Going Bananas

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This is really interesting. The lovely and talented Jamila just forwarded this to me so I got it off an email. It’s all about how good bananas are for you. I find it HIGHLY interesting that Yogi Bhajan has said that the banana is the perfect food and the only thing it lacks is citrus (vitamin C and all the goodies that come with an orange.) Read on and see all the amazing properties of the banana.

Yogi Bhajan even described a banana fast, which is very difficult but very cleansing.
This is very interesting:

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression ‘going bananas’ is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:
banana
Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!!
This is interesting.

After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

But 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 undertaken by MIND 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 perfect to beat 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 aTwickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) 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.

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 chips. 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.

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 that 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 &Tobacco Use: 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.

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!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A banana a day keeps the doctor away!’

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Original Yogi Tea Recipe

Can’t believe I didn’t have this one up here before. I thought I put it up with the mung beans and rice recipe.

Anyway, enjoy.

—————————————————————————-

cup of real yogi tea

Yogi Tea

    1 Gallon Water
    30 cloves
    30 whole green cardamon pods
    30 whole black peppercorns
    1 lg finger of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
    5 sticks cinnamon
    1 teabag, Black Tea
    *Milk and Honey to taste (*optional)
  1. Bring water to boil.
  2. Add all spices except black tea bag. Boil 30 -45 min. Longer is stronger.
  3. Finally, add black tea bag and boil another 5 min. **The black tea is added last because it amalgamates the spices and sort of seals them. Also the tannins help assimilate the spices into the body.
  4. If adding milk & honey, do so after adding the tea bag and letting it steep– OR BETTER add milk and honey to individual cup or a small batch. That way you can store the raw tea in the fridge and prepare with milk and honey as you go.
  5. After adding milk and or honey, bring to a boil again, then shut immediately or keep on lowest flame to keep warm.

**Milk helps to ease the shock of the spiciness on the stomach and intestines so drink with milk if you’re sensitive.Note: for a stronger tea you can let the spices sit and sink to the bottom. If the tea gets really strong you can cut it with milk or reconstitute with a little water.

When Yogi Bhajan was a military commander in India there was an epidemic among the troops. He ordered all of his men to fill their canteens with yogi tea and drink nothing else, not even water. His Battalion was the only unit that didn’t get sick! Yogi tea purifies the blood, lungs and circulatory system. It cleans the liver and has many more unseen benefits. It’s good to drink this tea every day.

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Video: How To Make Roti or Chapati

This is a great video showing how to make this Indian Flat Bread called Roti or Chapati. It’s basically like an Indian tortilla. They’re really great and you can make them fresh to use with the Cauliflower Chapati’s Recipe.  They’re especially good when made fresh!


The Recipe:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Oil or ghee (if you want this to be vegan, don’t use ghee)

add water to flour and knead until smooth. Roll into a ball and add oil, knead oil into dough. Separate into four parts. Roll with some flour until flat. Cook on a hot skillet until brown and puffy. Add some ghee to the cooked bread and serve.

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Vegetarian and Vegan Baking Tips

Vegetarian and Vegan baking tips

(to be fair the following was completely and blatantly ripped off from The Post Punk Kitchen - word-for-word. http://www.theppk.com please visit them. There is a ton of great stuff on there.)

Get rid of the eggs
Replacing eggs is the most challenging aspects of vegan baking. Those suckers bind, they leaven and they give structure to our baked goods. However, like a bad boyfriend, they can be replaced, and with pleasing results. Here some info on replacements I have tried.
(more…)

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Fennel Cauliflower Chapatis Recipe

chapti

<<Printable Version ~ Download Recipe>>

I got this recipe from the men’s lectures that Yogi Bhajan gave. In these lectures he outlines several high energy foods and recipes which contribute to potency. I’ve tried this recipe and it’s become one of my favorites.

He says that after eating these cauliflower chapatis you should take a little nap and when you wake you’ll be full of energy.
(recipe continues…) (more…)

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Cherimoya Gelato Recipe

Bulgarini GelatoThis is that totally wild sounding flavor of Gelato I mentioned yesterday. I’m

gonna give it a try sometime. Here’s the recipe. There was also a great article about Gelato places in LA and how a few of them went to Italy seeking the old masters who knew the recipes and methods of making real gelato, passed down through the ages.

Good Stuff. (more…)

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Recipe: Crostini with English pea purée and Greek yogurt

English Peas Tart

Got this from the LA Times food section. Great article about the demise of Farmer’s markets, Fresh Gelato (plus a recipe for gelato.) But what got my eye was this recipe for a tart made from yogurt and english peas.

Reprinted from LATimes.com, Food Section; April 11, 2007 (more…)

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Properties of spices (in mung beans & rice)

This was prepared for a vegetarian cooking workshop taught in spring of 2006. Information on the spices and ingredients in “Mung beans & Rice” also known as “Kitcheree.”

<printable version>

FOOD INFORMATION:

The holy trinity of herbs- Garlic, Ginger and Onions. Yogi Bhajan says that these three herbs are miraculous in combination. Not only healing but very energizing. (more…)

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Ghee better than butter?

Why cook with plain butter when you can reap the health benefits of its clarified form?

<Printable Version>

Your yoga teacher says a little ghee will help loosen up tight hamstrings, and your Ayurvedic physician recommends ghee for a host of ailments ranging from poor digestion to memory loss. But what is this liquid gold and how does it differ from regular butter?

(more…)

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Recipe: Mung Beans & Rice (Kitcheree)

 

<printable version>

Mung Beans & Rice Cleansing Diet.

  • Eat only mung beans and rice for 30 days as a mono-diet. Cook with lots of vegetables. Yogi Bhajan says,” You Americans are rich. You should but lots of vegetables in your mung beans and rice.”A good cleansing diet that gives plenty of nourishment.
  • Good for the kidneys, colon, and digestive organs, or when food is not being digested thoroughly by the intestines.
  • Good diet for winter (make it spicy)
  • May have fruit in between meals for snack. Also may take yogi tea.

(more…)

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