir. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There's silence, then a shot.

The guy's voice comes back on the line. He says, "Okay, now what?"

I discovered these jokes at Mercola.com, where there is plenty of support for laughter being the best medicine. Check it out.