I've worked very hard on this research.........

I have worked my fingertips down to blood-spattered stumps, with all of the research that I have been doing for my blog this week.

That may be a little bit of an overstatement, as I am sure that you remember that I am quite happy to post links to other websites that have taught me what I needed to know to embark upon my fantastic voyage through the world of smoothies. I learnt a great deal about the advantages of different food groups and how they can help with all manner of nasty maladies.

"I Feel Kinda Funny"

Sure, I have come to admire the virtues of spinach, or Kale and I can appreciate the taste and texture of Natural Yogurt. Coconut water can improve the depth of taste in anything that it is added to.

I have two favourites, but probably for a different reason than you might expect. That is..... They have ALWAYS been my favourites.

The first of these is the humble

Banana.

I have loved these things since I was a baby. They are the only fruit that I will eat by choice.

Let me furnish you with a few interesting and wholly pointless facts about the Banana.

1. Bananas are slightly radioactive. This comes from the potassium they contain.
2. All bananas are clones of the fruit on a single original plant from south-east Asia.
3. The banana was almost wiped out in the 1960s by a fungus.
4. The Goldfinger variant of banana actually tastes like an apple.
5. Over 100 billion bananas are consumed each year.
6. Monkeys open their bananas at the end furthest away from the stalk.
7. Sport stars use them because of the slow release energy that they provide.

Here are some fantastic health benefits that come from bananas.

.

1. They can help with blood pressure by increasing levels of Potassium in the body.
2. Children who eat just one banana per day have a 34% less chance of developing asthma.
3. The vitamin c in bananas can prevent formation of free radicals known to cause cancer
4. Fibre, potassium and vitamins c and B6 in bananas support the health of the heart.
5. The fruit contains fibre that can help with Diabetes
6. They can help to replenish the potassium after a bout of Diarrhoea
7. Bananas contain tryptophan which can help memory and boost your mood

So as you can tell, They are not only good for you, but monkeys like them. And Monkeys are pretty cool.

Cinnamon

I didn't mean a cinnamon bun....They're bad

I first became aware on cinnamon when my Mom put it into her fantastic apple pies, and then my dad put it into his mulled wine at Christmas.

Just a few little facts.

1. Cinnamon comes from a tree that is now cultivated as a bush.
2. It is made from the inner bark of the plant that is fragrant and oily.
3. Its usually rolled into sticks but can be ground to a powder
4. It was used by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process
5. It is used to flavour whisky, Vodka and Brandy
6. The cinnamon tree in the wild lives for 30-40 years

But the thing that I find so fascinating are the health benefits

1. Its anti-oxidants protect the body from the effects of free radicals
2. It can protect the body from unwanted inflammation.
3. It reduces the risk of heart disease.
4. It has beneficial effects on blood markers that can affect type 2 diabetes
5. It reduces the levels of LDL cholesterol (bad) and increase HDL cholesterol (Good)
6. It is known to help lower resistance to insulin which is essential for the transport of blood sugar from the bloodstream into the body cells
7. It is known to help fight the effects of Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's disease.
8. It has protective effects against many types of cancer
9. It has even been linked to treatment for immune deficiencies like HIV.

Its great as an addition to your smoothies and adds an incredible depth of taste.

There are many other ingredients that are incredible and I will talk about them in future posts.

TTFN

IJx