Eat Plenty Of Cinnamon For Good Taste And Great Health
Cinnamon is one of the best known and best loved spices in all the world, and in earlier times a few grams of cinnamon could bring a king's ransom on the open market. While the cost of this great spice is quite reasonable today, cinnamon remains one of the world's most valuable substances in terms of its effects on health and nutrition.
Traditional Uses Of Cinnamon
Many traditional cultures around the world have been using cinnamon not just as an ingredient in their favorite dishes but as a medicine as well. In fact, cinnamon has been valued highly for its medicinal properties for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years.
New Scientific Evidence
One of the areas in which cinnamon has shown great promise in clinical studies is in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A recent study in the Diabetes Care journal has found that the ingestion of just a half a teaspoon of cinnamon every day significantly reduced the level of blood sugar in those with type 2 diabetes. In addition, the same study found that cinnamon was able to reduce triglycerides, LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels in the same study participants.
Some Of The Many Health Benefits Thought To Stem From Cinnamon Include:
> Better digestion - Cinnamon and other related spices have long been used as a digestive aid, and those who suffer from stomach cramps, irritable bowel syndrome and other common stomach disorders often find that adding cinnamon to their favorite dish aids digestion.
> Toning of tissues - There is considerable anecdotal evidence to suggest that cinnamon has the ability to tone and constrict tissues in the body.
> Relief from congestion - Cinnamon and other spices have long been used to relieve the congestion that can come from colds, allergies and other common conditions.
> Relief from muscle and joint pain and stiffness - Those who eat cinnamon on a regular basis often report that their muscle and joint pain and stiffness is reduced or even eliminated.
> Relief from menstrual cramping and other discomfort - Cinnamon has long been used in the world of traditional medicine to treat the discomfort that accompanies menstruation, and many women report that a daily helping of cinnamon greatly reduces cramping, pain and other common menstrual complaints.
> Thinning of the blood and better circulation - Like garlic, cinnamon acts as a blood thinning agent. Though not as powerful as garlic, cinnamon also acts to thin the blood and increase circulation.
> Relief from the pain of arthritis - Recent studies have suggested that cinnamon may contain anti-inflammatory compounds that may be useful in reducing the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.
> Prevention of urinary tract infections - Many of those who eat cinnamon on a regular basis report a lower incidence of urinary tract infections.
> Prevention of tooth decay and gum disease - Likewise there is considerable anecdotal evidence that cinnamon may be helpful in the prevention of tooth decay and gum disease.
> Killing harmful bacteria - Cinnamon has been shown to be a powerful antimicrobial agent, one that has the ability to kill such common germs as E. coli and other harmful bacteria.
About Nutrition
| Does Raspberry Ketone Promote Weight Loss? |
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Raspberry ketone is an aromatic compound found in red raspberries. It's extracted and used in perfumes and cosmetics and it's also used as a flavoring agent in some fruit-flavored foods. Apparently now it's being touted as a semi-magical weight loss aid. But does it work? Who knows - I can't find any clinical studies for it. There are some studies on mice that were given raspberry ketone and it appeared to prevent weight gain when the little rodents were fed high-fat diets. Apparently the anti-obesity effects were due to stimulation of lipolysis (which is how the body breaks down fat in fat cells called adipocytes) in both regular fat tissue and brown fat tissue. It also suppressed release of pancreatic lipase, a digestive enzyme needed to break down dietary fats so they can be absorbed through the small intestinal wall. But this research was done on mice. We're humans, not rodents. We have different physiology and different emotional reasons for eating (or not eating) fats and other foods. So just because mice didn't get fat while being given raspberry ketone doesn't mean it will work the same way in humans. To know if raspberry ketone can work in humans requires clinical research and I can't find any research on people. So will it hurt you to take raspberry ketone supplements? Probably not. Will it help you lose weight? I don't know, but I doubt it. More than likely it will just make your wallet a little lighter. Does Raspberry Ketone Promote Weight Loss? originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Thursday, February 9th, 2012 at 13:06:04. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Tomatoes - A Superfood |
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Tomatoes are the kind of superfood I really like. They're easy to find, easy to prepare and cooking or processing them doesn't reduce the health benefit you may get from eating them. Now, I don't consider a blob of ketchup to be a vegetable and I realize you can find tomato sauce buried in some unhealthy places, like under layers of cheese and sausage on a pizza, but it's always nice when a superfood is something simple. Tomatoes are proof that superfoods don't have to be exotic or difficult to find.
