Striving4Zen

Did you know cucumbers have actually been found to be up to 20 degrees cooler than the outside air? It's no wonder that we want to be "cool as a cucumber" during the hot summer months!

Cucumbers are great for healthy skin--from both inside and out. While it may be recommended to add cucumbers to your diet to improve the complexion and health of the skin, cucumbers are also used topically to reduce swelling under the eyes and the effects of sunburn.

And for an extra boost of vitamin A, C and potassium, add cucumbers to your favorite summer salads and sandwiches. If you choose organic cucumbers, leave the skin on for extra nutrition--all you have to do is slice and serve.

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Labels: cucumber, eating for good skin, food for dry skin, food for the face, healthy food, potassium, vegetable

1/2 cup (1/4 of the pint)	Calories	Fiber (g)	Vitamin A (mcg)	Vitamin C (mg)	Potassium (mg)	Folate (mcg)
Strawberries	23	1.4	9	42	110	17
Blueberries	41	1.7	39	7	56	4
Raspberries	32	4	20	16	93	13
Blackberries	31	3.8	154	15	117	18
Boysenberries	33	3.5	44	2	92	42
Raw Cranberries	22	2.2	28	6	40	0
Dried Cranberries (1/3) cup)	123	2.3	0	0	16	0

Labels: berries, blueberries, potassium, strawberries, Vitamins

Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and maintain normal heart and artery function. It also reduces the risk of stroke.

Labels: essential nutrient, healthy diet, potassium, Sweet potato, Whole Foods

Providing energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

• Depression: According to a recent survey amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
• PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
• Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
• Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat high blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
• Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
• Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
• Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
• Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
• Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
• Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. (Fascinating!)
• Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. (Oops -- they left out the fact that it's good to eat protein and/or fat at the same time.)
• Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
• Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit t hat can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
• Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. (Really?)
• Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
• Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%.
• Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape.

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Labels: bananas, citrus fruits, healthy food, potassium

This delectable brilliant orange fruit is juicy, sweet, and tart. Mangoes are high in fiber and a rich source of potassium and vitamins A and C, with only 135 calories for the entire fruit. The center pit makes it a bit tricky to slice up but the extra effort is worth it.

1. Increase your intake of potassium the easy way. Simply slice up a mango and eat.
2. Chop mangoes then toss into salsas or chutneys for a tropical treat on grilled fish.
3. Stock your pantry with mango juice for a quick and nutritious smoothie or refreshing mango-lime spritzer.
4. Put spoon-sliced mangoes on top of pancakes, waffles, French toast, whole-grain cereal, salads, cakes, yogurt, and puddings.

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Labels: eating healthy, fruit, mango, potassium

A nutritional All-Star — one of the best vegetables you can eat. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Bake and then mix in some unsweetened applesauce or crushed pineapple for extra moisture and sweetness.

Labels: carotenoids, healthy diet, potassium, Sweet potato, vegetable

Vitamin D

This fat-soluble vitamin is clutch--your bones can't absorb calcium as well without it.

Great sources:
3.5 oz salmon = 360 IU
1.75 oz sardines = 250 IU
4 oz shrimp = 172 IU
8 oz D-fortified milk or orange juice = 100 IU

Vitamin K

You don't hear much about vitamin K, though vitamin K isn't a direct bone-builder, it does enable certain bone forming proteins to do their job, says Sarah Booth, Ph.D., director of the Vitamin K Laboratory at Tufts University in Boston.

Great sources
1 cup kale = 547 mcg
1 cup broccoli = 420 mcg
1 cup Swiss chard = 299 mcg
1 cup spinach = 120 mcg

Potassium

It's already linked to lower blood pressure, and now, a recent study has found, potassium may also neutralize acids that suck calcium out of the body, making it a skeleton saver, too.

Great sources
1 sweet potato = 694 mg
1 white potato with skin = 610 mg
8 oz plain nonfat yogurt = 579 mg
1 medium-size banana = 422 mg

Labels: bones, healthy diet, potassium, strong bones, Vitamin D, Vitamin K

BOTTOM LINE:

Bananas are a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin C, potassium, dietary fiber, and manganese.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Banana.

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Labels: bananas, healthy diet, nutrition, potassium, vitamin B6