NaturalHealthyWoman.com

Since I am a nutritionist, after all, I thought it was about time I slipped in a blog post about food!

Turns out a lot of people are asking “What vitamins and minerals are in bananas?“

In fact,  bananas are one of the most consumed fruits in the world!

I can see why.  Bananas are inexpensive, readily available all year, portable, super easy to peel, and easy to chew and digest.

Here are the highlights of the vitamins and minerals in one medium banana:

• 23% of your daily requirement of potassium

• 41% of your vitamin B6

• 33% of your vitamin C for the day!

• 23% of your suggested fiber intake for the day.

Why Do You Need Potassium? Read more »

Tags: bananas, Fresh Fruit Company, healthy banana cookies, hypertension, Nutrition, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, Vitamins and Minerals, What Vitamins and Minerals are in Bananas

Filed under: Nutrition on April 28th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

It’s a beautiful sunny day in Colorado, and I’m sitting in my home office, in my jammies, writing this blog post.

In other words, I’m not getting any.

Vitamin D, that is.

In fact, chances are very good that unless you get out in the sun on a regular basis – without sunscreen- you aren’t getting any either.

And that’s a problem.

What causes vitamin D deficiency can be summed up simply: lack of sunshine on bare skin. It’s nearly impossible to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from your diet alone. That means a couple of glasses of vitamin D-enriched milk aren’t going to do it for you.

If you are interested in staying healthy, and in some cases, staying alive, you won’t skimp on “gettin’ your rays” anymore. According to the Vitamin D Council, vitamin D deficiency is a major factor in:

• At least 17 varieties of cancer
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Autoimmune diseases
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Chronic pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle wasting
• Birth defects
• Periodontal disease

Now if that’s not enough to make you see the light of day, I don’t know what is.

In fact, recent statistics show that up to 85 percent of the American public is deficient in this crucial vitamin. This may be blamed, in large part, to the fact that the U.S. is a nation of indoor workers for the most part, AND the pervasive use of sunscreen.

How Much Sun Is Enough? Read more »

Tags: holistic health care provider, low vitamin D levels cause for concern, Sunscreen, Vitamin D, vitamin d deficiency symptoms, Vitamins and Minerals, what causes vitamin d deficiency, What Vitamins and Minerals are in Bananas

Filed under: Natural Solutions, Supplements on April 16th, 2009 | No Comments »

It’s Miserable When You Cant Sleep, isn’t it?

The morning after a sleepless night, it’s hard to push through the brain fog and think clearly, your performance at work suffers, your head may be pounding, and you tend to snap (or maybe scream) at everyone around you.

Not to mention the long-term effects of poor sleep–such as weight gain, heart trouble, and insulin resistance that may lead to diabetes. Yikes!

Even though my chronic insomnia was eventually solved through homeopathy 16 years ago, there are times when I just cant sleep. Unresolved stress, airplane travel, any big disruption in my normal routine…and instead of snoozing, I’m tossing and turning.

So if you cant sleep, why don’t I suggest you just take the “easy” route and pop a sleeping pill and be done with it?

With their potential nasty side effects and concerns of dependency, prescription sleep medications such as Unisom, Ambien, Sonata, Halicon, Lunesta, and others just aren’t the answer. Even doctors that prescribe these drugs will tell you they are not a long-term solution.

So when you cant sleep, what can you do?

If your sleep deprivation isn’t due to a serious medical condition, or a sleep disorder such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (if it is – see a doctor!), try implementing one or more of these seven simple solutions to help you get your Zzzzs. Read more »

Tags: Ambien, brainwave entrainment, cant sleep, exercise, Insomnia, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep, sleep apnea, Sleep deprivation, sleep solutions, sleep tips, sleeping pills, Sleeptrack, What Vitamins and Minerals are in Bananas

Filed under: Insomnia on April 7th, 2009 | 2 Comments »

What’s the best way to lose weight?

How about sleeping it off?

Sounds like a wild fantasy, doesn’t it?

But there’s actually been a lot of buzz in the media lately about the strong connection between insomnia and weight loss.

Sleeping as the best way to lose weight? C’mon.

I don’t blame you for being skeptical. So was I.

But because challenges with weight loss and insomnia are two health issues that I have personally struggled with, I really wanted to know more.

It turns out that even if you do all the right things while you’re awake–like regular exercise and eating healthy foods–if you are sleep deprived, you may still be packing on the pounds or struggling to lose them in spite of your best efforts.

The research has me convinced. At least two dozen different studies have documented that people tend to weigh less if they sleep more.

One study showed that women who slept five hours per night were a whopping 32% more likely to experience weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more!), and they were 15% more likely to become obese over the course of the 16-year study, compared to those who sleep 7 hours a night. Wow!

Why? Read more »

Tags: best way to lose weight, hormones, natural health solutions, What Vitamins and Minerals are in Bananas

Filed under: Insomnia, Weight Loss on March 19th, 2009 | 3 Comments »