Australian finance blogger goes bananas 

I love a good body experiment. While being an Australian finance blogger has its moments I do have a life outside of saving time and money. This week I’m an embarking on a small body experiment for four days.

Starting today – Monday and running through to Thursday night.  Yes, I’ll be eating lots of bananas (well I’ll make them more interesting) and raw fish (Oka l’a) for dinner. Bananas and fish are my little secret for keeping a sharp mind and a feeling of total health.

Just to note: I’m not an extremist. Not like the chick on YouTube who eats an incredible 50 bananas in one day. I plan to tone things down a notch with a simple banana smoothie each day, eating bananas as snacks on the run and then fish for dinner.

Come back to this post daily to discover what happened to me, how I felt and what results I got from ‘going bananas and fish.’

This experiment is part of my annual winter weight loss regime. Every winter I go on a big health kick. I find autumn and winter the best seasons for weight loss due to fewer social occasions. Further, exercising in winter is much easier. For example, running in cool weather is much nicer than slogging it out in the heat.

For now, read on to discover what’s happening this week at my house.

Here’s what I’ll be drinking, eating and when

1. Lemonade banana smoothie
2. Banana snacks for life on the run as a busy mum
3. Samoan raw fish for dinner

I love this lemonade banana smoothie because it includes a detoxifying lemon and also a glass of water. I’m not good at drinking water (though I do) so I like to incorporate water into food as much as possible.

Learn to save while eating bananas – Australian finance blogger is delivering tips: Save money budgeting with secrets that actually work

Breakfast, lunch and snacks

Lemonade Banana Smoothie

1. 1 frozen banana (slice up)
2. 1 Lemon (peeled and cut up)
3. 1 Stick of celery (chop)
4. 1 Glass of water

Pop the above into a small blender (I used my little Ninja) and mix until smooth.

Note: After the smoothie have another warm glass of water.

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Dinner

Raw Fish – make ahead in the morning

• 500g white fish fillets
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄2 lemon, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 medium spring onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄4 cup lite coconut milk + 1/4 cup water

Cut fish into cubed pieces. Sprinkle with salt then lemon juice. Cover and chill for 2 hours or overnight or until fish whitens. Stir occasionally.  Put in spring onion, coconut milk / water, tomatoes and cucumber. Garnish with 1/2 lemon slices. Serve chilled.

Note: Coconut cream and milk can be fattening. That’s why I mix it with water.

This Australian finance blogger recently featured in The Age – How to teach kids about money in a cashless society

Here’s a list of 35 benefits of eating bananas

Source: Food Matters

1. Help overcome depression – convert tryptophan to serotonin creating a happier mood
2. Pack you with energy punch and help sustain blood sugar (especially before exercise)
3. Protect against muscle cramps
4. Counteract calcium loss during urination
5. Build stronger bones
6. Reduce PMS symptoms regulating blood sugar
7. Produce stress-relieving relaxation due to regulated blood sugar
8. Reduce swelling
9. Protect against type II diabetes
10. Aid weight loss
11. Strengthen the nervous system
12. Help with the production of white blood cells, due to high levels of vitamin B6
13. Strengthen your blood and relieves anaemia by adding iron
14. Are high in potassium
15. Are low in salt
16. Officially recognised as being able to lower blood pressure
17. Protect against heart attack and stroke
18. Aid digestion
19. Remove toxins and heavy metals from the body
20. Act as a prebiotic, stimulating the growth of friendly bacteria in the bowel.
21. Produce digestive enzymes to assist in absorbing nutrients
22. Reduce constipation as they’re high fibre and normalise bowel motility
23. Soothe the digestive tract and restore lost electrolytes after diarrhoea
24. A natural antacid – provide relief from acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD.
25. Are the only raw fruit that can be consumed without distress to the body
26. Relieve stomach ulcers by coating the lining of the stomach against corrosive acids
27. Help prevent kidney cancer
28. Protect the eyes against macular degeneration
29. Make you smarter and keep you more alert due to high levels of potassium
30. High in antioxidants, providing protection from free radicals and chronic disease
31. Eat between meals to stabilise blood sugar and reduce hunger
32. Reduce nausea from morning sickness
33. Rub a bug bite or hives with the inside of the banana peel to relieve itching and irritation
34. Lower the body temperature and cool you during a fever or on a hot day
35. The natural mood-enhancer tryptophan helps to relieve Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Wish me luck. I’m pretty sure there won’t be any sadness if all the benefits above are true!

Australian Finance Blogger – Penina Petersen has written over 25,000 tips on how to save time, money and sanity. You can read them all in the one place here in the Savings Room. 

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