Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 1-1-16 Edition

Health
21 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Eat Bananas
4 Ways Being Polite Is Good For You
The banana - a fruit botanically - is actually a berry! Here are the top 25 most b-a-n-a-n-a-s things that will hap- pen.
20. You’ll Recover Faster - Potas- sium helps muscles recover from a workout,strengthenstheirdevelopment and allows you to work out more.
19. You’ll Feel Happier, Faster - Bananas contain vitamin B9, a.k.a. fo- late, a nutrient that may fight depres- sion by boosting a substrate that has antidepressant properties.
18. You’ll Feel Less Stress And Anxiety - Besides mood-boosting B9, bananas have tryptophan, a precursor for serotonin - the most important brain chemical because it is a natural anti-de- pressant and can treat, anxiety and in- somnia, as well as fatigue, irritability, agitation, anger, and aggression. Ba- nanas also have norepinephrine, which regulates our “‘fight or flight response,’ which helps to regulate stress.
17. You’ll Sleep Better - Because of the trytptophan, a precursor for melatonin, which promotes relaxation and helps to regulate sleep.
16. You’ll Look Less Bloated. Ba-
nanas increase bloat-fighting bacteria in the stomach, and it’s also a good source of potassium, which can help diminish retention of fluids.
15. You’ll Start Burning Fat - Bananas have 12 mg. of choline, a fat-blasting B vitamin that fights genes that cause fat storage in the abdomen.
14. Your Blood Sugar Will Stabilize - Eat pro- tein and healthy fat with the banana to slow down the absorption of the sugar from the banana into your bloodstream. This is the most effective strategy for keeping blood sugar levels stable.
13. You’ll Have Less Cravings - Eating a ba- nana between meals means less binging.
12. You’ll Feel Fuller - Prior to ripening, ba- nanas are rich in resistant starch. This feeds healthy gut bacteria, and suppresses the appetite leading to more efficient fat oxidation.
11. You’ll Reduce Bad Cholesterol Levels -
Bananas contain phytosterols, which are compounds that have LDL cholesterol-lowering effects. They con- tain Vitamin B6 which is important for nearly every- thing—heart health, immune health, digestive health, and nervous system function.
10. You’ll Digest Easier - Bananas are an excel- lent source of prebiotics, non-digestible carbohy-
drates that act as food for good gut bac- teria (probiotics) and improve diges- tion—because they contain fructooligosaccharides - fructose mole- cules that lead to better gastrointestinal health.
9. You’ll Be More Regular - The high fiber in bananas helps normal- ize bowel motility and also help when things are loosey goosey.
8. Your Bones Will Grow Stronger. Bananas help promote cal- cium uptake with the help of those pre- biotic fructooligosaccharides which
enhances the body's ability to absorb calcium.
7. You’ll Have More Energy.
Bananas are rich in glucose, the most easily digestible source of sugar that will provide optimal energy.
6 Your Body Will Fight Dis- eases - Bananas are rich in pro-vitamin A carotenoids beta-carotene and alpha- carotene which protect against certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and di- abetes.
5. They Battle Cancer - Del- phinidin - an antioxidant in bananas
that has anti-tumor properties.
4. Your Blood Pressure Lowers. Bananas are high in potassium and low in sodium, and the FDA suggests they are able to lower blood pressure and
protect against heart attack and stroke.
3. Your Blood Gets Stronger - Strengthen your
blood and relieve anemia with the added iron from bananas. Iron transfers oxygen to your cells.
2. Your Vision Will Improve - Bananas con- tain vitamins A and C, and both are antioxidants and are eye and skin-healthy nutrients. They have beta carotene, an antioxidant that
can help to protect cells and re-
pair damage at the cellular
level, and bananas also contain
other nutrients like vitamin E
and lutein-—both which are eye
healthy. Lutein is a nutrient
that may help to reduce risk for
macular degeneration.
1. You Detoxify - Rich in
pectin, bananas are an all-nat-
ural detox. The gelatin-like
fiber that sticks to toxic com-
pounds in the blood and flushes
them out of the body through the urine.
If there’s one thing we can thank our mothers for, it’s their constant reminders to always be polite. Little did we know that this basic, common cour- tesy was more than just for keeping up appearances: The act of being polite can actually be good for you.
It turns out, partaking in basic forms of politeness has a multitude of benefits. Good manners can go a long way, and after reading about these fast- acting benefits, you’ll be saying your pleases & thank yous a bit more often!
1. It Reduces Stress - A study published earlier this month in the journal Clinical Psychological Science found that people who partake in “prosocial behaviors were found to have an increased feeling of positive mental health and a boosted mood level, even on extremely stress- ful days.
Brief periods of supporting or helping others might help to mitigate the negative emotional effects of daily stress. So, even small acts of politeness can give you a more relaxed disposition overall!
2. You Feel Better About Yourself - When you are nice to someone, it’s not just the re- ceiver of the nice act who bene- fits — you get satisfaction from it, too. When you help others and do kind acts, it causes our brain to release endorphins, the chemicals that give us feel- ings of fervor and high spirits. Doing something nice for someone also gives the brain a serotonin boost, the chemical that gives you that feeling of
satisfaction and well-being.
3. It Can Lower Blood Pressure - A study published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology found that people who offer social support to others have lower blood pressure than people who don’t. Maybe it’s the result of good karma or maybe it’s sim- ply a side effect of stress reduc- tion — either way, it’s a wonderful health boost for those hoping to keep their blood pressure levels low.
4. It Could Help You Live Longer - The ultimate reward for being polite? A longer life. The Corporation for National and Community Service came out with a collection of studies called “The Health Benefits of Volunteering,” which con- cluded that people who offer emotional support to others had lower mortality rates than those who do not.
So, what better time to start being polite than during the holiday season? After all, the holidays are all about the spirit of giving, and at the end of the day it’s a win-win for everyone involved!
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016