Today I wrote about the health benefits of tomatoes, and now I think I'm craving a tomato, basil and mozzarella cheese salad. Read about the Health Benefits of Tomatoes Do you like tomatoes? What's your favorite kind of tomato and how do like to eat them? Tomatoes - A Superfood originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 at 16:30:55. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Drinking Water |
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Good nutrition isn't just about the foods you eat, it also includes the beverages you drink. Water is a good beverage. It doesn't have any calories or artificial colorings or flavorings and your body needs it. It's also cheap when you get it from the tap. Maybe you prefer bottled water or you use a filtered pitcher to avoid impurities or you prefer the flavor.
I don't like to drink water. I don't like the way it tastes. A lot of people think that's weird because water doesn't really have any flavor. I was a picky eater as a kid so maybe that's related, I don't know. Anyway, if you're like me you can still get enough water by choosing other beverages or flavoring your water with a slice of lemon or lime. I also like sparkling water. You can choose flavored waters too. Just because they're flavored doesn't change the fact that they're almost completely water. Common Questions About Water
Drinking Water originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 10:45:21. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Sweet Potatoes |
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Did you know that yams and sweet potatoes are a great source of vitamin A and beta carotene? Sweet potatoes are also a good source of fiber. They have a naturally sweet flavor that doesn't need much extra seasoning, although they're often glazed or served in sweet potato pie. Today I wrote an article about sweet potatoes, how to choose them, how to cook them and I included some links to healthy and delicious recipes that feature sweet potatoes: What's your favorite way to serve sweet potatoes? I like mine baked and then served with a little bit of real maple syrup with a few pecans sprinkled on top. Sweet Potatoes originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 11:07:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this |
| Vitamin D In the Winter |
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Vitamin D is a popular vitamin in the world of nutrition right now - it seems there's news about vitamin D research every week. Your body needs vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and various research studies have linked deficiencies with several health conditions, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Today I read a study published in the American Journal of Cardiology in which the authors looked at vitamin D deficiency, supplementation and cardiovascular disease risk factors like high blood pressure and diabetes. The researchers (not surprisingly) found an association of vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and also with decreased survival time. So they looked a little closer at the patients who were deficient in vitamin D levels to see if taking vitamin D supplements had any impact on survival times. Turns out the vitamin D deficient-subjects who were taking vitamin D supplements tended to have increased survival times. This was an observational study and not a randomized control trial (which provides the highest form of evidence), so there was no specific dosage used and the subjects weren't required to take any vitamin D. So there was a wide range of dosages reported, from 1,000 International Units per day up to prescription forms of vitamin D taken at 50,000 International Units bi-weekly. Interestingly, subjects who had cardiovascular disease but were not deficient in vitamin D according to blood tests, but took vitamin D supplements anyway didn't have the same increased survival times. We still have a lot to learn about any therapeutic benefits of vitamin D. You don't usually get much vitamin D from the foods you eat, although milk is usually fortified with it, you're body makes vitamin D after your skin is exposed to sunlight. Those of us who live north of a line drawn on a map from the northern border of California in the west to Boston in the east can't even get vitamin D from the sun during the colder months because the sun's rays just aren't strong enough to give us the UV exposure we need. So it's a good idea to take vitamin D supplements during the winter (or any time of the year if you avoid sun exposure). Vitamin D In the Winter originally appeared on About.com Nutrition on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 14:40:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this |