Is Banana a 4-Letter Word?
Posted by Andrea Nakayama

This month’s featured ingredient:
bananas
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First things first. . .
On Thursday night I’ll be hosting a FREE Q&A on blood sugar. There’s no need to sign-up. Just mark your calendar and show-up! Understanding your own blood sugar management is one of the best ways you can show up for both your immediate and long-term health. EVENT: Why Blood Sugar Matters Q&A with me!DATE & TIME: Thursday, March 21st at 5:00pm Pacific / 8:00pm Eastern(Attend via Phone or Webcast ~ it’s your choice; but we have a limited amount of phone lines, so if you dial-in, come early!)DIAL IN: 206-402-0100, Access Code: 842566#TO ATTEND THE WEBCAST, CLICK HEREYes, it will be recorded. And, yes, I’ll make sure you can access that recording. But do come join me with your questions! |
You may be wondering why I’m so focused on blood sugar right now.Well, blood sugar affects your mood, your weight, your mechanisms of hunger and your hormone balance. When its out of whack for too long it can lead to chronic disease states like diabetes, hypertension, Candida and persistent internal inflammation. Managing blood sugar is a BIG DEAL!It’s one of the core baselines of good health.
____________________ According to the Glycemic Index model: Low GI = 55 and under Medium GI = 56 to 69 High GI = 70 and above ____________________ Unfortunately, this ranking system was found faulty because something like carrots have a high GI, and we know they have many other health benefits. ____________________ According to the Glycemic Load (GL) model: Low GL = 1 – 10 Medium GL = 11 – 19 High GL = 20 and over. ____________________ A food like a whole grain or a carrot may have a relatively lower GL because the amount of starch or sugar in that food is mitigated internally by the fiber and nutrients that will slow its delivery into the bloodstream. They also have the sweet ability to help us thwart those sweet tooth CRAVINGS!Now you may be wondering what this has to do with bananas! ____________________ The Glycemic Index of a ripe banana = 52 The Glycemic Index of an unripe banana = 30 The Glycemic Load of a ripe banana = 12.4 The Glycemic Load of an unripe banana = 7.2 The Glycemic Load of raw honey = 14 The Glycemic Load of an apple = 11.4 The Glycemic Load of agave (not a fan) = 9.6 The Glycemic Load of coconut sugar = 1 ____________________ So is a banana so bad if it’s replacing a sweetener? |
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These are a simple, satisfying, not-too-sweet treat. I won’t pretend that they’ll abolish your hunger for the corner-bakery Snickerdoodle, if you’re not already sugar-free like me. But if you are, and if you’re game for the experiment, get out your food processor and give it a whirl.
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ingredients
1 banana (not green but not too ripe; yellow with no brown spots) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup almond flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon + any or all of the following 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon allspice 1/8 teaspoon cardamom 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger materials food processor (I use my mini) parchment paper baking sheet preparation Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Peel the banana and break it into pieces before placing it into the food processor. Process to bring it to a paste. Add baking powder and whirl once more. Add almond flour and process to create a sticky “dough”. Meanwhile, combine the spices in a small, shallow bowl. Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop the dough out from the processor and drop into the spice mixture. This will be sticky business! No need to roll the ball around as it will decrease the sweetness of the morsel, but allow it to touch part of the surface, then place the sticky dough on your parchment. Repeat until dough is gone. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Yield about 10 small cookies |
Going bananas. . . |
Bananas, though starchy and sweet, do come with a host of nutritional benefits.Here are just a few to consider. . . |
Speaking of what’s real. . .
Who’s really the BOSS around here? Is it you or your sugar cravings or blood sugar dips and spikes? Stay tuned for details about the upcoming opportunity to dive deep into your blood sugar control with: You’re Not the BOSS of Me:Controlling Your Blood Sugar so that it Doesn’t Control YouMark Your Calendar for the Detox: April 8th – April 21st |
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